In the news: Pitsea on path to deliver essential healthcare after building handover
Pitsea's Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) is a step closer as Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust took ownership of The Place, Pitsea, and the neighbouring library ready to start construction.
The two-storey building, which is due to open in late 2026, will be a hub for the local community, with wellbeing services, a brand-new activity centre and library. The programme is a partnership between Essex County Council, Basildon Council and Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. Community services have temporarily moved to other locations while the build is going on.
Pitsea CDC will be the largest in mid and south Essex. Home to an eight-room endoscopy unit, CT and MRI scanning facilities it will improve access to critical diagnostic services in the region. Patients will be offered test and scan appointments sooner, leading to earlier detection and diagnosis and improved health outcomes for the local community.
Katie Arnold, Portfolio Director for Commercial at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Pitsea is one of four CDCs we're developing in the mid and south Essex area. The centres will allow us to see our patients more quickly and improve the care they receive. At the Pitsea CDC alone we'll be able to offer up more than 120,000 additional scans per year, in a place that can be easily accessed by our patients."
Councillor Mark Durham, Cabinet Member for The Arts, Heritage and Culture at Essex County Council, said: "Pitsea Library and The Place will transform into an exciting new community hub to accommodate the diagnostic centre. Library services will continue to be provided at the neighbouring Vange Library."
Councillor Jack Ferguson, Basildon Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Community said: "Cutting waiting time for diagnostic testing that can save lives is a mission shared across public services in Basildon, and I'm thrilled we've officially handed the building over to the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust for demolition works to begin. I look forward to seeing the development for a brand-new Community Diagnostic Centre, library, and activity centre take shape."
Ryan Liversage, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in Essex, said: "The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust taking ownership of the site of Pitsea's new Community Diagnostic Centre is an exciting moment and we're looking forward to starting work on this important healthcare facility. Once complete, the CDC will bring a wide range of valuable health and wellbeing benefits to the local community, including speeding up diagnosis within a local setting. While creating this new medical environment, we look forward to further strengthening our well-established relationships with the Trust as well as Basildon Borough Council and Essex County Council.
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is leading on the programme with the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (MSEICS). The MSEICS has a wider estates programme, which is looking to enhance and increase health and care facilities for local people.
A public engagement event will be held in spring 2025, with details shared on the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust website: www.mse.nhs.uk/have-your-say.
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Published 23 October 2024