68 Consultant medical oncologist Professor Sir Mike Richards attended the official opening of the Interim Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Livingstone Community Hospital earlier this summer. Professor Richards was the first National Cancer Director at the Department of Health and led the review of diagnostic services, recommending a major expansion of diagnostic capacity and a new model of service delivery. He proposed the CDC idea in 2020. Stuart Hortop, Senior Strategy Manager for NHS Property Services, was also at the event and welcomed the clinical specialist to the site. He explained: “We have delivered a number of CDCs across the country since their inception, bringing improved access and availability to diagnostic services for thousands of patients, so it was fantastic to meet Professor Sir Mike, one of the academic and clinical minds behind the concept. “We look forward to the project’s completion and working with our partners and NHS colleagues to ensure the outcomes are to the highest standards, providing long term healthcare for the local community for years to come.” The North Kent Community Diagnostic Centre offers a comprehensive array of state-of-the-art diagnostic services, including CT and MRI scans, and cardiac physiology measurements, to patients throughout Dartford. This interim solution is a critical step towards the full realisation of the CDC, which is set to open in its permanent facility in the spring of 2025. “We are thrilled to see this project come to fruition and to welcome Sir Mike Richards to formally open this unit,” said Steve Fenlon, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. “The interim CDC is a testament to our commitment to providing exceptional diagnostic services to our community. We look forward to the completion of the permanent facility.” The event, held at the end of May, was a collaborative effort involving NHS Property Services, Compleo Health Ltd and Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. Key players who are in charge of ensuring the CDC’s success attended. Community diagnostic centres are a way of providing highly efficient, quick-access diagnostic tests outside of hospital settings. They are another way to make sure we are providing the right care, in the right place, at the right time. The CDC will expand its diagnostic capacity and is not designed as a walk-in care service. NHS Property Services enables excellent patient care by acting as a trusted advisor to the NHS and by providing the best estate solutions. We manage 2,700 properties with 6,300 customers across England, which accounts for approximately 10% of the total NHS estate. Our properties range from listed buildings to new integrated care centres and include hospitals, GP practices and offices.