Patients waiting lists up 51% for diagnostic tests in Cambridgeshire

NHS waiting lists in Cambridgeshire for basic diagnostic tests - including MRI and CT scans - grew by 51% between June 2019 and July 2023, up to 28,820. The research from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, also shows that, over 34% in CUH, 75% in Cambs Community Services, 30% in NW Anglia of people waited more than 6 weeks for one of these tests in July (the NHS target is less than 1%).

The 15 types of tests that make up the list provided by the Commons Library include MRIs, CT scans, Echocardiography, and DEXA scans. The proportion of people waiting over six weeks for a diagnostic test is well above the NHS target of less than 1%. In July, in Cambridge University Hospitals it sat at 34%, and in  orth West Anglia Trust at 31%, over 30 times higher than the target, and up from just 0.4% in CUH and 5% in NW Anglia in June 2019 - a 187 fold increase in CUH, and a 6 fold increase in NW Anglia.

Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats are calling for an expansion of community diagnostic centres to bring services closer to where people live and ensure they can be seen far quicker.

The party is also calling for the right for everyone to see their GP in seven days by increasing the number of appointments and the number of GPs by 8,000. The Lib Dems have also called for investment in new hospital equipment to ensure that patients get the first-class treatment that they deserve.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for St Neots & Mid Cambridgeshire, Ian Sollom, said:

“What this Conservative government has done to the NHS is nothing short of a national scandal. Thousands of patients across Cambridgeshire are forced to wait in pain and discomfort, anxiously wondering when they will get a diagnosis, let alone treatment.

“Ministers are missing in action in this NHS crisis, and it’s patients in Cambridgeshire who are suffering. We need urgent action to get on top of this mess, end these appalling delays and ensure our community gets the local health services that we deserve.”