A £14 million cash injection has been made to help patients access diagnostic care closer to home.

The funding will allow tens of thousands of patients living in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire to get the diagnostic care they need sooner, thanks to three new community diagnostic centres.

The centres, set up by the area's NHS, will provide services such as ultrasounds, echocardiograms, and MRI scans, which were previously only available in hospitals.

This means people awaiting diagnosis, including those with potential cancer symptoms, can be seen quicker and begin any required treatment sooner.

The first centre was opened at the Sulis Hospital in Bath in March 2023.

This was followed by two new sites in March and April of this year, with one based at the West Swindon Health Centre and the other at Salisbury Centre Health Clinic.

Dr Amanda Webb, chief medical officer at the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, said: "We know that waiting for clinical investigations to happen can be a very anxious and worrying time for patients.

"These new centres are helping us to reduce that stress and strain, as we can now see more patients quicker and often in a location that is not only closer to home, but also kitted out with the same cutting-edge equipment found in our larger hospitals.

"Most importantly, these centres are enabling us to spot illnesses, including serious, life-threatening conditions, such as cancer, much earlier than before, which means treatment can also begin earlier, giving patients the best chance of a more positive outcome."

Since April of this year, more than 15,000 patients from across the region have received a test or investigation, such as a CT scan, X-ray, or endoscopy procedure, at one of the three new centres.

By April it is expected that around 60,000 people will have visited one of the centres for a diagnostic test.

Claire Thompson, chief officer, improvements and partnerships, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Although each of our three diagnostic centres are now open, this is only the beginning of our journey to bring the same high-quality care that patients would get in an acute hospital into the community.

"Over the coming months, we’ll be introducing a whole range of new services at each of the centres, including cardiac and ultrasound suites at Salisbury Central Health Clinic and state-of-the-art endoscopy units at both the Sulis Hospital in Bath and West Swindon Health Centre."