COMMUNITY DIAGNOSTIC CENTRES TONY HUGGINS – MANAGING DIRECTOR, DAVID BAILEY FURNITURE SYSTEMS, UK
CDCs are redefining healthcare access
In the last five years, the NHS in England has been quietly reshaping the way patients access care. Away from the headlines about hospital waiting lists and funding pressures, a quieter, more profound transformation is taking place – one that is taking healthcare out of the traditional hospital setting and placing it directly in the heart of communities. Tony Huggins, managing director of David Bailey Furniture Systems, tells us more.
The integration of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) and health hubs into non- traditional locations such as shopping centres, university campuses, football stadiums, and repurposed civic buildings, is changing both the geography and the culture of healthcare. The goal is not only to improve patient accessibility, but also to relieve the strain on overstretched hospitals, reduce waiting times, and breathe new life into town centres that have struggled in the post-pandemic economy.
It is a bold strategy and, crucially, it is
one where good design, right down to the choice of fitted furniture, is playing an essential role in ensuring that these spaces are not only operationally efficient, but also welcoming, safe, and able to meet the NHS’s rigorous infection control standards.
From centralised hospitals to local access points The traditional model for NHS diagnostics has always been highly centralised. Patients travelled to hospitals for tests ranging from MRI and CT scans to blood tests and ultrasounds. While that structure allowed hospitals to concentrate their resources, it also created bottlenecks. Waiting rooms became congested and appointment backlogs grew – a process that is gradually improving with CDCs playing their part. The concept of CDCs emerged as part of NHS England’s Long-Term Plan and was accelerated in 2020 by Professor Sir Mike Richards’ Independent Review of Diagnostic Services. The review identified a clear need for community-based diagnostic services to reduce hospital overload and make it easier for patients to
IFHE DIGEST 2026
access essential tests without long waits or long journeys. The plan was ambitious – to set up
hundreds of CDCs across England to provide a broad range of diagnostic services, separate from acute hospital sites. By placing them in community locations, the NHS could not only speed up diagnosis and treatment, but also reduce the risk of cross-infection by keeping elective diagnostic patients away from acute hospital environments.
As of August 2024, NHS England
confirmed 165 CDCs were operational, collectively delivering more than nine million tests, checks, and scans. That volume represents a dramatic increase in diagnostic capacity and is already showing measurable impact on waiting list backlogs.
Tony Huggins Tony Huggins is managing director of David Bailey
Furniture Systems, the UK's fastest growing manufacturer of specialist fitted furniture products for the healthcare sector, schools, medical, and veterinary centres. Tony, who joined Kent-based David Bailey Furniture in
September 2021 as operations manager, is now charged with delivering plans to streamline the business following a major investment programme which has seen the company significantly expand its production capacity.
Why location matters One of the most striking aspects of the CDC roll-out is the deliberate choice of locations. These are not just satellite medical facilities — they are embedded in the places people already go. A patient might visit a CDC in a shopping centre like The Mall in Wood Green, North London, for a morning scan, then pick up groceries or meet friends for
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