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New diagnostics facilities heading to St Albans and Hemel Hempstead

Posted: 30 September 2022

Picture of Hemel Hempstead Hospital (left) and St Albans City Hospital (right)

Local people are set to receive faster and more streamlined diagnosis and treatment for a range of conditions thanks to £12m national funding for new facilities at St Albans City. This is the first phase of plans to develop community diagnostic centres at St Albans and Hemel Hempstead hospitals.

A new MRI and CT scanner – which will be in a newly created diagnostic centre at St Albans hospital – will support patients with suspected or diagnosed cancer or with other conditions that might require surgery. The new facility due to open in 2024 will be created by reconfiguring and refurbishing parts of the hospital’s Runcie Wing. In addition to the new MRI and CT scanners, the St Albans Hospital diagnostic centre is also set to provide a nuclear medicine scanner, x-ray and ultrasound as well as existing pathology services.

The next phase of our plans will see the development of a community diagnostics centre at Hemel Hempstead Hospital which will help deliver planned medical services for patients with long-term or multiple conditions who are not acutely unwell but need specialist hospital treatment. Facilities will include x-ray, ultrasound, MRI and CT among a range of non-invasive tests.

Both centres will provide a ‘one stop shop’ for patients so that they can have a range of tests or investigations in a single visit – meaning fewer hospital visits for patients and a faster diagnosis that will in turn allow treatment to begin more quickly.

Improved local diagnostic facilities form a key part of the wider redevelopment proposals by West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (WHTH) which include building a new emergency care hospital for west Hertfordshire next to the current Watford General site.

WHTH’s chief strategy officer Clare Parker said: “We’re thrilled to be moving ahead with improving the range of diagnostic services at our hospitals in St Albans and Hemel Hempstead. This injection of funding now helps us bring our plans to life and cements the very important role that all three hospitals play in serving local people.”

Dr Jane Halpin CEO of the integrated care system for Hertfordshire and west Essex said “This is a fantastic boost for the local health care system. It is crucial that GPs and other health services are able to refer residents for diagnostics at the earliest opportunity so that any necessary treatment can be started as soon as possible.”

The announcement of the additional funding comes at a time when the integrated care system is looking to develop diagnostic provision across Hertfordshire and west Essex. A short survey to find out how patients have found their recent visit for a diagnostic test or check closes on 7 October 2022. To complete the survey go to https://online.ors.org.uk/questionnaire/1324112.

  1. The proposed redevelopment of West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s estate is to update and replace hospital buildings as well as improve how the trust delivers hospital care for people in west Hertfordshire. At Watford General Hospital the trust proposes to move all clinical services currently provided there into new buildings on land next to the current site. There will be some new build and extensive refurbishment at its hospitals in Hemel Hempstead and St Albans. Please visit the trust’s redevelopment webpages to find out more at
  2. For more information, please contact the communications team on: 01923 436280 or email: westherts.communications@nhs.net. For out of hours media enquiries please call the Watford General Hospital switchboard on 01923 244366 and ask for the on call communications manager.
  3. West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves people from across Hertfordshire, north London and further afield. It operates from three hospitals; Watford General, St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead. The trust has a catchment area of over 500,000 people and is one of the largest employers locally, with around 5,000 staff and volunteers.
  4. Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated care system brings together a wide range of organisations who are committed to a shared vision of working together to improve the health and wellbeing of local people. For more information visit www.hertsandwestessexics.org.uk
  5. For more information about our hospitals, visit www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk. You can also join our followers on Twitter (twitter.com/westhertsNHS) and find us on Facebook (facebook.com/westhertsNHS).