A record 1.92 million patients in England are waiting for diagnostic tests including CT, MRI, and ultrasound scans, with more than 400,000 waiting longer than the NHS's six-week maximum, according to a report by health technology firm Magentus.
The waiting list has grown by 500,000 since 2022 and is 83% higher than pre-pandemic levels, the report found. If the current trend continues, the list will reach two million by March 2027. Among those waiting in March of this year, 394,913 were awaiting an MRI scan and 207,524 were awaiting a CT scan.
The Magentus report noted that patients in areas with the longest waits are nearly six times more likely to miss the NHS's 28-day cancer diagnosis target. The firm called on NHS leaders to make better use of existing capacity, accelerate testing, and use financial incentives to drive improvement. NHS England said it delivered a record 29.9 million diagnostic procedures in the last financial year.
