Workington MP, Mark Jenkinson has welcomed progress on the building of a £19m Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in the heart of Workington.
His comments come as the project team marked a major milestone this week as work starts on the foundations.
Groundworks are now underway on the new facility which will help reduce the waiting lists for the diagnosis of a wide variety of conditions.
Speaking at the Steven Morgan, Chairman of North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC), said the Workington MP deserved significant credit for helping to secure the funding for the project.
Mark, who has been working with the NCIC, and Ministers from the Department for Health and Social Care, said: "It is fantastic to see work gathering pace on the Community Diagnostic Centre in Workington.
"This will enable residents to access quicker diagnosis and treatment - and importantly free up other areas of the NHS – just as I set out in My Plan for the constituency back in 2019.
"I have been lobbying for Government investment in Workington since I was elected, and have been incredibly successful. I am delighted that the town, and the wider West Cumbria, will benefit from this new facility.
"I was disappointed to see Labour councillors trying to block this project, but I'm glad that common sense won out.
"So much has been achieved in relatively small space of time – and I would like to commend the Trust who expressed an interest in the site. I would also like to thank the construction company – Graham – for their hard work so far on delivering this life-saving centre.
"Additionally, the NHS has £1bn per week additional funding since 2010 - £761m per week of that since voting to leave the EU, and £550m/week since 2019. But you don't see that on the side of a bus."
The Diagnostic Centre will be one of 19 similar facilities around the country, helping to cut wait times, providing MRI scans, CT scans, ultrasound scans, cardiology, X-rays, blood tests and respiratory checks.
Once fully operational, it will have capacity to deliver up to 34,130 tests a year for people of Workington, West Cumbria and further afield.
In recent years, the Government has invested in a £15m Endoscopy Centre in Carlisle; £1.2m in the Penrith Hospital refurbishment; the £130m West Cumberland Hospital rebuild; the £35m Northern Centre for Cancer Care in Carlisle; and the £15m Cockermouth Hospital Rebuild.
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