Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 18th July 2022 to Question 26734 on Heart Diseases: Screening, whether he is taking steps to reduce waiting times for echocardiography.

The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years, including in echocardiography. To increase diagnostic activity and reduce patient waiting times, the Department has committed £2.3 billion for up to 160 community diagnostic centres (CDCs). As of 23 October 2022, CDCs have now completed 54,759 additional echocardiography checks since 13 July 2021.