THE budget for a new diagnostic centre at the Woking Community Hospital has been more than doubled to £6million after a series of representations by local MP Jonathan Lord to health secretary Steve Barclay.

In April, Mr Lord welcomed Mr Barclay to the site of the proposed NHS diagnostic centre that will be built at the community hospital.

Mr Lord said: “I’m grateful to Steve Barclay for listening so carefully and for understanding that decisive action was required if this new diagnostic centre was to fulfil its full potential to serve local residents.

“Ideally the secretary of state would have liked the new building to be ready this year, but he has been made aware that significant bat surveys have had to take place that were not originally anticipated.

“I am delighted the full and final planning application is now in for approval and, if there are no further impediments, we can all look forward to having a fantastic new building up and running and serving the local community in the spring of next year.” 

The expansion is being led by Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust and the new centre will operate as a joint service by Ashford and St Peter’s hospitals, local GPs and Alliance Medical Ltd.

Overall, the plans represent a significant NHS investment into Woking Community Hospital, which will prevent the need for around 30,000 diagnostic visits per year by local residents to hospitals further afield such as Ashford or St Peter’s. 

While the hospital does currently provide some diagnostic services, they are limited. 

The new diagnostic centre will be attached to the existing community hospital building and there will be a common main reception area for the whole entity. 

It will contain a CT, MRI, an ultrasound suite and enable improved access for the mobile breast-screening unit.   

The existing building will also be reconfigured so that current services can remain there.

Woking has been chosen as a key location for one of the 92 operational community diagnostic centres across England, backed by £2.3billion from central government specifically designed to radically improve local diagnostic capabilities.

Mr Barclay said: ‘‘The new diagnostic centre will be a fantastic addition to the Woking Community Hospital campus, providing tens of thousands more tests, checks and scans for local residents and delivering on our commitment to cut waiting times.”

Jon Allan, chairman of Friends of Woking Community Hospital, said:  “I join Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in thanking Jonathan Lord for securing more than double the original amount of funding for the new diagnostic centre, thereby enabling the original project vision to be achieved.”  

Mr Lord added: “It is fantastic that we will have these new state-of-the-art NHS facilities here in Woking.

“And I am now campaigning to see whether a men’s health diagnostic unit can be delivered within Woking Community Hospital as well.”