Getting a timely diagnosis for cancer “shouldn’t be a question of luck”, the Health Secretary has said as he announced more funding will be pumped into giving patients checks closer to home.
The Government has invested £237 million for new and improved community diagnostic centres (CDCs) across England.
Wes Streeting said the new CDCs are “part of the biggest expansion in NHS diagnostics in a generation”.
“The NHS delivered a record number of tests and scans last year but there’s still a long way to go before we’re catching disease on time,” Mr Streeting said.
“I was one of the lucky ones – my kidney cancer was caught early, and today I’m living cancer-free.
“But it shouldn’t be a question of luck.
“The NHS should be there for all of us when we need it, catching illness earlier so we can treat it faster.”
- Gorton
- Luton
- Boston
- Bideford
The investment will lead to four new CDCs in Gorton, Luton, Boston and Bideford, which will open in 2026/27.
Some 17 CDCs will be expanded and 15 will receive enhancements to boost diagnostic capacity, the Department of Health and Social Care said.
Mr Streeting went on: “These new CDCs are part of the biggest expansion in NHS diagnostics in a generation – continuing the progress we’re making and helping save lives.
“We’re not just investing in more, but delivering differently. The NHS should fit around people’s lives, not require patients to fit their lives around the NHS.
“Community diagnostic centres mean patients can get tests, checks and scans while they’re doing their shopping on the weekend or on the way to pick up the kids from school – without travelling across town to a hospital.”
It comes as the NHS plans to publish its latest performance figures on Thursday.
The latest data shows that the waiting list for routine hospital treatment remains at its lowest level since early 2023.
An estimated 7.25 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of January, relating to 6.13 million patients.
A total of 135,657 people had been waiting more than a year to start routine hospital treatment at the end of January – the lowest figure for waits of more than a year since August 2020.
The figures also revealed that a total of 72.8% of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days in January, down from 77.4% in December.
This is below the current target of 75%.
Professor Stella Vig, national clinical director for elective care at NHS England, said: “We’re making it easier to access care, and our network of community diagnostic centres deliver important diagnostic tests nearer to people’s homes, with new, expanded or enhanced centres available to patients across England.
“This expansion means even more patients can have vital checks like MRIs, CT scans and ultrasounds in a convenient location at a time that suits them, supporting the NHS’s drive to bring down waiting times even further.”
Melanie Sturtevant, associate director policy, evidence and influencing at Breast Cancer Now, said: “Right now, too many women are denied access to a swift breast cancer diagnosis and the early treatment that is critical for improving their chances of survival.
“Only 63.6% of breast cancer patients started treatment within 62 days of urgent suspected referral in January this year and there is huge variation in the percentage of people across England starting treatment on time.
“There’s a large gap in waiting times based on results. Only 67.4% of breast cancers were confirmed within 28 days, while 88.4% of people had breast cancer ruled out in this time.
“Investment in community diagnostic centres is welcome, but only a handful of sites in England currently provide mammography, despite breast cancer being one of the most common cancers in the UK.
“To reduce waiting times for breast cancer diagnosis, the Government must prioritise expanding breast imaging capacity as a core part of CDC development.
“CDCs should also be used to promote and deliver screening in a more convenient and accessible way within the communities they serve.
“Breast Cancer Now is ready to work with the Government to identify how this can be done.”
