Land has been identified in the centre of Crewe for a proposed new Integrated Community Diagnostic Centre and Neighbourhood Hub, aimed at bringing more health and care services closer to South Cheshire communities.

Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has approached Cheshire East Council regarding part of its 'meanwhile space', located adjacent to Crewe bus station and multi-storey car park.

The council will consider this proposal at a future Cabinet meeting and recognises the benefits the potential development could bring to Crewe town centre, and to public health.

The proposed centre would bring diagnostic testing, outpatient care, and neighbourhood services together in an accessible community location.

These services could include Medical Imaging, such as MRI and ultrasound, cardiac testing, breast screening, and blood tests.

The roposed facility would reduce the need for thousands of patients from across the region to travel to Leighton Hospital each year, in turn would reducing the pressure on the existing site, including parking.

Chair of Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Megan Nurse, said: "The Trust currently operates a Community Diagnostic Centre at the Victoria Infirmary in Northwich.

"Since it opened in 2022, it has made a significant impact by providing easier access to range of vital services for thousands of patients each year.

"This new proposed Integrated Community Diagnostic Centre and Neighbourhood Hub will build on that success, and support the ambitions set out in the Trust's new 10-year Healthier Futures strategy by improving access to healthcare closer to where people live and reducing reliance on hospital-based services at Leighton Hospital.

"This milestone enables the next stage of detailed planning and development of the full business case.

"The Trust's Board will consider that business case in the new year to fully assess its affordability, sustainability, and the benefits it would deliver for patients and communities."

The Trust's Board has also approved the next stage of development, and national NHS Capital funding has been secured for planning and design work.

The programme remains subject to a full business case, detailed design, affordability checks, and formal approvals.

Senior Responsible Officer for Healthier Futures and Estates Redevelopment, Russ Favager, said: "The proposal is an important part of creating a more connected and sustainable model of care across Mid Cheshire.

"The town centre location, close to the bus station and multi-storey car park will make services easier to reach and reduce the need for many patients to travel to Leighton Hospital.

"Our ambition is to bring more planned tests, outpatient appointments, and neighbourhood services closer to where people live, while enabling the hospital to focus on care that can only be delivered in an acute setting.

"Final decisions around the detailed design, service model and funding have not yet been made.

"We will continue to develop the plans through clinical evidence, detailed analysis and feedback from people, staff, and partners."

This proposal builds on years of NHS planning, population health evidence, and feedback from patients, staff, communities, and partners through the Trust's Healthier Futures programme and work to develop the new Leighton Hospital.

It is being developed as part of the national commitment to increase Community Diagnostic Centres and moving care closer to home.

Cheshire East Council's deputy leader and cabinet member for economic development and regeneration, Cllr Michael Gorman, added: "This is a really exciting proposal and reflects the confidence that our partners have in Crewe's future.

"The council has long recognised the opportunity for healthcare facilities to play a key role in the ongoing regeneration of the town centre.

"While there is still considerable work to do, including a decision on the plans at cabinet this winter and seeking the necessary planning approval, we can already see the positive impact this investment could have on the health of local people.

"It will bring more people into the town centre and continue the growth of Crewe."