A multi-million-pound centre is set to open in the hope of providing patients with vital scans and tests closer to home.

Sheppey Community Hospital in Minster will receive a Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) which will offer a “more personalised diagnostic experience for patients”.

The CDC is part of a wider national scheme which was announced in October 2021, costing £350 million.

While the full amount going to the Sheppey site has not been revealed, the funding runs into millions of pounds.

The Medway NHS Foundation Trust is set to open the Sheppey CDC in two phases in early 2024. It will be fully operational in 2025.

Cllr Peter MacDonald (Swale Independents), who represents Minster on Swale council, said he hopes it will be the start of a “new era” for the Minster hospital.

He added: “I'm very pleased and reassured that a new diagnostic system will be put in place at Sheppey Hospital.

“Travel from Sheppey is difficult for people who are well and doubly difficult for those who are unwell and local GPs are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of patients.

“When the NHS shut the Sheppey General Hospital they claimed through the Minister Hospital, Sheppey would not be the loser.

“We all know this was not to be the case as the current hospital is a shadow of its former self.

“Well done for Medway for even thinking of us, I hope this is the start of a new era.”

A CDC centre in the Rochester Healthy Living Centre in Delce Road, Rochester is now up-and-running.

Initially, patients were able to access a range of ultrasound scans, as well as respiratory and cardiology services and sleep studies.

The second phase is due to launch in early 2024 and will include CT and MRI scans.

Jayne Black, chief executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said she was “very pleased” to see patients benefiting from the centres.

She added: ‘’The NHS across Kent and Medway is committed to providing the best possible care for the populations we serve.

“The centres will allow us to deliver a better and more personalised diagnostic experience for patients by providing a single point of access to a range of diagnostic services in the local community.”

The CDCs will be available up to seven days a week, for up to 12 hours a day, according to demand.

Urgent scans or tests required as a result of emergency attendances or admissions to the hospital will continue to take place in the hospital, along with some routine tests.