We officially opened our Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at St Margaret’s Hospital, Epping, today (Friday 8 May).
The St Margaret’s CDC will transform care for the community we serve, supporting quicker and more local access to diagnostic tests and treatment close to patients’ homes.
We were proud to welcome Cllr Janet Whitehouse, Mayor of Epping, to officially cut the ribbon. She was joined by partners including MPs, councillors, GPs, NHS England representatives, the project team and wider stakeholders to celebrate this milestone with tours of the centre.
There has been some clinical activity through the centre including cardiology, respiratory and imaging diagnostics (CT, MRI and ultrasound) since 16 March when we welcomed our first patient to the centre.
There is new, modern, high-quality equipment and extended opening times at the St Margaret’s CDC, with additional capacity being provided for MRI scans, X-rays and non-obstetric (non-pregnancy) ultrasounds, including:
- Two additional computerised tomography (CT) scanners;
- Extended hours for X-rays;
- New ultrasound equipment;
- New cardiology equipment;
- New respiratory equipment;
- New MRI scanner; and
- More phlebotomists – increasing the number of blood tests that can be carried out
Additionally, as part of the CDC programme, the services provided at Herts and Essex Hospital, Bishop’s Stortford, include extended hours with additional capacity for non-obstetric (non-pregnancy) ultrasounds, X-ray and audiology.
CDC services at both St Margaret’s Hospital and Herts and Essex Hospital are available to patients by appointment, not on a walk-in basis.
New clinical pathways
There will be streamlined clinical care – known as ‘pathways’ – available for patients to access services for conditions in the future including:
- Breathlessness
- Children and young people’s asthma
- Unscheduled bleeding on hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Liver health checks (surveillance)
- Rapid access care for chest pain
- Palpitations
- Sleep studies
- Trans-nasal (via nose) endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract
- Urology – focused on prostate diagnostics
Construction work is continuing on an extension to the CDC, due to be completed in early 2027. This further development of the site will accommodate the fibroscanner to check for liver inflammation, an additional ultrasound, X-ray and space for trans-nasal endoscopy.
Dr Monica Bose, Divisional Director of Planned Pathways and Consultant Gastroenterologist, said: “I am delighted to see the St Margaret’s CDC officially open.
“Since we welcomed our first patient on 16 March, we have already seen the significant impact this centre has for our patients, with quicker and more local access to diagnostic tests and treatment close to their homes.
“I am incredibly excited to develop this further as we progress with the extension to the CDC and our new pathways for streamlined clinical care – this will make such a difference to the care we provide to our patients.”
Thom Lafferty, Chief Executive, said: “We are extremely proud to officially open the St Margaret’s CDC today. Thank you to the Mayor of Epping, Councillor Janet Whitehouse, for joining us at this special occasion and formally opening the centre, and to all our guests for your support in bringing our vision for neighbourhood health to life.
“The CDC is just the start of our ongoing commitment to provide integrated care to our community, closer to home, which will be truly transformative for the population we serve in the years ahead.”
Pictured: The official opening of the St Margaret’s CDC. Pictured from left to right: Thom Lafferty, Chief Executive of The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT); Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Epping Forest; Cllr Janet Whitehouse, Epping Town Mayor; Chris Vince, MP for Harlow; Darshana Bawa, Acting Chair for The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT); Alex Burghart, MP for Brentwood and Ongar; and Dr Monica Bose, Divisional Director of Planned Pathways and Consultant Gastroenterologist at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust.