Health Secretary Wes Streeting highlighted that extending NHS Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) hours helps make healthcare more flexible, with services like early morning MRI scans and late evening blood tests designed to fit around patients' busy schedules.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, the NHS increased tests and scans by over 1.6 million, and nearly 97,000 more patients had cancer diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days, significantly speeding up diagnosis processes.

Patients are referred to CDCs through their GPs or hospital teams, with a range of services including MRI, CT scans, echocardiography, and phlebotomy, aiming to improve access and diagnosis times.

Extended hours at CDCs have contributed to these improvements, with data showing over 1.6 million additional tests and scans and faster cancer diagnosis times compared to the previous year.

In specific examples, Oldham CDC reduced lung cancer diagnosis times from 42 days to 18.8 days, and Queen Victoria Hospital CDC saw a fivefold increase in respiratory patient interactions, with 92% avoiding hospital outpatient visits.

These initiatives demonstrate how extended hours and increased capacity are making diagnostics more efficient and reducing hospital outpatient appointments.

These extended hours are designed to better accommodate patients' busy lives, with services available in locations like shopping centres, community hospitals, and university campuses.

While industry leaders and health officials welcome the expansion, they emphasize the ongoing need to address regional disparities and ensure timely access to blood tests and imaging services.

Experts highlight the importance of investing in radiography staff to meet increased demand, as CDCs cannot operate effectively without sufficient radiographers.

Patient feedback indicates that CDCs provide a positive experience, with modern, hospital-like settings contributing to improved patient satisfaction.

The government has invested over £6 billion over five years to expand capacity, including funding for up to five new CDCs in 2025-26 and extending hours across all centres to evenings and weekends.

This investment aims to make healthcare more accessible and timely, supported by the record increase in tests and scans, and the expansion of CDCs' operating hours.

England's CDC network now operates 12 hours a day, seven days a week, with 170 centres offering out-of-hours services, significantly improving access and speeding up diagnoses.