The award celebrates the Norfolk and Waveney Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) Programme, recognising the significant contribution the centres are making to improving access to diagnostic services across Norfolk and Waveney. By providing modern, purpose-built facilities for tests and scans, the centres are helping thousands of patients access investigations more quickly and supporting earlier diagnosis and treatment.
The centres, which opened at JPUH in July 2024 and The QEH in September 2024, form part of the Norfolk and Waveney Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) Programme.
Delivered through collaboration between the region’s three acute hospitals, the programme has seen £85.9million of investment from the Department of Health and Social Care in new diagnostic facilities at The QEH, JPUH and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH). The RICS award specifically recognises the centres at The QEH and JPUH for the positive impact they are making for local communities.
At The QEH alone, the Community Diagnostic Centre supported almost 40,000 patient appointments during 2025/26, including 19,333 X-rays, 9,212 ultrasound scans, 7,860 CT scans and 2,794 MRI scans. The centre is helping meet growing demand for diagnostic services while providing patients with access to state-of-the-art imaging technology in a modern, purpose-built setting.
The RICS Awards showcase the most inspirational initiatives and developments in land, real estate, construction and infrastructure. The Community Benefit category recognises projects that deliver a positive and lasting impact for local communities.
The centres are increasing diagnostic capacity across the region, supporting faster access to tests and investigations and helping ensure patients can begin treatment sooner where needed. Alongside clinical benefits, they have been designed to provide modern, welcoming environments that enhance the patient experience and support the long-term sustainability of local healthcare services.
The award reflects the collaborative effort behind the programme, which brought together NHS organisations and specialist partners, including LSI Architects, whose design of the centres led to the programme being nominated for the RICS Community Benefit Award.
Carly West-Burnham, Director of Strategy and Integration at The QEH said:
“We are incredibly proud to see the Norfolk and Waveney Community Diagnostic Centres recognised with this award. The centre at The QEH is already making a real difference to our patients by providing additional diagnostic capacity in a modern, welcoming environment and helping people access the tests and scans they need more quickly.
“This award is a fantastic recognition of the collaboration and commitment of everyone involved in delivering the programme. It is particularly pleasing that the community benefit of these centres has been recognised, because ultimately that is what this programme is about – improving access to high-quality healthcare for the people we serve.”
Charlotte Dillaway, Chief Operating Officer at James Paget University Hospitals, said:
“The Community Diagnostic Centre at James Paget is an important investment in the future of healthcare for our local communities and is one of three centres recently added to our facilities across Great Yarmouth and Waveney. All three are helping us to increase diagnostic capacity and provide patients with access to services in a modern, purpose-built facility.”
The award is the latest recognition for the Norfolk and Waveney CDC Programme. In November 2025, the programme and Bidwells received the Excellence in Planning for Health and Wellbeing Award at the Royal Town Planning Institute Awards for Planning Excellence, recognising the collaborative approach to planning and delivery across the three acute hospitals.
The Norfolk and Waveney CDC Programme will now progress to the national RICS Awards after being named the East of England winner in the Community Benefit category. The programme will compete against regional winners from across the UK at the national awards ceremony on 22 October.
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