BOLTON has been selected as one of 40 sites across the country for a new NHS testing and diagnostic centre.

The Community Diagnostic Centres, part of a £350million government investment, will aim to provide one-stop-shops for checks, tests and scans for all manner of illnesses including cancer symptoms.

They will be opened in a range of settings from local shopping centres to football stadiums.

Bolton North West MP Mark Logan said: "We know that many people have not been coming forward for key tests throughout the pandemic, which has contributed to the backlog, and which can result in worsening health outcomes.

"Through investing in early diagnosis and increasing NHS capacity we will be able to treat serious illnesses sooner and save lives, delivering better health outcomes for people in Bolton and across the North West."

GPs will be able to refer patients to a centre so they can access life-saving checks closer to home and be diagnosed for a range of conditions, rather than travelling to hospital.

According to the NHS, Bolton’s new Community Diagnostic Centre will achieve earlier diagnoses for patients through easier, faster, and more direct access to the full range of scans and tests needed to understand patients’ symptoms.

The centre will also help reduce the risk of Covid transmission, and contributed to the NHS’ net zero efforts by reducing the number of patients journeys required in North West through providing multiple scans and tests in a single visit.

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: "Rapid diagnosis will save lives and these one stop shops for checks, scans and tests in the heart of local communities will not only make services more accessible and convenient for patients but they will also help us to improve outcomes for patients with cancer and other serious conditions, ultimately sparing more patients and families the pain and trauma of disease.

"NHS staff have continued to provide routine care, throughout the pandemic, alongside treating around 450,000 seriously ill Covid patients in hospital, and the roll-out of these community diagnostic centres will help us to spot problems sooner, when they are easier to treat."