NHS test delays putting hundreds of thousands at risk, say doctors

Hundreds of thousands of people in England are not getting tests for killer diseases because of widespread delays that doctors fear will harm patients.A total of 386,849 people in September had been waiting more than six weeks for a diagnostic test for cancer, heart problems and other serious conditions, according to an analysis of NHS waiting time data by the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR).NHS England has told health trusts to ensure that by 2027 no more than 20% of all patients have to wait this long to receive any of the tests it uses to detect diseases, such as CT scans and MRIs.However, delays are so common that almost half (46%) of trusts are missing the six-week target, the RCR analysis found.The hold-ups are dangerous because patients’ treatment cannot start until their illness has been properly diagnosed, it warned.“These chronic and widespread delays for tests are highly alarming,” said Dr Stephen Harden, the president of the RCR.“Far too many patients are facing long, anxious waits for answers about their health. Without action, these delays will continue to put patients at risk.”The affected tests include ultrasound scans, Dexa scans to spot osteoporosis, hearing exams, echocardiograms for identifying heart problems, and barium enemas and colonoscopies, both of which are used to diagnose bowel cancer.Harden said: “Delayed diagnostic tests mean patients are waiting anxiously for weeks or months, sometimes in pain, for answers about their health. Those delays often continue into test reporting and diagnosis because of the chronic shortage of radiologists who interpret scans.“Any delay to accessing treatment can worsen health outcomes and even lead to preventable deaths.”He added: “Evidence shows a 10% increase in the risk of death for every month that cancer treatment is delayed. Some cancers, such as lung cancer, require multiple tests and scans to properly diagnose them, so delayed access to tests can have devastating consequences.”Officially, NHS trusts are meant to ensure that no more than 1% of patients wait more than six weeks for a test. However, that target has not been met since 2015. NHS England has now set the 20% target as an interim measure to help trusts improve their performance.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionThe public accounts committee warned recently that delays in accessing diagnostic tests and treatment had not fallen despite NHS England’s multi-billion-pound investment in community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs.The Institute for Fiscal Studies has voiced doubts that the government will fulfil its key pledge to restore the 18-week wait for planned hospital care by 2029, as has the Health Foundation thinktank.A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This government inherited a broken NHS, with waiting lists soaring and elective services in dire need of modernisation, but we are turning the tide.“We are reforming our NHS and we are making good progress, with waiting lists down and around 193,000 more patients getting a cancer diagnosis or the all-clear on time in the last 12 months compared to the previous year.“But we know there is more to do. That’s why we’re determined to improve cancer care through the upcoming national cancer plan.”