Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made trends in the level of waiting times for diagnostic tests across the NHS; and whether delays in receiving routine blood test results reflect a wider trend in diagnostic backlogs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ensuring patients receive their diagnostic test results quickly is a priority for the Government. 70% of histopathology cases are expected to be completed within 10 days. For cases relating to cancer or suspected cancer, the expectation is 80% within 10 days.
The Government does not hold the data requested on integrated care systems’ turnaround times for blood tests. However, the Government is committed to improving access to pathology diagnostic services through the National Health Service’s 27 pathology networks. NHS laboratories deliver over 1.4 billion tests annually, including approximately 1.2 billion blood tests that require phlebotomy. While the Government does not currently hold national data on waiting times for access to blood sampling, capacity is being expanded. Phlebotomy services are now available through 119 community diagnostic centres, with 1.8 million tests delivered between April 2025 and the end of February 2026. More broadly, programmes are underway to improve access, resilience, and performance across pathology services, including targeted investment in digital technology and robotics, particularly within histopathology.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of trends in the level of waiting times for blood tests; and if he will publish data on current turnaround times by Integrated Care systems.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ensuring patients receive their diagnostic test results quickly is a priority for the Government. 70% of histopathology cases are expected to be completed within 10 days. For cases relating to cancer or suspected cancer, the expectation is 80% within 10 days.
The Government does not hold the data requested on integrated care systems’ turnaround times for blood tests. However, the Government is committed to improving access to pathology diagnostic services through the National Health Service’s 27 pathology networks. NHS laboratories deliver over 1.4 billion tests annually, including approximately 1.2 billion blood tests that require phlebotomy. While the Government does not currently hold national data on waiting times for access to blood sampling, capacity is being expanded. Phlebotomy services are now available through 119 community diagnostic centres, with 1.8 million tests delivered between April 2025 and the end of February 2026. More broadly, programmes are underway to improve access, resilience, and performance across pathology services, including targeted investment in digital technology and robotics, particularly within histopathology.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the (a) average and (b) longest wait times for patients to receive blood test results; and what steps he is taking to reduce delays.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ensuring patients receive their diagnostic test results quickly is a priority for the Government. 70% of histopathology cases are expected to be completed within 10 days. For cases relating to cancer or suspected cancer, the expectation is 80% within 10 days.
The Government does not hold the data requested on integrated care systems’ turnaround times for blood tests. However, the Government is committed to improving access to pathology diagnostic services through the National Health Service’s 27 pathology networks. NHS laboratories deliver over 1.4 billion tests annually, including approximately 1.2 billion blood tests that require phlebotomy. While the Government does not currently hold national data on waiting times for access to blood sampling, capacity is being expanded. Phlebotomy services are now available through 119 community diagnostic centres, with 1.8 million tests delivered between April 2025 and the end of February 2026. More broadly, programmes are underway to improve access, resilience, and performance across pathology services, including targeted investment in digital technology and robotics, particularly within histopathology.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of whether the corporate governance framework incentivises short-term shareholder returns over long-term value creation for the wider economy.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 enshrines in law the ‘enlightened shareholder value’ principle, in which directors must have regard in their decision-making to the long-term and to the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment. The UK Corporate Governance and Stewardship Codes also include principles that promote a focus on long-term value creation by business and institutional investors. The Government will shortly publish a ‘Modernising Corporate Reporting’ consultation which will give an opportunity to stakeholders to comment on UK corporate governance reporting and the wider governance framework, among other matters.