New centre could mean same-day cancer diagnosis

Some types of cancer could be diagnosed on the same day patients are tested at a new NHS centre, a senior doctor has said.

A community diagnostic centre (CDC) at St Margaret's Hospital in Epping, Essex, welcomed its first patients in March.

Dr Monica Bose said the next phase of the site, expected to open by early 2027, could "rapidly change the way that we do cancer diagnostics".

The NHS trust that runs the hospital has been under fire for its cancer treatment, after BBC analysis found it was one of the worst performing for its waiting times.

The new Epping site marks its official opening on Friday, although it has already been used by about 700 patients.

Bose, a consultant gastroenterologist, said the centre provided testing for several health needs, including women's health, paediatrics, and cardiology.

She said the second phase of the centre would make it quicker to diagnose patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer.

"We will be able to triage patients to have a CT scan and an endoscopy on the same day in our CDC unit and be told at the end of the day whether or not they have cancer," said Bose, speaking while giving the BBC a tour of the facility.

"It really inspires me that we've been supported to develop these types of pathways to serve our patients better."

The centre in Epping came at a cost of about £26m, and its second phase is set to cost a further £5m.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) has employed 75 new staff to work at the centre.

Trust chief executive Thom Lafferty described CDCs as the future of the NHS and said they would not reduce services at the trust's acute hospital in Harlow, where diagnostic testing is still available.

"It also means those people that do require acute care can access those bigger hospitals earlier… that will also improve the experience of those busier environments," he added.

The trust has bought new equipment for the centre including an MRI scanner with artificial intelligence technology to speed up processes.

Hospitals are told they should diagnose or rule out cancer within 28 days of urgent referral, in at least 75% of cases.

However, BBC analysis last year found that one in four trusts - including PAHT - were not hitting this target, and nor were they hitting the other two targets set for cancer waiting times.

In the 12 months to August 2025, 53.4% of patients at PAHT started treatment within 62 days of referral.

This ranked them 118th out of 121 trusts in England.

Prof Pat Price, an academic in clinical oncology, said the vision for CDCs was "exactly right" as long as they were well delivered and received enough funding.

Diagnosing cancer early at CDCs could save lives, she said.

"With diagnosis and treatment, for every four weeks' delay, there can be up to a 10% increased risk of death, so time is so important with cancer," said Price, who is also chairwoman of Radiotherapy UK.

There are 170 CDCs in England and the government announced last month it was investing £237m to open more of them.

The Department of Health and Social Care said an all-time high of more than four out of five patients were now receiving a cancer diagnosis, or the all-clear, within 28 days.

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