Construction has completed on a Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in Hereford, designed with a patient-focused approach to provide a reassuring environment for imaging and testing.
Designed by Architype and Medical Architecture for Wye Valley NHS Trust, and constructed by Speller Metcalfe via the NHS ProCure23 (P23) framework, the £18m Wye Valley Community Diagnostic and Treatment Centre in Hereford is part of a national initiative to boost NHS diagnostic capacity by providing CDCs in local communities close to people’s homes, making services more convenient and accessible. The P23 framework enabled early engagement of the full project team, supporting a highly collaborative approach throughout design and construction.
The building was officially opened by Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care), Stephen Kinnock, and accommodates a range of services, from easily accessible blood testing facilities with more complex diagnostic imaging, including X-ray, CT, and MRI.
Located adjacent to a well-connected retail park, and open 12 hours a day, the facility is easily accessible for local residents. This enables routine diagnostics to take place away from the local county hospital in an environment that feels more welcoming and less clinical. It also relieves capacity pressure and traffic at the hospital site by reducing the need for outpatient visits.
The building design is underpinned by Passivhaus principles to reduce energy demand, lower operational costs, and provide a comfortable internal environment. This includes employing a fabric first approach which prioritises thermally efficient walls, floors and roof, with robust detailing and airtightness. The design is aligned with the principles of the NHS Net Zero Carbon Building Standard and achieved a BREEAM Excellent score of 74.1 per cent.
Russell Hardy, Chairman at Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: “The opening of the new community diagnostic centre is a significant milestone for healthcare in Herefordshire and marks a major step forward in bringing healthcare closer to where people live and work. The calming ambience and friendly environment of the building is proving hugely popular with our patients and our staff members are enjoying the modern facilities and latest diagnostic equipment – an added attraction for colleagues at the Trust.”
Mark Nugent, associate director at Medical Architecture, said: “This project’s success reflects the hard work and collaborative efforts of our NHS client, the contractor, and the whole design team, who were determined to create a sustainable healthcare facility which will reduce running costs, provide a great place for staff to work, and significantly improve the patient experience.”
Paul Neep, associate at Architype, said: “It has been a pleasure to design and help deliver this important community facility for Wye Valley Trust, located just a short distance from our Hereford studio. By working closely with the specialist healthcare expertise of Medical Architecture, we were able to combine medical excellence with sustainable, high quality design. We are proud to see this project successfully completed and now serving our community.”
Adrian Speller, managing director at Speller Metcalfe, said: “We are thrilled to see the Hereford Diagnostic Centre completed and ready to serve the local community, which is already making a difference to service delivery on the ground. Our team has enjoyed working closely with the Trust to deliver a facility that will make a real difference for patients in Herefordshire.”
