Councillors backed the NHS's £3.3m scan and test centre on Blacon Parade and agreed it needs no public consultation. It is due to open from April 2027.

Councillors have backed NHS plans for a Community Diagnostic Centre on Blacon Parade. They also agreed that moving some tests there from the Countess of Chester Hospital is not a “substantial variation” to services, so the NHS does not have to hold a public consultation.

The decision was taken by Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 1 October. The minutes of the meeting were published this week.

The centre would fill an empty unit in the Parade Enterprise Centre, next to the GP practice and library. We set out the plan before the meeting in our preview of the committee.

What the committee agreed

The committee agreed four things:

  • it supports the development of the Blacon Community Diagnostic Centre
  • moving diagnostic services to Blacon is not a substantial variation
  • it will get an update on parking once a parking impact assessment is done
  • it will get an update on future engagement with residents

The minutes say all members agreed on the substantial variation point. That matters because a substantial variation would normally mean a formal public consultation.

When it would open

Ian Miller, head of capital development at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, told councillors the centre was expected to be operational by the start of the next financial year, which begins in April 2027. Services would be phased in at first, he said.

That fits the trust’s funding submission, which proposed opening between April and June 2027 and full activity from July to September 2027. The submission puts the cost at £3.3m of Department of Health capital and the extra capacity at about 6,894 tests a year.

The tests in the bid include:

  • ultrasound
  • DEXA bone density scans
  • ECGs and echocardiograms (heart scans)
  • audiology, for children and adults
  • blood tests and respiratory tests
  • ambulatory monitoring

The questions councillors raised

Engagement with Blacon. The chair, Councillor Katie Kendrick, asked what had been done to involve residents. Tom Jackson, the trust’s divisional director of urgent care, “acknowledged that more could be done”, the minutes record. The trust is working with Sanctuary Housing on joint messages to residents, with more engagement planned once funding is fully secured.

Why so little consultation. Richard Burgess of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside said national funding had been received for the scheme. The minutes say there was “a limited window of opportunity” to apply, and that this had affected the ability to consult more widely.

Parking. Mr Jackson accepted there is limited parking at the front of the Parade. The trust is looking at adding spaces immediately opposite and has made enquiries with the council’s planning department. Staff would park at the back of the site. Councillors asked for a parking impact assessment, and he confirmed one would be done.

Why Blacon, so close to the hospital. Councillor Tom Cooper said the site was very close to the Countess and the trust might be missing a chance to spread services more widely. Mr Jackson said the building was built for health care, and that 8% of the Countess’s diagnostic patients come from Blacon. Being near the main hospital would also help keep the centre fully staffed, he said.

What happens at the Countess. Asked whether the hospital would benefit, Mr Jackson said some space now used for diagnostics could in future be used for more inpatient or outpatient capacity.

What it means for you

If you live in Blacon, there will be no formal consultation, but the trust has promised more engagement with residents and a parking assessment. Both are due back to the committee. Its next meeting is on Wednesday 4 November at Ellesmere Port Library.

If you are waiting for a scan or test at the Countess, nothing changes yet. The new centre is due to start taking patients from April 2027, and patients from across the borough will be able to use it, the trust told councillors.

If you drive to the Parade, watch for a planning application for extra parking opposite the centre. New applications appear on our Chester planning news page.

Sources