A temporary community diagnostic centre (CDC) has been officially opened.

Livingstone Hospital received a share of the government’s £2.3 billion investment fund to create a new facility for Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley in a bid to cut NHS waiting times last year.

The revamped centre in East Hill, Dartford, opened in November, however, was officially launched last week (May 24).

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust hosted an event at the site with Professor Sir Mike Richards who came up with the CDC concept in 2020.

The consultant medical oncologist and the first National Cancer Director at the Department of Health, led the review of diagnostic services, recommending a major expansion of diagnostic capacity and a new model of service delivery.

Deputy chief executive officer for the trust, Steve Fenlon, said: “We are thrilled to see this project come to fruition and to welcome Sir Mike Richards to formally open this unit.

"The interim CDC is a testament to our commitment to providing exceptional diagnostics services to our community. We look forward to the completion of the permanent facility."

The temporary centre hopes to free up vital resources for emergency and acute care within Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, offering ultrasound checks, blood tests and CT and MRI scans.

A permanent facility is expected to open in spring 2025.

It is part of 160 new CDCs across the country the government hopes to open by 2025 in the hope of cutting NHS waiting lists.

They will act as one-stop shops offering patients a wider range of diagnostic tests closer to home, reducing the need for hospital visits and getting them the care they need sooner.