A hospital has opened a ‘fantastic new unit’ which aims to speed up patient diagnosis.

It is hoped the community diagnostic center at the Isle of Wight hospital will provide “lifesaving checks” for patients with long-term health conditions including strokes and cancer.

Patient reviews at the center will cover areas such as cardiac physiology, respiratory physiology, sleep studies, fractures and phlebotomy.

Isle of Wight NHS Trust chief officer Joe Smyth said the center would “reduce the number of times people need to come to hospital”.

The facility will also offer diagnostic imaging, including ultrasound, CT scanning and plain film radiography.

One member of staff said the center was “such a wonderful place to work” and added it was “really lovely to see the patients filling up”.

Vicky Lauchlan, chief operating officer at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, said the new center had created more than 40 jobs.

She said: “Existing and new staff, who have been recruited locally, have benefited from apprenticeships and other training and development schemes to ensure we have the workforce, along with our fantastic new facility, to deliver the better care for our patients.”

Mr Smyth said: “The new center will transform the way Islanders can access the diagnostic care they need and reduce the number of times people need to come to hospital.”

Lara Alloway, Chief Medical Officer of NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said: “This is great news for patients living on the island, who will have faster access to vital tests and scans, which are needed to ensure that people get the care they need in a timely manner.”