A ribbon-cutting ceremony has marked the official opening of Warrington and Halton Diagnostics Centre at Halton Hospital.

The purpose-built facility is located next to the existing Captain Sir Tom Moore Building and provides a modern space with state-of-the-art equipment to offer new MRI and CT services to more than 30,000 patients a year.

The £11m project, delivered by Kier Construction, is the final part of a three-phase, £16m Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) programme, which has seen the refurbishment and modernisation of existing space in the Nightingale Building at Halton Hospital and the creation of the Halton Health Hub in Runcorn Shopping City.

Since the programme’s launch, Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (WHH) has delivered over 90,000 additional diagnostic tests.

Nikhil Khashu, chief executive of WHH, said: “I am delighted to officially open this fantastic new facility and mark the completion of the third phase of Warrington and Halton Diagnostics Centre.

“Creating modern, accessible facilities like this not only helps us see our patients quicker and improves access to vital diagnostic tests, but also helps speed up identifying a range of health conditions including heart and lung disease, and cancer.

“By increasing our capacity we can place an even greater focus on early intervention.”

The new facility features an MRI scanner that utilises AI technology to significantly reduce scan times – in some cases by up to 70% – and a CT scanner that delivers up to 81% less radiation than older models.