Record number of people waiting for NHS diagnostic tests in England

A record number of people are waiting for a diagnostic test on the NHS , triggering fears that delays in accessing CT and MRI scans could endanger patients’ health. A total of 1.92 million patients in England are waiting to have a test to diagnose their illness such as by an ultrasound scan, assessment of their hearing, bone scan or various tests for cancer. Demand for tests is outstripping the NHS’s ability to meet it and one in five of those on the waiting list – more than 400,000 people – are having to wait longer than the supposed six-week maximum, an analysis of diagnostic services in England has found. The rise in the waiting list for diagnostic tests contrasts sharply with the NHS’s recent success in cutting the backlog for planned hospital care to 7.1 million, which was 500,000 fewer than in July 2025. A report by the health technology firm Magentus also reveals that: It also found that people who live in the parts of England with the longest waiting lists face unusually long delays to get a cancer diagnosis or access treatment for heart problems. For example, people living in integrated care board areas with the highest proportion of patients waiting more than six weeks for a test are almost six times more likely to not get diagnosed with cancer within the NHS’s 28-day target. …