By Mark Hitchman, Managing Director at Canon Medical Systems UK
The NHS 10-Year Plan has rightly shifted the spotlight onto prevention, accessibility and community-first healthcare. A cornerstone of this vision is the creation of 200 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs), which have the potential to bring a broad range of services – including treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation – closer to where people live[1]. These centres could represent a vital evolution in the way we deliver care, especially if they include access to key diagnostics that make early intervention a local reality.
As someone deeply embedded in healthcare innovation, I’ve seen firsthand how this community approach to care can transform outcomes, boost local engagement and create long-term cost savings. But to deliver on their promise, NHCs must be backed by meaningful investment in technology, infrastructure and workforce planning.
Local access, real impact
We have already seen the positive outcomes from the Government’s Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) programme. According to recent data, tens of thousands more patients are receiving crucial diagnostic scans within weeks under the government’s Plan for Change to slash NHS waiting times, as a result of the expansion of the CDCs programme[2].
Take Barnsley. Since 2022, its CDC has become a model for community-centred diagnostics. Located in the Glass Works shopping mall, it has delivered over 220,000 appointments for services including blood tests, ultrasound scans, and X-rays. As a result, the town has seen a 22% increase in mammogram attendance and a 24% drop in ‘Did Not Attend’ cases (DNAs) since the centre opened in April 2022[3]. These are not just stats – they’re stories of people who are being seen faster, treated earlier, and spared unnecessary travel.
Similarly, the Canon Medical Arena in Sheffield, based at the Olympic Legacy Park, blends diagnostics with community sport. The diagnostic suite there has supported over 140 prostate biopsies and is training NHS radiologists in lower-risk biopsy methods to improve outcomes[4]. This kind of joined-up, innovative thinking should be the blueprint for the way healthcare is delivered in the future.
The growth of mobile and relocatable imaging units is another perfect example of how care is being made accessible to the community. These units allow Trusts to respond to temporary surges in demand, reach rural communities and even deliver pop-up services in hard-to-reach areas. This flexibility is critical if we are to truly reduce health inequalities and create equitable access to care.
Technology must be central
NHCs, however, are not just buildings. To truly serve their communities, they should be equipped with the technology to support a wide range of services, ideally including diagnostics, just as we’ve seen in successful CDCs. Ensuring these hubs are armed with the right equipment is vital. As part of the NHS’s broader modernisation agenda, Trusts will benefit from a wave of innovations designed to speed up diagnosis and treatment. This includes AI-powered scanners that deliver faster, more accurate results, and digital systems that help streamline patient pathways[5].
This investment in advanced technology is more than just a hardware upgrade – it’s a vital enabler of system-wide efficiency. These tools help improve outcomes, reduce backlog pressures, and increase throughput. From mobile scanning units that expand reach in rural communities to AI triage that accelerates clinical decisions, innovation is enabling the NHS to deliver care more fairly, efficiently, and safely.
That’s why initiatives such as the world-leading AI breast cancer detection trial, involving 700,000 women, are so exciting[6]. They show the NHS is not just embracing innovation but putting it to the test at scale. Results from trials like this will inform how NHCs use AI to speed up diagnoses, triage more effectively and support clinical decision-making.
Workforce: The make-or-break factor
No amount of infrastructure or technology will deliver results without the people to power it. The NHS plan to recruit 1,700 GPs and 6,000 mental health workers is welcome[7] and will go a long way to servicing these centres, but diagnostic services remain under severe strain. Radiology in particular is in crisis. Around 80% of NHS patient pathways rely on imaging[8], yet we still face an alarming shortfall of radiologists, radiographers and sonographers.
To address this, technology must go hand-in-hand with usability. As we expand NHCs, diagnostic tools must become more intuitive and supportive of varying levels of clinical expertise. Reducing workflow steps through automation – such as patient set-up support, automatic scan planning and built-in clinical protocols – can significantly ease the load. These systems don’t just accelerate processes, they widen accessibility – enabling a broader range of healthcare professionals to safely operate equipment, freeing up specialists for more complex tasks.
This is why equipment design should reflect the realities of today’s NHS workforce – easy to use, quick to train on, and built to empower. Through our online academy, we’ve seen the difference ongoing training and education can make. By supporting radiologists in developing new skills and methods, we’re not only addressing backlogs and improving outcomes for patients, but helping to reduce burnout and increasing job satisfaction. Supported by the right equipment and technology, these NHCs have the potential to double as hubs for workforce development and upskilling.
A resolution worth backing
If NHCs adopt diagnostics as part of their model, they could follow the CDC blueprint and offer truly local, one-stop care. CDCs show what’s possible: fast diagnostics, extended hours, community settings, more equitable access – and meaningful reductions in waiting times. While details of NHC roll‑out are still emerging, aligning them with the CDC approach could anchor them at the heart of communities- with proof of real impact already there to support it.
Much like CDCs, however, NHCs won’t be a quick fix. They are a long-term strategy to shift the NHS from reactive treatment to proactive care. While introducing diagnostic services within NHCs may initially uncover more disease, pushing the backlog to specialists, early detection can mean fewer complications and lower costs in the long run.
But consistency matters. We must avoid a postcode lottery where one town gets cutting-edge care while another waits months for a scan. National rollout needs national standards.
Ultimately, NHCs represent more than a policy goal. They reflect a deeper commitment to treating people as close to home as possible, with dignity, speed, and efficiency. By continuing to invest in local centres, equipping them with the best tools and supporting the teams who run them, we can build a stronger, more resilient health system.
Let’s keep care local, backed by technology, and led by people. Neighbourhood Health Centres are the opportunity. Now we need the commitment to scale them – smartly, fairly, and fast.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future
[2] Tens of thousands more patients receiving crucial scans quicker – GOV.UK
[3] Award Winning Community Diagnostic Centre expands medical imaging services in Barnsley Town Centre – Canon Medical Systems Ltd
[4] https://uk.medical.canon/from-health-and-education-to-sport-and-employment-how-canon-medical-arena-is-tackling-inequality-in-sheffield/
[5] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future
[6] World-leading AI trial to tackle breast cancer launched – GOV.UK
[7] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future
[8] Recruitment freezes in cancer and diagnostic departments risk patient care and waste NHS resources | The Royal College of Radiologists