The NHS has opened a new community diagnostic centre in Wembley to help bring down waiting times and tackle health inequalities in the area.
The Wembley Community Diagnostic Centre, run by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, is one of three new facilities which the NHS hopes will offer around 180,000 diagnostic tests for cancer and other illnesses each year.
The purpose-built Wembley centre will run seven days a week, from 8am-8pm, and offer over 30,000 tests each year. Work on the site began in April last year.
NHS bosses hope that the location of the centre will make it easier for local residents to get checks, scans and tests.
The first centre operated by Imperial opened in Willesden last summer while the third centre, in Ealing, is due to open later this spring and will be managed by London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust.
Professor Tim Orchard, chief executive of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust said: “It’s fantastic to have been able to open this second new diagnostic centre. Bringing care closer to people’s homes means faster diagnosis, which means quicker treatment and, we hope, a much better experience for everyone.”
Dr Amrish Mehta, clinical director for imaging in north west London, said: “Community diagnostic centres are all about doing things differently and the delivery of this site, which was just a car park ten months ago, has epitomised that ethos.
“A huge thank you to the many people and teams who have worked so hard to make this state-of-the-art centre a reality, including Imaging Matters, Brent Council, NHS Property Services and of course all the staff working here now.
“It’s an extraordinary achievement and I know will make a difference to many, many people in the local community in the years to come.”
