It was originally set up to deliver faster access to diagnostic tests usually carried out in hospitals.

Now Hull’s £18m Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), based on Albion Street, is working with a growing number of GP practices to offer routine blood tests more quickly too.

Hull’s Community Diagnostic Centre on Albion Street

A two-week pilot project with four local surgeries launched in October, through which phlebotomy staff in the CDC took participating patients’ bloods in place of the practices’ own phlebotomy teams. This working arrangement proved a success, with some patients who may otherwise have been waiting two weeks or more for blood tests in the surgery having accessed the same tests the same day, or within 24 hours, at the CDC.

As a result, the offer to take patients’ bloods on behalf of GP practice teams has been extended out to more surgeries across Hull and the East Riding.

Currently, 18 surgeries are now offering their patients the choice to have routine blood tests performed at the CDC if they choose to do so, including Burnbrae Surgery on Holderness Road, which is run by the Haxby Group, and their three other practices in Newington, Kingswood and Orchard Park.

Haxby Group General Manager, Karen Phillips, says the move makes perfect sense for patients:

“Demands on general practice are always high, including requests for blood tests as these are usually the first and most common step in helping to either identify health problems or rule them out.

“Having to wait for tests, or to wait to find out everything is okay, can be incredibly stressful for some patients. When we heard that the CDC was able to offer blood tests for our patients in this way, we jumped at the chance to use the additional capacity within the CDC and enable our patients to receive their blood tests more quickly.

“This is a choice, of course, so if patients prefer to wait to be seen at their usual practice then that’s fine too, but if our patients would prefer to travel and have their tests carried out more quickly, it’s great for us to be able to offer that option.”

Based on the first floor, the CDC’s phlebotomy clinic runs five days per week, accepting referrals from consultants and hospital specialists as well as family doctors.

Senior sister Catherine Hellewell (second left), matron Julie Felllowes (right) and members of the phlebotomy team

In the past 12 weeks, more than 600 patients have taken up their GP’s offer of blood tests at the CDC, meaning any potential diagnosis and treatment will move along more quickly or they can otherwise have their minds put at rest.

And while demand varies from practice to practice, some in-house phlebotomy teams working in general practice can report waits of several weeks for a blood test, while the CDC currently has capacity to conduct the same test within a day or two.

Senior sister in phlebotomy, Catherine Hellewell, is responsible for blood testing within Hull’s Community Diagnostic Centre. She says:

“One of the main benefits of the CDC is being able to offer much more convenient access to routine tests such as blood tests, X-rays, MRI and ultrasound scans for our patients, away from the hospital sites.”

“Patients have been telling us from day one that they like the city centre location as most find it easy to get to, and by carrying out routine tests here, it frees up capacity within our hospital diagnostic services for the more seriously ill and emergency patients.

“At the moment, we don’t offer a walk-in service, so patients do need to be referred here, but we’ve been working hard to try and extend the range of specialists who can refer patients to us, and the growing number of GP practices who are now working with us is a great reflection of this.

“We know patients can get anxious waiting for tests so we’re pleased to be able to offer a helping hand to local practices who are all under a lot of pressure, and to help improve the overall experience for patients. It’s all about giving choice to local people and making the best of the health services we have system-wide.”

Between 6 October and 29 December 2025, a total of 628 patients have attended the CDC for blood tests from GP practices across Hull and the East Riding.

The full list of practices now actively referring patients to the CDC for blood test comprises:

• Wolseley Medical Centre, Hull
• Modality Partnership, Hull
• East Hull Family Practice
• Weir & Partners, Hull
• The Avenues Medical Centre, Hull
• King Street Medical Centre, Cottingham
• The Quays, Hull
• St Andrews Surgery, Hull
• Hastings Medical Centre, Hull
• The Bridge Group Practice, Hull
• Kingston Health, Hull
• Willerby and Swanland Surgery
• Haxby Group, Hull
• Sutton Manor Surgery, Hull
• Greengates Medical Group, Beverley
• Eastgate Medical Group, Hornsea
• Park View Surgery, Hessle
• Market Weighton Group Practice