Metrocentre’s NHS hub to receive £10m investment
Currently measuring just under 40,000 sq ft, the Community Diagnostic Centre will be extended to include further diagnostic equipment and consultation rooms.
The funding will be provided by the government, and forms part of a wider £237m nationwide programme to increase community diagnostic services and reduce waiting times and pressure on A&E.
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust signed a long-term lease with Metrocentre, which is managed by Sovereign Centros of CBRE, back in 2023.
The CDC opened in 2024 as part of an £18.6m investment programme, and has since provided services to more than 55,000 patients.
The Metrocentre CDC is located in a repurposed former House of Fraser unit, designed to provide high-volume diagnostic testing in a non-acute, community-based setting with strong transport links and on-site parking.
Under the new plans, the facility will be extended to include:
- Two additional non-obstetric ultrasound rooms
- A further X-ray unit
- A dedicated hysteroscopy suite for gynaecological diagnostics
- Additional consulting rooms
The investment comes shortly after the news that Metrocentre has signed a deal with Gateshead Council to deliver around 4,500 homes on 525 acres of brownfield land around the shopping centre.
Based on a ’20 minute destination’, the neighbourhood will aim to have all residents’ needs located within a 20 minute walk, including health services.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the investment would deliver a “significant increase” in appointment capacity and described the expansion as “great news for Gateshead”.
Ben Cox, director at Sovereign Centros from CBRE, asset managers of Metrocentre, said: “This additional investment is a huge vote of confidence in Metrocentre and the wider region, demonstrating the success of our strategy in bringing essential services like healthcare into the centre, and why diversifying the mix of uses is so important for the future of retail and leisure destinations.
“We are giving more people a reason to visit and increasing our access to shoppers, which is having positive knock-on benefits for the wider centre.
“It reinforces Metrocentre’s role at the heart of the community, providing a convenient place where people can shop, spend time with family and friends, and now access even more essential healthcare services all in one location.”
Professor Stella Vig, national clinical director for elective care at NHS England, said: “We’re making it easier to access care, and our network of Community Diagnostic Centres deliver important diagnostic tests nearer to people’s homes, with new, expanded or enhanced centres available to patients across England.
“This expansion means even more patients can have vital checks like MRIs, CT scans, and ultrasounds in a convenient location at a time that suits them, supporting the NHS’s drive to bring down waiting times even further.”
