Works Can Start on Broad Marsh Community Diagnostic Centre

The Broad Marsh Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) has reached a significant milestone with enabling works due to start at the Nottingham city centre site on Lister Gate. This key stage in the programme follows the formal signing of contracts between Homes England – the new landlords of the site - and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) – who will run and staff the centre.

Computer Generated image of the CDC

The new NHS facility is one of a number of CDCs being funded by the Department for Health and Social Care, which aim to improve population health outcomes and efficiency, as well as reduce waiting times and health inequalities. 

CDCs have been designed to be a ‘one-stop shop’ to support Nottingham's clinicians and patients by providing direct access to diagnostics services such as MRI, CT, x-ray, ultrasound, echocardiography, ECG, and lung function testing in a facility nearer to home rather than in an acute hospital setting. This allows for more rapid diagnosis of conditions such as cancer, which in turn will help patients access the life-saving treatments they need more quickly.

Health Minister Karin Smyth, said: “The Broad Marsh Community Diagnostic Centre will make a real difference to patients, delivering faster diagnoses and helping reduce waiting times, all closer to home. 

“Its location, in Nottingham City Centre, will make getting tests, checks or scans simpler and more convenient, something we’re replicating across the country through centres like this one.

“By bringing vital healthcare services into the community, we're making diagnosis and treatment more accessible for everyone. Thanks to the investment and reform our Plan for Change is delivering, the government is cutting waiting times and building an NHS fit for the future.” 

Over the last year, the Broad Marsh CDC project team has been working with both the old and new landlords of the city site – Nottingham City Council and Homes England – on design approval. 

The complexity of the site, including its connection to the main Broad Marsh centre structure, and the existence of asbestos, has meant a longer design and evaluation period.  Now that contracts are in place it means that enabling works can begin shortly, with Henry Brothers Construction appointed to lead on the build. 

NUH’s Deputy Medical Director, Mark Simmonds, said: “We have been working very hard with our partners over the last year to get us into this position of readiness, and we are really excited to have reached this key stage in the development.

“Earlier diagnosis is better for everyone, and this centre will be vital in reducing the number of people in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire waiting longer for diagnostic tests. It will also enable patients to access these tests in a community setting without needing to travel to a hospital.”  

Amanda Sullivan, Chief Executive at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, added: “Our CDC will not only help to improve the health of the local population and meet the growing demand for diagnostic services, but it will also help free up capacity in our hospitals, providing a better patient experience for many more people across our hospital sites."

The Broad Marsh CDC has been conveniently located near to the new Broad Marsh bus station and car park and is a short walk from the train station and tram stop. Disabled parking is also available nearby. Whilst construction is in progress, NUH will continue to provide community-based diagnostics tests behind NEMS Platform One, near the Nottingham Railway Station. 

Alison Crofton, Chief Property Officer at Homes England, said: “This is an important milestone in the transformation of Broad Marsh and will form part of the vital services and infrastructure that will support a cohesive and thriving community.

“Our close working relationship with both Nottingham City Council and the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has been key to the strides made so far and we look forward to seeing the work progress to bring the Community Diagnostic Centre to completion.”

Ian Taylor, MD of Henry Brothers Construction, said: “Henry Brothers Construction is proud to have been appointed as part of the team delivering the new Community Diagnostic Centre which is being created in the heart of the Broad Marsh regeneration development in the centre of Nottingham.

“Henry Brothers has wide experience of delivering exciting public sector schemes in the health sector and we look forward to working closely with Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust to develop this CDC which will play an important role in reducing the backlog of patients waiting for diagnostic tests.” 

Councillor Neghat Khan, Leader of Nottingham City Council and Executive Member for Strategic Regeneration, Property and Communications, said: “This is a really positive step and an exciting development in the transformation of this key part of our city. I’d like to thank everyone who has worked on this project and helped it become a reality.

“The creation of a new Community Diagnostic Centre is great news for Nottingham residents as it speeds up access to vital scans and medical testing, which in turn will accelerate both diagnosis of serious conditions and the start of life-saving treatment for patients.

“But it also builds on the wider redevelopment of an important area of the city centre, which includes a brand-new green space right at its heart. We will continue to work with partners at the NHS and site owners Homes England over the coming months as works progress on this facility.”

Ben Bowley, Director at Leonard Design, said: “It has been a pleasure working with the project team to design this new facility for NUH. As a Nottingham based consultancy it is very important to Leonard Design to be able work with local stakeholders to positively contribute to transforming our local area through a collaborative design process.”

The CDC will open later in 2026 and once at full capacity will provide up to 140,000 appointments annually. It is also expected to create 75 new jobs across a range of disciplines including consultant radiologists, radiographers, imaging assistants, physiologists and administrators. When the unit is at full capacity it will employ 135 staff.

Computer Generated image of the CDC

Frequently Asked Questions for patients and the public about the Nottingham City Community Diagnostics Centre

What is a CDC?

A: Community Diagnostics Centres (CDCs) are designed as a one stop shop to provide direct access to diagnostic services for patients referred by their consultant or GP for services such as:

  • MRI
  • CT,
  • X-ray
  • Ultrasound
  • Echocardiography (ECG)
  • Lung function testing

CDCs allow patients to have their diagnostic appointments nearer to home without the need to attend the main hospital sites.

Plus, appointments are less likely to be delayed or cancelled because CDCs are separate to the main hospitals and so there is less likelihood of urgent cases coming in and needing priority attention.

Why do we need a CDC in Nottingham?

A: The idea of CDCs in England came from a national review into hospital diagnostic capacity, and it was decided that all health systems across the country would need to include a network of CDCs to help patients get access to appointments sooner.

An additional 100,000 outpatient diagnostic appointments a year (increasing to 140,000 once at full capacity) will be made available at the CDC and will allow for more rapid diagnosis of conditions including cancer. This in turn will help patients access the life-saving treatments they need more quickly and will therefore improve patient experience and outcomes for our friends and families living in Nottingham.

The Nottingham CDC, based in the Broad Marsh redevelopment site, is the second one in Nottinghamshire – a CDC will also be built in Mansfield and run by our colleagues at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Who will run the CDC?

Nottingham University Hospitals has been selected by the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board to run this brand-new CDC.

How can I get an appointment at the CDC?

When the Nottingham City CDC opens, diagnostic appointments will be mainly available through hospital consultants.

The CDC will also enable GP direct access to diagnostic appointments, however it is recognised that this may not happen straightaway while we work through our current diagnostic waiting lists.

We will continue to work closely with primary care and the ICB to implement direct GP access to CDC appointments as soon as possible.

Where has the money come from for the CDC?

The national CDC programme is backed by £2.3 billion in government funding.

What will the opening times be?

We are still working through the details so will be able to share more information about this nearer the time of opening.

When the CDC is operating at full capacity, it will be open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.

How can I get to the CDC?

The NHS, working closely with Nottingham City Council, identified the site within the Broadmarsh regeneration area which is ideally suited for a CDC. Its convenient location in the city centre has excellent public transport links and is within 15 minutes’ walking distance of a number of communities, improving access to health services.

Patients attending the Nottingham CDC will be able to use a variety of methods to travel into the city centre as normal, including the tram, bus, train, car and on foot.

How will I get my results, and will I get them more quickly?

Once the patient has had the diagnostic tests, the results will be sent to the consultant or GP that referred you, as per the current process.

It is expected that the overall wait time from referral to results will be quicker as there will be 100,000 more diagnostics appointments available for patients.

Will I receive treatment more quickly?

In addition to the creation of the Community Diagnostic Centre, NUH is investing in more treatment capacity for patients whose results show that they need planned surgery or treatment outside of what their GP can provide.

This includes building new operating theatres and refurbishing wards at our City Hospital site, in parallel to the construction of the CDC.

What the CDC will do is to provide patients with either answers or peace of mind more quickly, as they will have their diagnostics appointment and results sooner.

What happens if the scan shows something very serious, will I be seen sooner?

As with all diagnostics appointments, if something concerning is identified in the results, these will be marked as urgent when they are returned to the consultant or GP that referred you so that the doctor can take appropriate action.

Can I still have my appointment at QMC or City if I would prefer it?

When patients are contacted about their diagnostic appointment, this may be via a phone call or by letter, depending on the type of test or scan for which they have been referred. 

If contacted by a phone call, different locations and waiting times will be discussed and the individual will be able to choose whichever is most suitable to them. 

If contacted by letter, an appointment date and time will be booked, with the option for patients to call to change this if it is not suitable for them. Not all diagnostic tests for which patients may be referred will be available at the CDC.    

How can I get more information about the CDC?

We are at the very early stages of the CDC, and this announcement is the first step towards the CDC becoming a reality for our communities in Nottingham.

Therefore, there will be lots of discussions taking place over the coming months and we will involve patients and carers throughout the process to ensure that the facility is as beneficial to all our patients as possible.

We will keep patients and the public updated via our normal communications channels including the NUH website, social media and, where appropriate, patient letters.