WORK has begun on a third community diagnostic centre in North-West London.

The £30m project, which will be located on the Ealing Hospital site, will allow thousands of patients to quickly receive diagnostic tests, including CT, MRI and ultrasound scans.

The centres are part of a national network, funded by the Government, to address a backlog of patients that built up during the pandemic.

Ealing centre will focus on four ‘priority pathways’, checking on symptoms including asthma, breathlessness, back and chest pain.

Pippa Nightingale, chief executive at LNWH Trust, said: “The earlier you detect a condition like cancer the better, so these diagnostic centres are an important addition to our healthcare services.

“They also help ease pressure on existing hospital services by allowing GPs to make direct referrals. This is a great investment on our hospital site and reflects our long-term commitment to Ealing.”

It is due to open early next year and will largely use existing hospital space, but with its own entrance.

A CDC is already operating in Willesden with another opening in Wembley this year.