NHS ‘is working to eliminate scan waits’

The NHS is working hard to eliminate waits for patient scans and diagnostic tests, according to Caroline Flint, the public health minister.

She claims that a UK-wide programme to tackle scan waiting times is underway, while data is being collated to address problem areas with large waiting lists.

Ms Flint also highlighted the investment the government has made in buying 200 million pounds worth of diagnostic equipment since 1997, as well as the instigation of 12 mobile scanning units to serve 117 areas across the country.

Speaking to BBC One’s Lunchtime News, she said: “We have been looking at how we can develop a national plan to target some of the more challenging areas and more challenging parts of diagnostic testing to make sure we will meet our treatment targets.”

“We have bought in extra capacity for the independent sector and we are confident that our approach is providing results already for many thousands of people around the country, and what we need to focus on now is how we can move that forwards,” she concluded.

Last week, medics from hospitals in Leicester revealed that scan waiting times had halved over the last year.

This means that patients were waiting for MRI scans, ultrasounds and colonoscopies, to a lesser extent than patients from “just about anywhere else”, according to Dr Shona Campbell, clinical director for imaging at the University Hospital Leicester.

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