200,000 tests have been carried out in two years

A diagnostic centre which has performed 200,000 tests since opening just two years ago was celebrated at an event at Hermitage Court in Maidstone today.

The West Kent Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), part of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) opened its first building – now known as the Franklin Unit – in 2023. The Hounsfield Unit followed, opening its doors to patients earlier this year.

By operating outside busy hospital settings, community diagnostic centres reduce waiting times, speed up diagnoses, alleviate patient anxiety and enable quicker treatment starts.

CDCs enhance capacity and support the Government’s 10-year plan for the NHS which prioritises moving care into the community.

The CDC at Hermitage Court, close to Maidstone Hospital, delivers CT, MRI, DEXA, X-ray, ultrasound, phlebotomy, and respiratory and cardiology diagnostics, and sees around 149,000 patients a year, ranking it among the top ten in England for test volume.

Almost 98% of patients rate the service at the CDC as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’, with many mentioning the speed of service, helpful staff and modern facilities in their feedback.

Both units have been named after pioneers in diagnostic imaging:

The Franklin Unit has been named in honour of Dr Rosalind Franklin, a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose pioneering work revealed the helical structure of DNA. Despite her essential contributions, Franklin’s role was under-recognised during her lifetime but her work remains a cornerstone of molecular biology.

The Hounsfield Unit has been named after Godfrey Hounsfield, a British electrical engineer who was awarded a Nobel Prize for his part in developing the CT scan. This innovation transformed diagnostics and his CT scanner remains a critical tool in modern healthcare.

Source and picture credit: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust