Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of diagnostic tests have been carried out by the NHS (a) in total, (b) six weeks and (c) ten weeks after a referral in the last 12 months.

Diagnostic test activity across the 15 test types recorded by NHS England was 25.6 million in the 12 months to September 2023. The data requested for diagnostic tests at six weeks and ten weeks after a referral is not collected by NHS England in the format requests.

The NHS’ Delivery Plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care aims for 95% of patients needing a diagnostic test to receive it within six weeks by March 2025. NHS England aims to increase diagnostic activity to 120% of pre-pandemic levels by March 2025 to support this.

In the 2021 spending review £2.3 billion was awarded to transform diagnostic services over the next three years. Most of this will help increase the number of Community Diagnostic Centres up to 160 by March 2025, expanding and protecting elective planned diagnostic services. The remainder of the funding will increase capacity for imaging, endoscopy as well as lung and mammography screening, and improve digital diagnostics.