Take a tour around the new NHS diagnostic centre works in Skegness

The CDC in Skegness – which is due to open at the beginning of November on the site of the former Kwik Save supermarket off Old Wainfleet Road – is believed to be the largest single NHS investment in the town in many years.

It will not only will it conveniently be located in town, it promises state-of-the-art facilities, designed after extensive consultation with patients and clinical staff to remove the stress out of appointments.

Lincolnshire World was invited to join guests for a tour of the CDC site in Skegness – which, along with another new facility being built in Lincoln on the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park off Tritton Road, is part of a total £38million investment in local NHS services.

Both facilities will be run by United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) and offer a variety of diagnostic services, including X-ray, MRI, CT and non-obstetric ultrasound, for convenient, timely care away from busy hospital sites.

The state-of-the-art facilities incorporated into the design include colour coding of treatment rooms, virtual reality headsets and sky light imagery where windows are not appropriate.

Where there are windows, such as in the cancer treatment room, the outside area will be landscaped to create a pleasant garden view for patients.

Changing rooms and seating areas have been designed for the fast flow of patients to reduce waiting.

The well-being of staff has also been considered, with designated areas for them to change and relax in between appointments.

The cleaning team will be provided with facilities for the swift and efficient removal of the eight types of clinical waste which will be produced at the centre.

ULHT Chief Exec, Prof Karen Dunderdale, was amongst the guests on the tour and was excited to tell us more. She said: “The CDC will be unique to Skegness but not to Lincolnshire, as we do have others across the county.

"This is a place which will, for the population, be their local centre where they will be able to have diagnostic tests, CT scans, MRI, echocardiograms and X-rays without needing to travel to hospital sites.

"So it will be a lot easier to access = and the free parking will be a bonus.

"People will be able to be seen in a really modern facility, have their test and go straight home.

"In designing the CDC there has been focus on maintaining dignity, making sure you are not sat for a long time waiting to be seen.

"In some of the areas where we can’t have windows we are installing sky lights that show different outside scenes that make it look like a window is there.

"It will be bright and airy and it won’t feel like you are coming into a clinical setting – even though quite clearly it will be one.

"Being able to access something like this without going to Boston or Grantham or the Lincoln County Hospital has got to be so much better for the local population.”

Julie Frake-Harris, Chief Operating Officer at ULHT, said: “The start of groundworks on the Skegness and Lincoln sites is a significant and exciting step forward in the delivery this programme for our patients.

“Working in collaboration with NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board, we have involved patients and clinical teams at every stage of development to ensure we are creating an environment that is welcoming, modern and fit for purpose for the broad range of patient groups who will be able to use it.

“The convenience of these facilities is supported by free on-site parking, and having diagnostic testing in the community not only helps to reduce waiting times, it also frees up capacity in our busy hospitals to support those in need of emergency care.”

Diagnostic facilities not previously offered in Skegness include CT, MRI, echocardiograms and dental x-rays. Plans also include a chemotherapy service to reduce the amount of travel necessary for cancer patients.

A temporary mobile MRI scanner has already been placed on the east coast in Mablethorpe, at Marisco Medical Practice, to provide additional appointments while the Skegness build is completed.

In Lincoln, the CDC will have dedicated training facilities to support the training of future radiographers, with ULHT becoming one of the first NHS Trusts in the country to link directly with a school of radiography at the University of Lincoln.

Temporary MRI and CT scanners are also already in place on the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park while building work is completed.

The contract to build both CDCs has been awarded to MTX, a modern methods of construction specialist.

Additional funding of £38m has been provided by the Department of Health and Social Care to make the development possible.

These new CDCs follow the success of the Grantham CDC, which was the first to open in Lincolnshire in April 2022 and has recently had a £5m expansion to open CT and MRI facilities.

To date, Lincolnshire’s CDC programme has supported the delivery of more than 80,000 diagnostic tests.

Clair Raybould, Executive Director for System Delivery, NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board, said: “The CDC programme is offering opportunity to explore how health and care organisations can develop and deliver services differently to address some of the unique challenges faced within our local communities, from a population and geographical perspective.

“As well as offering vital diagnostic testing, Lincolnshire’s CDCs have been designed to allow clinical space for other services, enabling the facility to develop further as a community hub.

“These partnerships are already helping to facilitate the provision of temporary services during construction works, the introduction of new services such as physiological testing, and the growth of future workforce development.”

Skegness and Lincoln’s CDCs are both expected to open to patients in autumn 2024.