Waiting list for diagnostic tests in South East London reached 40,092 in July, up 7.9% on 2020

NHS waiting lists in South East London for basic diagnostic tests - including MRI and CT scans - grew by 7.9% between June 2020 and July 2023, up to 40,092. The research from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, also shows that over 12.6% of people waited more than 6 weeks for one of these tests in July (the NHS target is less than 1%).

The South East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) covers the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark.

The 15 types of tests that make up the list provided by the Commons Library include MRIs, CT scans, Echocardiography, and DEXA scans. For MRIs, the waiting list in South East London spiked from 2020 to 2023 by 15.1% up to 7,402 in July 2023. For Non Obstetric Ultrasounds it shot up by 6,250 to 18,457 in July.

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 South East London it sat at 12.6%, over 12 times higher than the target.

Lambeth 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.

Cllr Donna Harris, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Official Opposition on Lambeth Council, said:

“What this Conservative government has done to the NHS is nothing short of a national scandal. Thousands of patients in Lambeth 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 its patients in Lambeth 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.”