LOOK INSIDE: Southend’s new NHS diagnostic centre to open in former Argos store

The former Argos unit in Southend’s Victoria Shopping Centre will become the home of a major new NHS Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) – and it’s on track to welcome its first patients in winter 2025.

Once fully open, the centre will deliver around 30,000 additional diagnostic appointments every year, aiming to cut hospital waiting times and give people across mid and south Essex quicker access to vital tests.

Bringing healthcare into the heart of the city

Some of its services are already under way. Ultrasound appointments are now being carried out from the nearby Pathology First test centre inside the shopping centre, giving local patients earlier access to diagnostic tests without having to travel to hospital.

When the new facility opens, it will provide a range of key diagnostic services including:

• X-rays
• Ultrasounds
• Echocardiograms
• Heart and lung tests

The aim is to offer tests at more convenient times and locations, freeing up hospital resources and helping patients get answers sooner.

A major boost for local healthcare

Julie Smith, Senior Responsible Officer for the project at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“By offering thousands of additional appointments each year, patients will get the tests they need more quickly – reducing waiting times and improving health outcomes for our communities. Southend’s CDC marks a major step forward in expanding access to diagnostic services across mid and south Essex. We are very excited about working in partnership with Thurrock Health Hubs (THH) to deliver this service.”

From Argos to cutting-edge care

Thurrock Health Hubs, an Essex-based independent provider that has run clinical and diagnostic services locally since 2014, was chosen last year to build and operate the centre.

Michael Catling, Chief Operating Officer for THH, said:
“We are thrilled to be working with our partners in the NHS to bring this centre to the heart of Southend. As an Essex company, we are all about the right care, at the right time and in the right place for our local communities. We worked hard, along with Southend City Council, to find this site to ensure local people had the parking, and the train and bus services so we were as accessible as possible.”

Revitalising The Victoria Shopping Centre

The former Argos site has stood in The Victoria since the early 1970s and was one of the chain’s first stores before closing in 2018.

The Victoria Shopping Centre was purchased by Southend City Council in December 2020 for around £10 million. The acquisition was part of the Council’s ambition to regenerate the city centre, giving it influence and control over a major property at the gateway to the High Street.

Cllr Paul Collins, Southend City Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets and Public Transport, said:
“The addition of the Diagnostic Centre at The Victoria is another milestone in our commitment to revitalising this key city centre asset. Since acquiring The Victoria, we’ve focused on transforming it into a vibrant hub that meets the evolving needs of our residents. This new facility will not only bring vital diagnostic services into the heart of Southend, but also support our wider ambition to improve access to care, reduce health inequalities, and ensure everyone has the opportunity to live well.”

Part of a national NHS expansion

The Southend CDC is part of a wider government-backed programme to expand diagnostic capacity and provide one-stop shops for checks, tests and scans closer to home. It is one of four new CDCs set to open across the region over the next 18 months, alongside new centres in Thurrock, Braintree and Pitsea.