Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and InHealth have celebrated the official opening of a new state-of-the-art centre in Torquay.

The new Torbay and South Devon Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in Market Street opened in November, giving thousands of people in the area access to faster diagnosis and treatment for a range of conditions including cancer, and heart and lung disease.

The partnership between the NHS and InHealth, the UK’s largest specialist provider of diagnostic solutions, will help speed up treatment, reduce waiting lists and give people access to tests in the town centre rather than visiting Torbay Hospital. This will allow hospital teams there to focus on more complex, urgent and emergency care and reduce the chance of appointments being postponed at times of high demand.

More than 1,400 patients have already been seen at the centre and more than 40,000 diagnostic tests are expected to be carried out during the next 12 months.

Liz Davenport, Chief Executive of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Waiting for a diagnosis of cancer or another condition can be a really worrying time.

“The opening of the new Torbay and South Devon Community Diagnostic Centre will ensure thousands of people in our community receive a quicker diagnosis and begin any treatment they might need.”

The facility speeds up treatment, reduce waiting lists and provide care closer to home for people in remoter areas.

Thousands of people can receive a wide range of tests in the town centre rather than visiting Torbay Hospital, which allows teams to focus on more complex and urgent and emergency care and reduce the chance of appointments being postponed at times of high demand.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust refer patients to the centre, where experienced clinicians offer high tech scanning, including CTs and MRIs, x-rays, ultrasound and echocardiography (heart scans).