The modern facility that will increase diagnostic capacity and improve access to healthcare across the region, according to the Trust.
Built by Morgan Sindall Construction through the NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) framework, the project has transformed a 1,100 m² site in Thurrock into a high-quality, purpose-designed space for testing and scanning. The development involved refurbishing an existing building to create new consulting and staff areas, and demolishing an adjacent single-storey structure to make way for a new infill building housing advanced imaging suites for CT, MRI, and X-ray services.
Working in partnership with design and delivery specialists including Arcadis, the Trust ensured that the new centre meets the highest standards for performance, safety, and sustainability.
Morgan Sindall employed its Intelligent Solutions approach to coordinate design, construction, and logistics within a tight urban site, maintaining access to neighbouring facilities and minimising disruption during works such as road widening and car park upgrades.
Specialist construction features included installation of a faraday cage to the MRI suite and lead-lined walls to CT and X-ray rooms to ensure patient and staff safety. Careful sequencing of trades enabled the technical requirements to be integrated efficiently throughout the build.
Sustainability was a key focus, with the project achieving a total saving of 858 tonnes of CO₂ through measures identified via Morgan Sindall’s 10 Tonne Carbon Challenge and the use of the CarboniCa digital carbon calculator. Design revisions such as switching concrete upstands to timber and optimising the roof structure reduced embodied carbon, while specification changes to the air source heat pumps delivered the single largest reduction – equivalent to heating 189 homes for a year.
The new CDC will provide CT, MRI, ultrasound, echocardiography, blood tests, X-rays, and lung checks, offering around 75,000 additional appointments annually. It marks the first of four new community diagnostic centres being delivered by the Trust across mid and south Essex, with others planned in Southend, Braintree, and Pitsea.