365,000 patients waiting six weeks or more for diagnostic tests including MRIs and CT scans

EMBARGO: 00:01 Monday 9 December

365,000 patients waiting six weeks or more for diagnostic tests including MRIs and CT scans

• The number of patients waiting more than six-week waits for basic diagnostic tests has jumped 22-fold since 2015
• The total waiting list for all diagnostic procedures now stands at over 1.6 million 
   
• Over one in five (22%) of patients are waiting 6 weeks or more for a test, way above the NHS target of 1%
• Lib Dems warn Starmer’s NHS waiting lists ‘milestone’ will be “utterly meaningless” if people cannot get the scans needed to get diagnosed.

The number of people waiting six weeks or more for diagnostic tests such as CT scans or MRIs is 22 times higher than in 2015, House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

364,544 patients were waiting six weeks or more for a diagnostic procedure in July, the data shows, up from just 15,706 in July 2015. The total waiting list for diagnostic tests has almost doubled to a record of 1.6 million over the same period. 22% of patients are waiting 6 weeks or more for a test, way above the NHS target of 1%.

Diagnostic tests are used to detect, diagnose or predict the likelihood of a number of conditions early, including cancer, Alzheimer’s and liver disease. This kind of predictive intervention lies at the heart of key NHS strategies on improving cancer survival rates.

The waiting list for MRIs, the procedure used to diagnose conditions such as tumours or brain conditions, has grown by 139,000 between 2015 and 2024 - an increase of 78%. There has been a 70% spike in the number of waits for CT scans, primarily used for cancer diagnosis. The total number of waits for CT scans now runs to over 100,000, a jump of 70,000. 

The proportion of patients waiting six weeks or more for an MRI has risen from 1% in 2015 to 20% in 2024, while 11% of patients are waiting six weeks or more for a CT scan and 18% for an ultrasound.

It comes after Keir Starmer set out in a major speech that a key ‘milestone’ by which to judge his government will be that 92% of patients should get treatment within 18 weeks. The Liberal Democrats have said that this pledge risks being “utterly meaningless” if people cannot get the scans and other diagnostic tests they need to get a timely diagnosis. The party is calling on the government to implement a ten-year Strategic Diagnostics Plan including increasing the number of tests done outside hospitals to help patients get treated in their communities.

Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, Helen Morgan MP said:

“These shocking figures lay bare just how badly the Conservative Party broke the NHS, leaving a legacy of failure for which patients are paying the price.

“We know just how important diagnostic scans and tests are for catching diseases early, giving patients the best chance of having successful treatment and keeping pressure off the NHS.

“If the government is going to truly fix our NHS, they must tackle these sky-high waiting lists so people aren’t left waiting weeks or even months for a vital scan or test. The Prime Minister’s milestone on treatment times risks being meaningless if people can’t even get the scans they need to get diagnosed.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The data from the House of Commons Library can be found here.