Published on 26 August 2025
North West Community Diagnostic Centres – including the 10 currently in Cheshire and Merseyside – are delivering more diagnostic tests in the evening and weekends.
New data published by the NHS shows that more than 1.14 million tests and scans, including for cancer, have been delivered in North West Community Diagnostics Centres (CDCs) over the past 12 months. In the region, 16 CDCs provide a service 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Clatterbridge Diagnostics, which was one of the first CDCs opened in England is a partnership between The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and Wirral University Teaching Hospital, and is managed by Wirral University Teaching Hospital.
Since opening in 2022, Clatterbridge Diagnostics has helped the Cheshire and Merseyside system deliver tests, checks, and scans to more than one million patients.
CDCs are a pivotal part of the government’s Plan for Change to transform care, moving it out of hospital and into the community. By speeding up diagnosis and treatment, government is reducing pressure on overwhelmed hospitals and putting patients at ease faster.
Dr Gareth Wallis, Medical Director for System Improvement and Professional Standards for NHS England in the North West, said: “Offering healthcare that fits around people’s lives, and making accessing tests and scans more convenient is an important part of making the NHS better for patients.
“CDCs have become an essential part of the health system in the North West, delivering more tests, more quickly, in more convenient locations.
“The growth in numbers of diagnostic tests being delivered to patients across the region is testament to the hard work, dedication, and innovation of staff across the North West. This work is helping us diagnose conditions earlier, improve outcomes, and reduce pressure on our hospitals, making a real difference in the lives of patients across the region.”
Patients can be referred to a CDC via their GP or hospital-based clinical teams. The NHS is also making it easier for GPs to refer directly to CDCs via schemes like GP Direct Access, and developing more activity involving CDCs so patients can have their diagnostic test ahead of meeting their consultant, reducing the number of outpatient appointments they need to attend.