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Grace McMahan and Sally Margetts from the respiratory sleep services team with patient Kieron Moore and his girlfriend Amber.<\/p>\nGrace McMahan and Sally Margetts from the respiratory sleep services team with patient Kieron Moore and his girlfriend Amber.<\/p>\n
People in Thanet will begin to benefit from vital health services closer to home, thanks to the opening of the first part of the new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at the Thanet Community Health Hub in Broadstairs.<\/p>\n
The multi-million-pound hub is led by the East Kent Health and Care Partnership and will bring together a range of NHS services under one roof.<\/p>\n
The CDC, at the Nelson College site (formerly the university campus), is run by East Kent Hospitals NHS University Foundation Trust (EKHUFT), as a spoke to the current Buckland Hospital CDC in Dover.<\/p>\n
The first service to launch at the hub is the respiratory sleep clinic, which will improve access for patients and reduce waits.<\/p>\n
Kieron Moore, 30, from Ramsgate was one of the first patients to be treated by the service. He said: \u201cThe appointment suddenly came through and was a month earlier than the one I had for the Community Diagnostic Centre in Dover but more importantly, it meant 15 minutes of travel rather than a couple of hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was actually quite exciting to be one of the first people there and it felt very warm and welcoming. The staff were all great, they were quite excited to be there too \u2013 it had a really nice, sort of family feel. If it means you don\u2019t have to wait so long for an appointment, and you don\u2019t have to go into an actual hospital for it, it\u2019s a really good thing for people who live here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the next few months, more services will be added, including:<\/p>\n
Cardiology (heart checks) from OctoberPhlebotomy (blood tests) from NovemberLung function from December.<\/p>\n
In spring 2026, an MRI scanner will be installed, helping more people get faster access to important tests.<\/p>\n
Cara Barlow, EKHUFT\u2019s Community Diagnostic Hub lead, said: \u201cThis service means people in Thanet can get tests and checks completed faster and closer to home. It\u2019s especially important in areas like ours, where many people can face barriers to accessing healthcare. We\u2019re sure this will make a real difference for local patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
As well as the diagnostic centre, the new hub will also include a range of community services, such as community nursing, podiatry, cardiac and respiratory services. It will also be the new home for St Peter\u2019s Surgery general practice, from November.<\/p>\n
Karen Sharp, Director of the East Kent Health and Care Partnership, said: \u201cWe\u2019ve been working for more than a year to develop a new model of care here in Thanet. It\u2019s fantastic to see the first patients coming through the doors. We look forward to other services getting underway very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n