A brand new £25 million state-of-the-art NHS diagnostic centre is planned for Slough in 2025, and local people are invited to have their say on the proposals. The new Slough community diagnostic centre (CDC) will be developed on an unused area of the Upton Hospital site as a new standalone facility. It follows national investment and is part of a network of facilities across the country to improve access to diagnostic tests and scans. It will be open seven days a week, for 12 hours each day, and will provide a wide range of diagnostic services including MRI, CT, and ultrasound scans, and testing for lung and heart conditions, as well as blood tests and x-rays. The centre, subject to necessary planning approvals, will be developed by Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust working closely with partners from across the wider Frimley health and care system. It will provide services to people living in Slough as well as wider communities in Windsor and East Berkshire. The centre aims to improve people’s health outcomes – by enabling more people to access diagnostic tests more quickly, easily and closer to their home, leading to earlier diagnoses of symptoms and better, more timely treatment. It will also help to reduce waiting lists by increasing capacity – the Slough CDC will double the current MRI and CT capacity in Slough and the surrounding areas It will also: help to reduce health inequalities – by locating the CDC in central Slough there will be an opportunity for communities who have poorer health outcomes to easily access high quality diagnostic tests. help people avoid unnecessary hospital visits – increasing diagnostic capacity outside of acute hospitals means that they can focus on delivering urgent and emergency care more quickly for those who need it. be easily accessible by public transport, minimising inconvenience for patients and reducing air pollution caused by travel. Nigel Foster, who is leading the programme on behalf of Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The centre is fantastic news for our local communities, and will mean that people who need more than one diagnostic procedure may have them on the same day. This will help to diagnose conditions and illnesses, including cancer, more quickly. “Not only will the increased testing help to improve the health of the local population and meet the growing demand for diagnostic services, it will also help free up capacity at Wexham Park Hospital.” Sangeeta Saran, Slough Director of Operations for NHS Frimley, said: “The new centre will play a vital role in enabling us to meet local people’s needs in the future and, crucially, mean they spend as little time as possible waiting for the diagnoses they need.” The centre will also offer employment opportunities for local people, and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust will be recruiting for clinical and non-clinical roles in the run-up to the centre opening. The design of the new facility will take place in autumn 2023, with construction taking place (subject to necessary planning approvals) in 2024 and the opening planned for spring 2025. Find out more and have your say During late September and early October 2023, people will be able to give their views on aspects of the new CDC, to help ensure that the Trust’s planning application reflects the views and preferences of local communities. People can find out more about our proposals for the new centre and have their say between 25 September and 8 October 2023, either online or at one of two dedicated drop-in events. Drop-in events: When: Wednesday 27 September 2023, 4pm to 7pm (drop-in anytime) Where: Garden Clinic Meeting Room, Upton Hospital, Albert Street, Slough, SL1 2BJ. When: Thursday 28 September 2023, 10.30am to 1.30pm (drop-in anytime) Where: Boardroom, Upton Hospital, Albert Street, Slough, SL1 2BJ. Free parking is available on site. Have your say online: From 25 September, people can find out more and have their say by visiting https://frimley.ntropydata.co.uk/sloughcdc. For more information, email the team at