Plans have been submitted for a new one stop shop for medical tests and scans at Royal Bolton Hospital.
The proposal to open a new Community Diagnostic Centre at the Minerva Road hospital was first announced in June this year.
Now, more detailed plans and artists impressions have been put before Bolton Council.
A statement from the planners said: “The development of a CDC in Bolton provides a significant opportunity to improve population health and delivery of services across the locality.
“Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, acting as the lead provider is ideally placed to provide this service which will improve population health and wellbeing and reduce inequality by supporting closer integration of services.”
It added: “In Bolton there is a growing and changing resident population, which will reach 300,000 over the next decade, with increasing numbers of older people and those living with complex long-term conditions.
“It is recognised that the GP registered list of patients is already exceeding this figure.
“Bolton’s proposed CDC model would support this demand by creating additional diagnostic capacity in locations of high deprivation with easy public transport access.”
The new centre will perform functions like MRI and CT scans, which trust managers hope will reduce backlogs across the borough.
Health workers have already been treating patients in a mobile diagnostic unit at Royal Bolton where they say they delivered 12,000 scans in just a year.
But the new permanent unit is meant to speed up this process in the near future.
As the planners have said, this meets a growing need for healthcare in the borough.
ALSO READ: New multimillion pound one stop shop for medical tests to open in Bolton
ALSO READ: Backlog of long waits for treatment cleared at hospital bucking the national trend
ALSO READ: Amazing nurse at Royal Bolton Hospital receives recognition
A statement said: “Current public health data demonstrates that the health of Bolton’s population is generally worse than the England average, and Bolton is one of the 20 per cent most deprived unitary authorities in England.”
The plans for the Community Diagnostics Centre were put before Bolton Council on Wednesday August 9 and will be open for neighbourhood consultations until Wednesday August 30.
The authority will then decide whether or not to approve the proposal by October 4 this year.
If approved, the centre is expected to open in 2024.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel