New 'one-stop' health check centre on historic Mansfield site gets final seal of approval
A new 'one-stop shop’ in Mansfield for health tests, scans, screenings and x-rays is only a year away after planning permission was finally rubber-stamped.
A purpose-built Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) is to built on the Stockwell Gate site of Mansfield Community Hospital, and should be completed by December, 2025.
The scheme, overseen by Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs King’s Mill Hospital in Sutton, was originally given planning permission last January.
The trust had to make “substantial changes” after “project development and costing exercises”, causing a delay. But now, a revised planning application has been approved by Mansfield District Council, complete with a host of statutory conditions.
To celebrate the milestone, the trust hosted a ‘first-spade-in-the-ground’ ceremony at the CDC site. It was attended by Mansfield’s MP Steve Yemm, the trust’s acting chief executive David Selwyn and members of the wider project team.
The site has played an important role in Mansfield’s history, from its origins as the town’s Union Workhouse, which opened in 1837, to its evolution into Victoria Hospital. So the trust is eager to pay homage to its rich heritage.
The new centre will include a permanent display featuring images, timelines and information about the site, as well as tales of the people who have shaped its past.
Carl Miller, of the trust, said: “We are inviting the local community to contribute to this tribute by sharing their memories, photographs or newspaper clippings about the site.
"By including these personal experiences, we aim to ensure that the new CDC reflects the history of the area. If you have anything to share, please get in touch by emailing [email protected]"
CDCs have been springing up all over the country since the Covid-19 pandemic. The NHS feels it badly needs separate, dedicated centres to carry out services such as blood tests, MRI scans, ultrasound scans, x-rays, breast screenings and bone density scans.
Nottinghamshire was allocated £24.2 million over three years to develop its CDC strategy, and phase two is the cutting-edge scheme at Mansfield Community Hospital.
The state-of-the-art centre will be open from 7 am to 8 pm every day and will employ about 300 staff, half full-time and half part-time.
The aim is to deliver an extra 130,000 extra diagnostic tests each year, making tests and scans more easily available and reducing the need for patients to travel to mainstream hospitals.
The Mansfield site is already being used for various diagnostic services. Last February, it was reported that it had carried out more than 10,000 additional health checks and was expanding its drop-in clinics for blood tests.
The creation of the CDC will entail demolishing an existing building. But the project is committed to achieving a 90 per cent recycling rate for waste.
About 60 per cent of loose items within the old building have already been recycled, including racking, filing cabinets, treatment beds, walking aids and various chairs. Other furniture has been reused too.
What’s more, the brick and block materials from the demolished structure have been crushed to form the foundation of the new building, saving more than 1,500 tons of imported material, which is the combined weight of 125 double-decker buses.
Four local businesses are involved in the whole project, providing a significant boost to the local economy through jobs and investment.