In North Central London, there are two NHS Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) at Finchley Memorial Hospital in Barnet and at The Mall in Wood Green in Haringey.
CDCs allow patients to access a broad range of planned diagnostics (including checks, scans and tests) nearer to home without the need to attend acute hospital sites. This reduces pressure on hospitals, provides quicker access to tests, and is more convenient for patients.
Early diagnosis and treatment is key to reducing preventable death, particularly from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The two CDCs will help people to be diagnosed earlier and have more access to diagnostics closer to home.
Patients can attend appointments for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) scans, blood tests (phlebotomy), ultrasounds (non-obstetric), ECG, ophthalmological testing (glaucoma and medical retina diagnostics), testing for microvascular disorders, x-rays and respiratory testing.
In order to attend the CDCs, you will need to have a referral by a clinician. X-ray services at The Mall in Wood Green can be accessed on a walk-in basis as long as you have a referral.
Finchley Memorial Hospital CDC
The Finchley Memorial Hospital CDC opened in August 2021 and services are predominantly delivered by the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. The exception is the blood testing (phlebotomy) service which is delivered by Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust.
The CDC is located at Finchley Memorial Hospital, Granville Rd, London N12 0JE and is open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm. There is free parking onsite (you can register your vehicle in the reception area) and the bus route 383 serves the hospital with the bus stop close to the hospital entrance. You can take a virtual tour of the CDC by clicking the link here.
The disruption to services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a backlog of people waiting for diagnostic tests and the Finchley Memorial Hospital CDC will support efforts to clear this backlog and enable people to have their diagnostic tests quicker. As of the end of November, the CDC has helped over 72,000 NHS patients across Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington get quicker access to diagnostic scans and tests.
Diagnostic services currently available at the Finchley Memorial Hospital CDC include MRI and CT scans, non-obstetric ultrasound scans, blood tests, ophthalmology, and other cardiology, respiratory and microvascular tests.
Over 2023/2024, there will be further expansion of services at the Finchley Memorial Hospital CDC to include a second permanent MRI scanner, a permanent CT scanner, development of x-ray facilities, and expanding respiratory services to include sleep testing and other tests.
The NHS hospital trusts working in partnership with the FMH CDC are:
- Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (CLCH).
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust.
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
- North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust.
- Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
- Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust.
- University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
- Whittington Health NHS Trust.
Whilst the diagnostic tests are carried out by CDC staff, patients remain under the care of their GP or the hospital trust from where they were referred.
Earlier this year, an MRI scanner was crane lifted and installed into the CDC. You can watch how is all happened by clicking the link here.
Wood Green CDC
The Wood Green CDC opened in August 2022 and offers North Central London residents blood tests, x-rays, ultrasounds and an ophthalmology (eye) clinic.
The CDC is in the heart of the community at the shopping mall: Ground Floor (Units 51 – 53), The Mall, 159 High Road, Wood Green, N22 6YQ. It is open Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm.
Most of the services are provided by Whittington Health NHS Trust, and Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust run the ophthalmology clinic.
Plans are underway to install MRI and CT scanners in the lower ground floor of the centre, these services are due to open in Autumn 2023.
Patients need to have been referred to the CDC by their GP for blood tests, ultrasound and x-rays. You can also ask your hospital doctor to be seen at the CDC for these tests. Hospital doctors can refer you to the ophthalmology (eyes) services provided by the Royal Free.
Whilst the diagnostic tests are carried out by CDC staff, patients remain under the care of their GP or the hospital trust from where they were referred.
Hear what Jonathan Gardner, Director of Strategy at the Whittington Hospital and the lead for delivery of the NCL CDCs has to say about the state-of-the-art facilities at the Wood Green CDC via the link here.
For more information, and an interactive tour of the Wood Green CDC, please visit the Whittington’s website.