The site at the West Swindon Health Centre was built by Vanguard Healthcare Solutions with support from NHS Property Services.

Dr Barry Coakley, deputy chief medical officer, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB, said: ‘The new endoscopy unit in Swindon, along with the other community diagnostic centres in our region, is helping to reduce this anxiety, as tests and investigations can now begin sooner than before, meaning serious conditions can be ruled out at a much earlier stage.

‘And, for the times when a patient's results do indicate that actions need to be taken, treatment is able to begin quicker, which we know can lead to improved rates of recovery and, most importantly, people having more time with their friends and loved ones.'

The endoscopy unit, which sits alongside the town's existing community diagnostic centre, will be managed on a day-to-day basis by clinical teams from the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

As well as those in Swindon, the last two years have seen other community diagnostic centres open across the region, with sites up and running in both Salisbury and Bath.

Together, the centres have been able to provide diagnostic care, such as CT scans and X-rays, to around 60,000 people, all of whom would have previously had to visit hospital for their procedures.