In a positive start to the New Year, Plymouth will soon have a city-centre NHS Community Diagnostics facility – offering medical tests, scans and diagnostics – to catch illness early and take the pressure off Derriford.

Construction is now underway to lay the foundations for the Community Diagnostics Centre in Colin Campbell Court carpark. I paid a visit today to see.

As a cancer survivor myself, I know how important early diagnosis is. For years I’ve been campaigning for a new ‘Health Village’ of NHS facilities in Plymouth City Centre, and the construction of this diagnostics centre is an important step forward in this campaign.

This is a Labour council and a Labour government working together to get our NHS back on track – and patients seen on time again.