A new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) is now open at the Willowbrook Health Complex in Corby. This significant development marks a major step forward in improving access to diagnostic services for the people of Corby and the wider Northamptonshire area.
The centre is open seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm. Patients will be referred for diagnostic tests by their GP or hospital consultant, ensuring timely access to essential services closer to home.
The aims of the Community Diagnostic Centre are:
- Improve population health outcomes by earlier diagnoses of significant health conditions
- To increase diagnostic capacity in terms of workforce, facilities, and equipment
- To improve productivity and efficiency of diagnostic activity
- To deliver a better, more personalised diagnostic experience
- To contribute to reducing health inequalities.
Corby Diagnostic Centre will carry out:
- MRI scans – used to diagnose or monitor a wide range of conditions and injuries.
- CT scans – used to detect and monitor conditions such as broken bones, strokes, cancers, and digestive issues
- ultrasound scans – used to diagnose a variety of internal conditions
- echocardiography tests – used to assess heart function
The centre will also offer a range of respiratory, heart, and blood tests. A dedicated dementia pathway will support faster diagnosis using MRI and CT imaging. Additional diagnostic pathways under development include tests for breathlessness, asthma in children and young people, post-menopausal bleeding, and faecal testing for bowel cancer.
The Community Diagnostic Centres in Northamptonshire is run by the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group, and the NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board will oversee the work. There are two community Diagnostic Centres, one in Corby and one in the Kings Heath area of Northampton.
The Kings Heath Community Diagnostic Centre opened in November 2024 and the Corby Community Diagnostic Centre opened in June 2025.
The Corby Community Diagnostic Centre belongs to a wider government plan to help tackle diagnostics waiting time backlogs and speed-up vital care for local patients. More information can be found on the government website.