By Talking Health TV – 

New Southgate Community Diagnostic Centre combines cutting-edge patient services with student training at the University of Huddersfield’s Health Innovation Campus

Huddersfield’s MP Harpreet Uppal welcomed Health Innovation and Safety Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed to officially open the Southgate NHS Community Diagnostic Centre at the University of Huddersfield Health Innovation Campus.

The new centre, located just off Leeds Road, has opened its doors to both students and patients.

The state-of-the-art facility combines a community diagnostic centre with extensive training space for healthcare students.

Patients can now access a range of on-site services, including MRI scans, CT scans, ECGs, and X-rays.

Bringing tests closer to local people

Following the visit, Dr Zubir Ahmed, Health Innovation and Safety Minister, said: “This government is rewiring our NHS to fit around people’s lives – thanks to the £29 billion extra investment we’re putting into it.

“That’s why I’m delighted to open the new Community Diagnostic Centre in Huddersfield today, which will help thousands of people across Kirklees get treated sooner and get better quicker.

“It will mean people can get tests, checks and scans locally on their lunch break or on the way to pick up the kids from school – without travelling across town to a more traditional hospital setting.”

‘A fantastic asset for Huddersfield’

Huddersfield MP Harpreet Uppal said the new centre would be a major boost for healthcare provision in the town.

“I am so proud his facility is now open to the public and seeing patients. It is the first of its kind in the country, and I know it will be a fantastic asset here in Huddersfield for both students and patients – providing diagnostic services right on our doorstep.

“It was great to bring the Minister to see this project in our town and show him some of the fantastic work going on locally. We have some brilliant NHS services in Huddersfield, and I am really pleased to see the Government using them as a model to deliver better services nationally.”

Tour of the Health Innovation Campus

After formally opening the centre, the Minister also toured the wider Health Innovation Campus, including the Daphne Steele Building.

The six-storey building is named after Daphne Steele, the Guyana-born nurse who became the first Black matron to be appointed in the NHS in 1964.

It houses advanced teaching facilities and equipment supporting a range of courses, including midwifery, nursing, occupational therapy, operating department practice, paramedic science, physiotherapy, podiatry, and speech and language therapy.

Driving innovation in healthcare

The wider Health Innovation Campus project aims to improve health outcomes and drive healthcare innovation across the North of England.

The development brings together public-facing services, including award-winning student-led clinics, while supporting entrepreneurial academic activity and partnerships across the regional health economy.

Specialist clinical teaching facilities are also designed to strengthen workforce development for the future NHS.