A temporary community diagnostic centre (CDC) is set to open this month in a bid to cut NHS waiting times.

Livingstone Hospital received a share of the government’s £2.3 billion investment fund to create a new facility for Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley earlier this year.

The revamped centre in East Hill, Dartford, will offer quicker access to medical assessments and earlier diagnoses and help free up vital resources for emergency and acute care within Darent Valley Hospital.

A temporary facility is set to open this month which will deliver more than 96,000 ultrasound checks, blood tests and CT and MRI scans.

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust will be submitting a planning application for a permanent centre next year with the hope it will be open by 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.

It is hoped that they will also play a crucial role in the early detection of medical conditions, including cancer, which will reduce the demand for intensive care in the future.