City redevelopment could include major NHS facility

A new multi-million pound NHS centre could be coming to Worcester to help ease pressure on Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Worcestershire County Council is in talks with health bosses about opening a community diagnostic centre at Shrub Hill Quarter.

The site would include a range of equipment including a CT scanner, ultrasound, MRI scanner and X-ray suite capable of testing for an array of illnesses.

Councillor Adam Kent, the authority's deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and business, called it an "exciting next step" for the area.

The council is seeking outside investment for a major redevelopment of Shrub Hill Quarter, land which has been earmarked for 500 homes, office, leisure and retail space.

Now it has identified part of the site which could be home to the new NHS facility, subject to a deal being struck.

Community diagnostic centres were first launched in England in 2021, with 168 of them now up and running across the country, in a bid to reduce the strain on main hospitals.

Many are capable of delivering more than 60,000 tests a year, and open seven days a week.

The move comes after years of concern about Worcestershire Royal Hospital being overstretched and under pressure, especially during the winter.

Earlier this year the government announced a funding programme for new diagnostic centres, giving areas the chance to secure funding.

Kent said: "This is an exciting next step for Shrub Hill Quarter and a significant opportunity to transform a key gateway into Worcester.

"As we launch the search for a development partner (for the rest of the site), we're also exploring opportunities that could help bring early investment and activity to the site, including ongoing discussions with NHS partners about the potential for a community diagnostics centre.

"While those discussions are ongoing, it is a really good example of how Shrub Hill Quarter could begin delivering benefits for residents from the very earliest stages of the regeneration journey."

NHS bosses are still in talks with the council about having some sort of health facility on the County Hall site, the council's former HQ which is now for sale on the open market.

The BBC understands Shrub Hill is being viewed as a good option due to the density of housing in that part of the city, and likely future growth.

A statement from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We continue to have active and positive discussions with county council colleagues around the possibilities of developing additional healthcare facilities on both the County Hall and/or Shrub Hill sites.

"Our priorities for any future development would be guided by the health needs of our local communities and the aims of the national NHS 10-year plan, in particular moving care closer to people's homes."

The talks in Worcester follow the opening of an £18m diagnostic centre in Hereford in January capable of delivering 65,000 tests a year.

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