A former city supermarket is welcoming back former customers as patients in its new chapter as a healthcare facility.

The old Sainsbury's on Etruria Road, Hanley, has been transformed into a community diagnostics centre, offering around 180,000 appointments a year to residents needing a range of clinical tests such as X-rays, ultrasound, MRI and CT scans.

University Hospitals of North Staffordshire (UHNM) NHS Trust has developed the £43m facility to improve access to tests and scans, as well as cutting waiting times for patients.

The first patients were welcomed through the doors last month and more services are set to be offered there in the coming weeks and months, including blood tests and endoscopy.

On Monday (May 11) the centre was officially opened by Professor Sir Mike Richards, chair of the UK National Screening Committee and former National Cancer Director in the Government's Department of Health.

He said: "This is the most amazing facility, offering all the different diagnostic tests patients are likely to need.

"It's got good access, good parking and I think it will make a huge difference to patients' lives. It will take some pressure off the main acute hospital which is also very good.

"Talking to the staff, they're very glad to be here. It is a big investment and it will make a big difference."

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A recovery room in the Community Diagnostics Centre's Endoscopy Unit (image via Kerry Ashdown - LDR)

Dr Simon Constable, chief executive of UHNM, said: "This has been in the pipeline since 2022 and funding has come from NHS England. This has been a massive project for us as an organisation and it will provide greater flexibility for patients and their families

"Diagnosis is everything in healthcare – the sooner you get a diagnosis, the sooner you get the right treatment. This is accessible and it's right where patients are – what better way to demystify healthcare and reduce anxiety than by having this in a former supermarket site?

"We're trying to do more of a one stop shop where people can come and have all their tests in one place. Feedback has been really good so far from both patients and staff."

Guests invited to the ceremony included councillors and MPs, who were given a guided tour of facilities by Deonne Lee, Senior Programme Manager for Strategy and Transformation at UHNM.

She highlighted features to make the centre as accessible as possible, including colour-coding for easier navigation and clocks installed to help patients with dementia keep track of the time and day while they were waiting for appointments.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and regeneration at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said the authority had worked with UHNM to identify a suitable site for the new centre. He added that it was "really phenomenal" to see the centre open.

"This is something that is going to make such a difference to the community, opening seven days a week, with 180,000 additional appointments a year.

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"You can see how it has been designed around patients; everything they need is on the ground floor, so there is no traipsing up and down stairs or waiting for lifts.

"You can also see how the NHS has worked with the voluntary sector and the Alzheimer's Society. And they have kept space flexible for when you have a team that might only need a space for one or two days a week, so you are not going to see a lot of wasted capacity which is really important.

"So many people have said 'I remember coming here to shop at Sainsbury's'. It's brilliant to see a disused building get a new lease of life."

Stoke-on-Trent North MP David Williams said: "This is an incredible community facility and it takes people away from the key hospital site. It has a warm, welcoming feel with a team of specialists.

"It is wonderful to see the official opening. It has brought greater focus on moving away from reactive care to more proactive care.

"This is going to be completely transformational to the lives of local people and it's great news for the community."