The new NHS building is set to open where the old Broadmarsh centre stood, in spring 2027
06:00, 06 Jul 2026Updated 15:28, 06 Jul 2026
Mansfield’s Community Diagnostic Centre is the first in Nottinghamshire(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Same day, same place.
That’s how quick and easy it can be to get a diagnosis of something as serious as cancer at Mansfield ’s new Community Diagnostic Centre.
No waiting weeks, no back and forth appointments, no travelling to different places – it can (almost) all be done here.
It’s a hospital – but only for tests, scans and examinations, away from the chaos of seriously injured patients, screaming babies and sprinting nurses.
There seems to be almost no one around when we walk into the CDC, as it’s known, at Mansfield Community Hospital – but not in an eerie way.
In the way that everything seems calm and organised – perhaps, ideally, the way a hospital should be.
This building – with its complicated name – is actually very simple.
“Community” refers to its location – in the “community”, away from hospitals and “closer to where patients actually live and work”, according to Dr James Thomas, Sherwood Forest Hospital Trust’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, who played a main role in the creation of this place.
“It’s more accessible, people don’t have to take a whole day off to go and, thirdly, hospitals can be a bit scary, and some people are a bit frightened to go to a hospital for a big test. Coming somewhere else might seem a little bit more accessible.”
“Diagnostic” refers to what goes on here – no A&E, no births, no overnight stays.
Dr James Thomas said that the CDC has been “working like a dream” since its opening(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Traditionally, to get a diagnosis for a problem, your GP would likely send you to the nearest big hospital site – where you’d potentially have to wait a long time, in a chaotic, noisy and uncomfortable environment.
Here, there’s none of that.
“What we tried to do is make this not a hospital,” says Dr Thomas. “I think we’ve achieved it. It doesn’t feel busy. The waiting area is empty.
“You can’t see a patient at the moment, because they’re in the room having a test, or they’ve done it. We don’t have people hanging around. They come, they have their test at the time that it was timetabled, and they’re gone.”
This is one of more than 150 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) that have popped up all over the country in the past five or six years – but it’s the first in Nottinghamshire.
It won’t be for long, though.
There are well-advanced plans for a CDC at Broadmarsh, right next to the Green Heart, at the bottom end of Nottingham city centre, run by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
So how do they work? And what can we expect from Nottingham’s?
Doctors at GP surgeries can refer patients straight to Mansfield’s diagnostic centre for testing, rather than sending them to the hospital.
Let’s say a patient goes to the doctor with shortness of breath.
A GP might sometimes be able to tell what the problem is themselves.
But if they can’t – maybe they’re uncertain whether it’s a lung problem or a heart problem – they’ll send them to the CDC.
Before, a GP would have to guess which they thought it was and refer them to the appropriate hospital’s department for tests, without being certain it was the right place for them.
Amanda Barratt, programme manager for the CDC at Mansfield Community Hospital(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Here at Mansfield’s CDC, the patient will have a CT scan to see how their lungs look, then a function test in the respiratory corridor, where their breathing and lung volume will be measured.
If they need anything else, like a blood test, they can get it here and see a consultant.
The best bit is that they can then wait in the corridor to get their results on the same day.
Traditionally, their CT scan, lung function test, blood test and results would all be separate appointments.
“Almost all of those patients will get a diagnosis on the day,” says Carl Miller, clinical deployment lead at Sherwood Forest Hospitals. “(Then) the consultant will send a letter to the GP and say: ‘This is what we’ve found, this is what we need to do, carry on with the treatment and refer back to us if things change.’”
Lung problems can be diagnosed in as little as three hours here.
“(The CDC) reduces what we call care miles, too,” adds Amanda Barratt, programme manager. “Reducing the number of journeys a patient takes means there’s less carbon on the roads as well. It’s all-rounded – it benefits patients, early diagnosis, and it’s good for the environment.”
Blood tests
Blood testing is often a key part of medical diagnosis, so the CDC has a dedicated room for it.
But patients who need their bloods taken for any reason can also be sent here, away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital.
“I think for some patients, especially when they’re vulnerable or not feeling particularly well, Kings Mill (Mansfield’s main hospital) is so fast-paced, so hectic and so busy,” says phlebotomist Sally Thompson. “This is a much calmer environment for patients to come into. It’s a lot better.”
The waiting room at the CDC is empty – because appointments all run on time(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Patients who have a blood test booked don’t even need to sign in at reception – they just look for the red and orange blood-test colour-coded chairs, sit down and wait for the phlebotomist to call their name.
“You haven’t got the waiting list of the doctors,” adds phlebotomist Emma Chapman. “A lot of patients can panic when they’re told they need a blood test. The doctor says ‘get a blood test’ and the patient thinks there’s got to be something wrong.
“But then they can’t get a blood test at the GP for five weeks. The relief is they can just book on the day here. It relieves a lot of stress.”
The calmer nature doesn’t just benefit patients. It’s good for staff too, says Mr Miller.
“Being on the wards at Kings Mill can be really hard work,” says Carl. “Moving around all different patients and places. Here it’s calm for patients and calm for staff.”
MRIs
The MRI room at the CDC benefits from a new technology called “Ambient Experience” – the projection of relaxing atmospheric videos onto the back wall of the room, which the patient can see through a mirror above them.
The patient can choose from a range of imagery, such as ocean and forest scenes, designed for relaxation, especially if they’re claustrophobic.
“We’ve had massive success with this,” says Claire Barnes, lead radiographer. “Patients who are extremely claustrophobic and can’t manage any other scanner, we bring them here, and they’ve managed it, and all said how they think they feel more at ease.
“The building is light and airy. There’s less time pressure. This has been a godsend for us, and our patients absolutely love it. We’re getting patients who’ve been here wanting to come back.”
CT scans
CT scans also happen here.
“We’re trying to move as much of the outpatient stuff from Kings Mill down here,” says Carl. “It’s a win-win.”
The CDC has benefits for both patients and staff, says clinical deployment lead Carl Miller(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
The staff agree: “It’s a nice break from the hustle and bustle of King’s Mill.”
It’s busy – but calmer and easier to manage in an environment where they can walk in and out.
The team here has already completed 757 scans in June up until the 26th – more than what was expected.
“It’s the right environment for that patient,” says Carl.
Endoscopy
Endoscopies are an easy process at the CDC, with two separate corridors for men and women, each with changing rooms, waiting rooms, and examination rooms.
Patients whose endoscopies show abnormalities can be taken straight to a CT scan, just a few seconds’ walk away.
In a traditional hospital, they’d probably be sent home and have to wait for a further scan, increasing anxiety.
Other services
As well as a whole other department for ultrasound scans – the type used for pregnancies – there are also rooms here that other local services, such as sexual health or dermatology, can use.
They’d usually run their services elsewhere, and still do, but they can use the CDC on occasion to ease pressure.
There are spare rooms available for use for other services, easing capacity at other hospitals and medical centres(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
The benefits
Dr Thomas says that the opening of Mansfield’s CDC has been a resounding success.
“It’s been stunning,” he says. “We’re now almost at 100% capacity of what we predicted to be. The staff love it and the patients love it. It’s working like a dream.”
You can feel it here. Even the car park is quiet, with spaces visible as soon as we drive in.
There are no walk-ins here, but patients have their appointments on time, and there are hardly any backlogs or delays.
And there’s more.
Areas around beds are bigger – the size they should be.
Facilities for the same department are right next to each other – such as the cleaning facilities for the endoscopy team’s exam rooms.
The list goes on.
It’s because it’s all been built in one process, with patient and staff input, unlike traditional hospitals, which are sometimes built piecemeal over many years.
When can we expect Nottingham’s CDC?
Nottingham’s CDC is set to open in less than a year’s time, with spring 2027 the target.
That’s despite the area around the Green Heart still currently bearing the skeleton of the old Broadmarsh shopping centre and looking like rubble.
Where Nottingham’s Community Diagnostic Centre will be, next to the Broadmarsh Green Heart (pictured in 2024)(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Dr Thomas, Carl and Amanda are all in close contact with the people leading the Nottingham project, to give them tips, dos and don’ts in terms of running a CDC.
And after Nottingham’s opens next year, healthcare bosses could look even further in the county.
“I think an interesting question really is whether Nottinghamshire needs a third or a fourth CDC,” says Carl. “Do we need more? That’s a question we are actively asking of ourselves.
“There are benefits – huge benefits. Can we capitalise on those benefits in other places and areas? I think we probably can.”