Patients are waiting more than three months for tests

NHS patients are waiting more than three months for tests, with overall waiting lists doubling in some parts of England.

The overall waiting list for tests in June was 1.4 million patients, an increase of 28 per cent compared with June 2019.

The data suggests that the number of people waiting more than three months for tests was 22 times that in 2019 as the health system continues to tackle the pandemic backlog. Almost 124,000 people were kept waiting more than three months in 2021, compared with 5,675 in 2019.

NHS England’s constitution states that people referred to hospital for tests are supposed to be treated within six weeks. However, more than 306,000 people were waiting more than six weeks for a range of diagnostic tests. This is 7.6 times the equivalent figure in the same month in 2019, but lower than in June 2020 when 539,433 people were waiting six weeks or more.

More than half of all patients waiting more than six weeks across England require one of three tests: non-pregnancy related ultrasounds, ‘echo’ scans – used to detect potential heart failure and congenital heart disease – or MRIs.

A total of 10 acute trusts reported that their diagnostic waiting lists had more than doubled when compared with the same month in 2019, with some waiting lists rising far more dramatically.

Richard Vautrey, the chair of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, said: “GPs do not refer patients for diagnostic testing unless absolutely necessary in order to make a formal diagnosis. So, when we put this into perspective, such a drastic estimated increase in the diagnostic waiting list represents a healthcare crisis. Behind these figures are patients who are left waiting far too long for a diagnosis and therefore treatment.

“Evidence tells us that for conditions such as cancers, early diagnosis and subsequent treatment can have a significant impact on a patient’s chance of survival. As such, the BMA can’t stress enough how important it is that the government urgently develops a credible strategy to tackle waiting lists, ensuring that there are adequate facilities for patients to be referred into.”