A record 1.92 million patients in England are waiting for diagnostic tests such as CT and MRI scans, with one in five waiting longer than the six-week target, according to analysis by health technology firm Magentus.
The waiting list has grown by 500,000 since 2022 and is projected to reach 2 million by March 2027. Demand is outstripping capacity, despite the NHS carrying out a record 2.61 million tests in March alone.
Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, warned that delays allow conditions to worsen. “Every week of delay is a week a condition can worsen, a patient’s ability to live day-to-day can diminish, and their anxiety about what is wrong can grow,” she said.
The report also found that people in areas with the longest waits are nearly six times more likely to miss the 28-day cancer diagnosis target. Magentus urged NHS bosses to overhaul diagnostic services, including better use of capacity and financial incentives.
An NHS England spokesperson said the health service delivered a record 29.9 million diagnostic procedures last year, including from 170 community diagnostic centres, and is “determined to keep up progress in bringing waiting times down”.
