People in Manchester and Trafford are set to benefit from faster and more convenient access to life-saving tests as work begins on a new purpose-built Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Withington Community Hospital.
The state-of-the-art facility will provide convenient access to essential diagnostic services, with patients able to receive multiple tests in a single visit, reducing waiting times and journeys to hospital and enabling faster treatment.
Once complete, the CDC will be open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, reducing the need for patients to travel to one of our major hospitals for diagnostic tests – ensuring that they are cared for in the most appropriate place.
Expected to be open to local residents in Spring 2026, the purpose-built centre will deliver much needed Sleep Studies and Non-Obstetric Ultrasound services, alongside cardiology and respiratory services.
A ground-breaking ceremony on Monday marked the start of works on the multi-million-pound development, which is a record investment in the site. Once fully operational, the CDC is expected to provide over 85,000 additional diagnostic tests annually.
Attending the ground-breaking ceremony was Kathy Cowell OBE DL, Trust Chair for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), which runs Withington Community Hospital:
“The start of works on this Community Diagnostic Centre is an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to make care more accessible and support communities across Greater Manchester to live longer, healthier lives.
“CDCs support early diagnosis and treatment, which are key to improving outcomes for our patients, and it is great that we are able to bring this service to people in Manchester and Trafford”.
Rob Bailey, Construction Director for Northern England at BAM, the contractor appointed to carry out the development, said:
‘’We’re delighted to be here today breaking ground on the brand-new Withington CDC. With our extensive experience supporting NHS trusts across the region, BAM is proud to deliver this facility that will enhance accessibility and reduce treatment times for communities across Manchester and Trafford.”
The starts of works on the Withington CDC follows the opening of the North Manchester CDC last year, which is located in Harpurhey and provides North Manchester residents with convenient access to sleep studies, cardiology, respiratory, and ophthalmology services within the North City Family and Fitness Centre. Joining these services will be a new Imaging Unit providing MRI and CT scans and will be open in Summer 2025.