Over 55,000 patients visited hub in first year

In just a year, more than 55,000 NHS patients have been seen for vital tests and scans at the Metrocentre.

- SAM VOLPE

That's in the time since the pioneering community diagnostic centre (CDC) opened in the old House of Fraser unit at the Gateshead shopping centre.

The CDC offers a range of tests and scans - from MRIs, to blood tests and even sleep studies - and it is open seven days a week. The idea was to bring such tests out of hospital and to a convenient location for the people of the North East and it is now hoped that additional services can be added.

One patient, Gateshead's Margaret Wilson, 65, has been a regular visitor for blood tests. She said: "I have been coming to the CDC for six months for regular blood tests. It is easy to get to, and if I am early, I get seen straight away, no waiting around. It's a great place, and I grab a coffee when I'm done and have a look around the shops."