A health trust has opened the first of four new Community Diagnostics Centres (CDCs) to help speed up testing and free up capacity for hospitals.
Thurrock CDC was launched in Grays last week, and it is set to deliver more than 75,000 additional appointments each year.
The Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust (MSE) said all the CDCs, which provide diagnostic tests, scans, and health checks, were set to be up and running by the end of 2026.
MSE’s divisional director for clinical and support services, James Currell, said as well as freeing up capacity, the facilities will be open “seven days a week and up to 12 hours a day” to help workers fit in appointments.