Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor progress against its target to deliver 1.1 million tests, checks and scans each year through the operational community diagnostic centres across England.

As set out in the NHS Delivery Plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care, the target is for up to 160 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) to deliver up to 17 million checks, tests and scans by March 2025, with the capacity for 9 million more per year once they are all fully operational. There is no public ambition for in-year delivery of tests, checks and scans.

As of 19 February 2023, there are 93 operational CDCs and 3.2 million tests have been delivered since the first CDC went live in July 2021. NHS England collects weekly activity data from systems so that they can monitor progress against the target. Ministers are regularly updated on progress.