Diagnostic services at Walton Hospital are set to expand following its inclusion in the government’s £237m investment programme to deliver 36 new and upgraded Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) across England.
The scheme will see the Chesterfield-based site enhanced as part of a wider national push to increase testing capacity and improve access to NHS diagnostics.
As part of the latest expansion, the site is expected to introduce permanent MRI and CT scanners, alongside additional services such as DEXA scanning, audiology and transnasal endoscopy, replacing the need for mobile units and increasing on-site capability.
The investment builds on the hospital’s recently established CDC, which opened in 2025 as a purpose-built facility designed to provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for tests and scans, including ultrasound, CT, x-ray and blood testing services.
Work to deliver the Walton Hospital upgrades is expected to begin delivering benefits for patients as early as this year.
Wider national CDC programme
The Walton scheme sits within a broader regional investment across the East Midlands, where multiple CDC sites will be expanded or enhanced to boost diagnostic throughput and reduce waiting times.
The other CDC schemes in the East Midlands that will be expanded or enhanced include: Boston (new), Broad Marsh (expanded), Florence Nightingale (enhanced), Grantham (enhanced), Whitworth Hospital (enhanced).
Nationally, the £237m funding forms part of a wider £26bn annual uplift in NHS funding, aimed at modernising services and supporting earlier diagnosis through increased access to imaging and testing.
Community Diagnostic Centres are central to the NHS’s strategy to shift care into community settings, offering extended hours and improved accessibility while reducing pressure on acute hospital sites.