Waiting lists for hospital tests in Cambridgeshire rise by more than 50 per cent

Patient waiting lists for hospital tests in Cambridgeshire have risen by 51 per cent in the past four years.

The figure was uncovered in data from the House of Commons Library.

It reveals the waiting list for diagnostic tests – such as MRI and CT scans – in Cambridgeshire rose between June 2019 and July 2023 by 9,707 to 28,820, a period that includes the Covid pandemic.

Liberal Democrats are now calling for an expansion of community diagnostic centres to bring services closer to where people live and ensure they can be seen far sooner.

Ian Sollom, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for the new St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire seat, said: “What this Conservative government has done to the NHS is nothing short of a national scandal. Thousands of patients across Cambridgeshire 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 it’s patients in Cambridgeshire 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.”

The Lib Dems are 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 NHS target is that less than one per cent of people should be waiting more than six weeks for these tests – in July this year, 34 per cent of patients in Cambridge University Hospitals, 75 per cent in Cambridgeshire Community Services, and 30 per cent in North West Anglia waited six weeks or longer.

The 15 types of tests that make up the list provided by the Commons Library include MRIs, CT scans, echocardiography, and DEXA scans.

Stacie Coburn, executive director of performance and assurance at NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough said “We’re working alongside our partners to reduce waiting lists. As part of this we continue to progress the roll out of our Community Diagnostic Centres that provide checks, scans and tests right in the heart of our local communities.

“Our new Community Diagnostic Centre in Wisbech opened in April and has already carried out nearly 4000 tests (CT and MRI scans). Our new Community Diagnostic Centre in Ely is due to open this year, with another location opening in Peterborough in due course - helping us get people seen faster, closer to home.”