Tuesday 15 April marked a year since we opened our Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Barking Community Hospital. 

More than 42,000 additional tests and scans have since been completed, ensuring patients, particularly those with cancer, have been diagnosed and treated much more quickly, leading to better outcomes.

Our staff marked the milestone by reflecting on their achievements, including positive feedback from the vast majority of patients. Their comments have included:

Everything went smoothly. Also, they offer weekend appointments which fits my work/home balance.

Arrived early for my appointment, and I was seen straight away in a very helpful manner. All the facilities are very good, and it is a very clean place.

The centre provides services including radiology, cardiac and respiratory, pathology and ophthalmology.  We also have innovative procedures to speed up the detection of certain types of cancers, including cytosponge, colon capsules and the use of photography to diagnose mouth cancer.

In its second year, staff at the CDC will deliver even more for our patients, with an additional 56,000 tests and scans due to be undertaken, 14,000 more than its first year. As well as our CDC at Barking Community Hospital, we also have one at the St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub in Hornchurch. Both are open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and will carry out an extra 94,000 scans a year.

During a visit from senior leaders at Barking and Dagenham Council last November, including leader Dominic Twomey, and Cllr Maureen Worby, Chief Executive Fiona Taylor called the CDC, ‘the future of healthcare.’  

The positive comments from patients are most likely due to how we listened to feedback to ensure the best possible experience when visiting the CDC. This was taken into account right from the design stage, incorporating floor to ceiling windows, colours used to improve the experience for patients with dementia and ramps, lifts and accessible changing rooms.

Even the build itself was innovative, with the use of modern methods of construction and 90% of the build completed off site before being transported to Barking.

And it’s not just the patients who have positive feedback to share, our staff love working in the modern, patient-focused environment. Hear from Kish, reception manager, and others on why they love working at our Trust in our latest recruitment video.