More details have been unveiled about the Isle of Wight’s proposed new £10 million Community Diagnostic Centre.
It is expected to open at St Mary’s Hospital in Newport by mid-2024 and health bosses hope it could provide quicker access to tests and treatments closer to home for Islanders.
Plans have officially been submitted to the Isle of Wight council for approval before the building works can start.
What to expect
To accommodate the new diagnostic centre, a new wing could be added to the stroke unit, creating treatment rooms; recovery areas; spirometry suites; echo ultrasound suites and bone measurement suites.
A mammography / breast screening department could also be built with x-ray and ultrasound suites.
Re-modelling of car park
Part of the extension would sit on some of the existing car park, displacing some parking spaces, but the circular car park would be re-modelled.
A main CDC entrance will be created at the car park level with a specific entry for the mammography department.
Simple designs
Plans from the Isle of Wight NHS Trust say the designs are simple in form, but more importantly, serve its function.
It would match other recent projects at St Mary’s Hospital, like the extension to the emergency department which is being built.
A small extension could also be added to the current CT scanner at St Mary’s to provide a changing room for patients.
Part of a nationwide campaign
The CDC was announced in October last year, as part of a nationwide campaign to increase diagnostic capacity and reduce the backlog after Covid.
It is aimed at spotting early warning signs for illnesses and patients would be referred to the CDC by their doctors.
The centre would also provide facilities for sleep studies, same-day biopsies and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
View the plans
You can view the application 22/00395/FUL, on the council’s planning portal. The public consultation runs until 30th May.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
