Construction has begun on a new health and wellbeing campus in Bideford, incorporating a £6 million Community Diagnostics Centre (CDC).

The town’s former community hospital is being redeveloped to create the new CDC alongside shared spaces for partners to support health and wellbeing. The project brings together £6m of NHS England investment for the CDC and £750k from the UK Government, through the Community Regeneration Partnership Fund, for the new health and wellbeing facilities. 

Patients will benefit from faster, more convenient access to a wider range of diagnostic tests closer to home, supporting earlier diagnosis, quicker treatment and a better overall care experience. The CDC will provide high-quality imaging such as X-ray, DEXA and ultrasound, alongside services including audiology, phlebotomy and cardiology - reducing the need to travel and making care simpler, quicker and more joined up across northern Devon and Cornwall. Waiting times and travel will be reduced for patients, helping ensure they receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Patients and staff will also benefit from one stop clinics, where appointments, tests and results can take place in a single visit.

Pictured left to right: Dr Edward Bond, GP, Bideford Medical Centre; Caroline Sandford, Strategic Business Manager, Bideford Medical Centre; Chris Keeble, Chief Operating Officer, Active Torridge; Steve Hearse, Chief Executive, Torridge District Council; Cllr Ken James, Leader, Torridge District Council; Marina Bealey, Community Hospital and Hub Manager, Royal Devon; Jane Martin, Head of Radiology, Royal Devon; Charlotte Overney, Associate Director of Patient Care, Royal Devon; Helen Crick, Deputy Director of Diagnostics, NHS England; Joe Williams, Site Manager, Pearce Construction; Mark Davis, Construction Director, Pearce Construction; Paul Knox, Managing Director, Pearce Construction; Beki Sharples, Chief Executive Officer, TTVS

Alongside the CDC, the new health and wellbeing hub will provide additional clinic space, large activity space and areas for multiple professionals, partners and the voluntary sector to meet to support those patients with more complex needs. These facilities will be located at both the Hospital campus and Bideford Medical Centre next door. The health and wellbeing facilities have been shaped by local organisations and the community to ensure they meet local needs.

The new facilities are due to open in summer 2027. 

“The new multi-agency neighbourhood hub at Bideford will bring care closer to home and expand the local support available to this community. By bringing services together in one place, we can improve access to health and wellbeing support. Patients and partners will have modern, flexible spaces that help us join up care and better meet local needs. We have worked closely with Bideford Medical Centre to maximise the MHCLG investment. This means creating rooms for group activities, group appointments, multi‑disciplinary team meetings to support people with complex needs, and high-quality clinic space for one‑to‑one care.

“These facilities have been shaped by local organisations and the community, and they will make it easier for agencies to collaborate and provide joined up support closer to home – providing the right space is the first step.”

The CDC will increase productivity and help reduce waiting times for patients by offering more diagnostic capacity for people living in Torridge and northern Devon. This is a key part of the Trust’s long-term recovery plan and how it will deliver patient care in the future, including using one-stop-clinics so patients need fewer appointments.

Helen Crick, Deputy Director of Diagnostics for NHS England South West, said: “I am delighted work has started to transform Bideford Community Hospital into a Community Diagnostic Centre and Neighbourhood health campus. When it’s finished, people will be able to get scans, tests and results much closer to home. With more services available on their doorstep, this will mean less need to travel to the acute hospitals in Barnstaple and Exeter, which are over an hour drive away. 

“The centre is special because many things can be done in one visit. Patients can see a doctor, have tests, and get results all in the same place. There will also be a health and wellbeing hub to support both body and mind, helping people stay well with care close to where they live and joined up support in their
community.”

The health and wellbeing hub proposals were agreed through the Torridge Place Board, which is overseeing the deployment of the Torridge Regeneration Fund.

Paul Coles, Chair of Torridge Place Board, said: “This project is a powerful example of what strong local partnerships can achieve for our communities. We are pleased to support the enhancement of local facilities that will give people the best opportunity in life to live healthy lives, thrive at work and in their social lives.

Sir Geoffrey Cox, MP for Torridge and Tavistock, said: “The announcement that Bideford will receive a new Community Diagnostics Centre by summer 2027 will be warmly welcomed throughout the town and the whole of Torridge.

“Constituents regularly contact me about the difficulty of securing timely and convenient outpatient appointments and diagnostic tests, often having to make the well-worn journey to Barnstaple or even further afield to Exeter. It is therefore reassuring that, following representations I have made on behalf of local residents, people throughout Torridge will now be able to access x-ray, ultrasound, phlebotomy and cardiology services directly in the town — and receive the appropriate interpretation and communication of results in a single visit.

“As Bideford and the neighbouring communities continue to grow, essential infrastructure must grow with them, whether that is healthcare and dental provision, school places, or reliable transport links. The new CDC represents a positive and much-needed step forward; however, I will continue to press Ministers to ensure the project is delivered with the urgency it requires, and that its development does not detract from the vital work still needed at NDDH.”

The Bideford CDC is one of several major investments the Royal Devon is making to reduce waiting times and improve access by modernising our facilities. Other projects underway or where funding commitments have been given include:

• A new single MRI suite at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH).
• New hybrid theatre at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford).
• New surgical hub at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Heavitree).
• Expanding the CDC at the Nightingale Hospital, Exeter.
• Delivering enhanced Same-Day Emergency Care facilities at both Exeter and Barnstaple.
• A new Clinical Research Hub at NDDH.
• New staff and student residences at NDDH as part of the Our Future Hospital Programme.

Together, these schemes represent more than £80 million of investment over the next two to three years to deliver high-quality, efficient care and create a great place to work for staff.