Diagnostic centre welcomes first patients
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation TrustA new community health facility offering scans and rapid tests for diseases including cancer has opened to its first patients.
The Tees Valley Community Diagnostic Centre on Bridge Street, Stockton, also has equipment such as CT and MRI scanners, ultrasound machines and X-ray machines.
Maureen Watson, 71, from Eaglescliffe, who was there for a planned knee scan, said it was "amazing" to be one of the first patients at the site, which is run by University Hospitals Tees.
The centre is part of a wider regeneration project by the borough council to create a "health spine" with infrastructure for "health services and social care innovation", the trust said.
Mrs Watson said: "It was really easy to get here and staff have been fantastic. I have been in and out very quickly too - it has been a really nice experience."
Phil Woolfall, a radiologist and clinical lead for the centre, said it would enable patients to have a "quicker appointment" outside of a hospital setting.
Labour's Lisa Evans, leader of Stockton council, said the new diagnostic centre would have a "huge impact" on residents' access to health services.
"This is also a major investment which will help drive footfall in Stockton town centre, where people can come not only for convenient appointments, but also to be able to access local facilities," she added.