New £20m Mansfield diagnostics hub could conduct 97,000 annual life-changing scans

NHS bosses are now finalising the details of the £20 million centre, which had its funding approved by the Government last month.

The facility will be built on the site of the old Victoria Hospital, next to Mansfield Community Hospital, on Stockwell Gate, and is designed to significantly speed up diagnoses for a range of health conditions including cancer.

Its aim is to provide a “one-stop shop” for patients to access tests and investigations in a single visit, providing quick answers to health concerns including cancer and allow people to get either the ‘all clear’ or a diagnosis sooner.

The hub will be operated by Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Community Hospital, as well as King’s Mill Hospital in Sutton.

It says the facility could welcome its first patients by autumn 2024 and go on to support thousands of people each year.

Now councillors have heard more specifics about the centre’s operations – and been told it could conduct almost 100,000 life-changing tests and scans each year.

It will provide more equipment, time and staff for tests including MRI scans, CT scans, ultrasounds, endoscopies and X-rays.

And NHS bosses say the centre will also lead to reduced waiting times for thousands of patients once it opens.

It came as Nottinghamshire Council’s health scrutiny committee backed the plans ahead of a future planning permission decision.

A Nottingham and Nottinghamshire NHS Integrated Care Board spokesman told the meeting: “We will prioritise the waiting list with the work SFH does.

“There will be a period of time when we build the CDC and, during this time, our waiting lists will reduce. The two things must be done in parallel.”

David Ainsworth, SFH director for strategy and partnerships, said: “We’re waiting for approval of some additional funds to go live in December this year.

“If that comes good, we’ve got a plan in place to start some of the work already and we’d look to move an MRI scanner onto the Community Hospital site.

“We’d probably do some ultrasounds and blood tests and think that could give us an additional 500 tests from that site from December this year.

“This starts to lead into the planning that, by 2024/25, we’d have an additional 97,000 tests just from this new site.”

Councillors said the scheme will make a difference to the health of residents.

Coun David Martin, member for Selston, said: “It’s a great news story for Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark & Sherwood.

“It’s a great idea, site and location and the local spend is positive. It’s going to increase diagnoses and that’s great news for our part of the county.”

Coun Michelle Welsh said: “Early diagnosis is very critical for a number of conditions.

“I think it’s absolutely fantastic and I want everywhere to have them.”

About 160 new staff will be needed for the Mansfield CDC once it opens, NHS papers add.

Mansfield Council’s planning committee will review the NHS’s planning application in the coming months.