Work has started on a new state-of-the-art diagnostic centre at a Norfolk hospital.

The new centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn will help cut waiting times by increasing the capacity of diagnostic imaging for outpatients.

It will house cutting-edge MRI and CT scanners as well as X-ray and Ultrasound imaging used for diagnosis and monitoring of a very wide range of conditions – including cancer, heart disease and respiratory conditions.

It comes after ministers confirmed the main hospital, whose roof needs more than 3,000 supports to prevent it from collapsing, would be replaced.

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Carly West-Burnham, director of strategy and integration at the hospital, said: “This is a proud day for our patients and everyone here at Team QEH as we celebrate the start of a building that has been many months in the planning.

"This dedicated centre will provide some much-needed additional imaging capacity which will in turn reduce waiting times as well as providing faster imaging capacity leading to earlier diagnosis, so ultimately improving health outcomes for our patients."

Contractors R G Carter are now on site and the centre is expected to be fully operational by summer 2024.

Darren Vincent, construction manager at R G Carter said: “It is great to be celebrating the start of construction on the new diagnostic centre with all those involved, and we look forward to delivering the positive benefits this facility will bring to both the NHS and the local community.”

This project was announced by the Department of Health and Social Care in June this year with an £85.9m investment to build three new facilities across Norfolk and Waveney – one at The QEH – and additional similar facilities to be based at the James Paget University Hospitals and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals.