More diagnostic hubs to tackle NHS waiting lists in England

The authorities is mounting up 19 much diagnostic centres successful communities crossed England to assistance tackle the Covid backlog.

Ninety 1 are already unfastened and person delivered much than 2.4 cardinal tests, checks and scans since past summer, ministers say.

It is hoped the centres volition velocity up entree to services for patients, thereby reducing waiting times.

Seven cardinal radical successful England are present waiting for infirmary treatment.

This is simply a grounds high, and is being driven by hospitals struggling to get backmost to afloat spot aft the pandemic - alternatively than other demand, BBC investigation suggests.

Although the fig of radical waiting longer than 2 years for regular operations successful England has fallen dramatically since January, wellness experts accidental determination is inactive a upland to ascent to trim the numbers waiting much than a year.

A taskforce, made up of academics and wellness experts, has been acceptable up to assistance unlock abstraction capableness successful the backstage assemblage to trim waiting times. It is gathering for the archetypal clip astatine 10 Downing Street connected Wednesday.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said the taskforce would look astatine sensible ways of utilizing "all existing capableness to slash waiting lists, portion ensuring the NHS ever remains escaped astatine the constituent of use".

This is apt to see collaboration to velocity up the fig of eye, genu and hep operations being performed, and maximising the usage of infirmary theatres, beds and outpatient settings.

Mr Barclay said: "The NHS is facing an unprecedented situation to tackle Covid backlogs.

"Hardworking unit person made beardown advancement but I privation to turbocharge our existent plans to bust the backlog and assistance patients get the attraction they need."

GPs tin notation patients to assemblage diagnostic centres truthful that they tin entree life-saving checks and scans, and beryllium diagnosed for a scope of conditions, without travelling to hospital.

Some are located successful shot stadiums and buying centres and tin connection MRI and CT scans, arsenic good arsenic x-rays.

In September, according to the government, the hubs delivered 11% of each diagnostic enactment - and its ambition is for 40% to beryllium achieved by 2025.

The authorities wants to destruct 18-month waits by April 2023, and waits of longer than 1 twelvemonth by March 2025.

It has committed to investing an other £8bn into wellness and societal attraction successful 2024-25.

NHS England's nationalist manager of elective recovery, Sir James Mackey, said NHS unit were moving "incredibly hard" to tackle the Covid backlog, adding that it was important to proceed to usage the autarkic assemblage to get waiting lists down.