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Staff at the CDC marking the third anniversary

The community diagnostic centre (CDC) at Finchley Memorial Hospital is celebrating its third birthday this week, having helped improve access to local care for 229,000 patients in that time.

256,000 diagnostic scans and tests have been carried out since the centre opened, with almost 100 staff in post and more soon to join.

Staff came together for a special event to mark this important milestone and celebrated with cake, music and a raffle competition.

The CDC has a number of facilities including two CT scanners, three MRI scanners, four ultrasound rooms, two x-ray rooms and three ophthalmology rooms.

It also has two lung function rooms, a sleep room, cardiology rooms, blood test chairs and one microvascular room. In the coming months it is also set to open a trans nasal endoscopy room and begin a capsule sponge service, bring more patient choice and services to the populations of north central London.

Elizabeth Pickering, senior operations manager for the CDC, said:

“This time three years ago we were just four members of staff and now we have our 100th colleague joining us next week. I can’t believe what we’ve achieved in this time, and I am very grateful to everyone who has been a part of our journey.

“The CDC has had a hugely positive impact on NCL activity levels, and it is exciting to see more services are coming down the line at the centre that will further improve early and equitable access to services, which is a key priority for the CDC programme.

Finchley CDC collage (1).png“It’s a perfect example of working in partnership between NHS services across north London. Thank you to all our teams who have worked hard to make the service the best it can be.”

Dennis Carlton, director of transformation at NCL, said:

“It’s fantastic to see how the CDC continues to go from strength to strength since opening three years ago, and I would like to say a huge thank you to the CDC team, who continue to do an amazing job. 

“Finchley Memorial CDC has provided nearly a quarter of a million tests since it opened 3 years ago, and collectively, our CDCs are now providing over 10% of NCL’s total core imaging capacity. This is a fantastic achievement, which is helping to ensure that patients receive their diagnosis as quickly as possible, so that they can start receiving the treatment they need sooner.”