New Tees Valley diagnostic centre a win for everybody

10,000 TESTS CARRIED OUT IN UNDER FOUR MONTHS

- By GARETH LIGHTFOOT Local democracy reporter

AN NHS centre which has already run more than 10,000 tests and scans in its first few months has been hailed as "a win for everybody" at an opening event.

The Tees Valley Community Diagnostic Centre, on Bridge Street in Stockton town centre, got the thumbs up from one of its customers passing by during an opening event with MPs and NHS and council leaders.

"Well I'm a patient and I'm enjoying it," said one of the state-of-the-art centre's first patients, Maureen Watson, 71, from Eaglescliffe.

The retired florist came in for an MRI scan on her knee when the £25m centre opened its doors in April.

She said: "A consultant said I'd have two to four months to wait for an MRI. Two days later they phoned up, on a Saturday, and I was in on Thursday, so it was brilliant.

"There was no waiting, I went straight through. It was so different to North Tees [hospital], it's so much more relaxed."

Staff are equally keen. "Lovely, so nice," beams an echocardiographer during a tour of the facility. "Patients love it."

The centre aims to provide more than 139,000 tests a year, from blood tests and scans to endoscopy, cardiac science and sleep studies.

Two MRI and two CT scanners, X-ray, four ultrasound rooms and control, tech and changing rooms are on the ground floor, with cardiology, respiratory and other rooms upstairs.

Keeping several general rooms on the first floor for future uses is already paying off, with new government funding coming for the centre to carry out liver scans. There are plans for a one-stop clinic.

Diagnostic services lead Gail Griffiths said: "It's very much in its infancy, but in terms of the population and alcohol, it's something that's really on the increase. We're just recruiting and we've ordered the equipment.