Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans she has for reducing waiting times (a) in GP practices and (b) for accessing routine diagnostic tests, especially for people with aggressive and/or life-limiting conditions.

NHS England’s Medium Term Planning Framework, published in October 2025, sets out a national ambition to improve access to primary care and reduce unwarranted variation. This includes ensuring that 90% of clinically urgent patients, such as those with aggressive and/or life-limiting conditions, are dealt with on the same day.

NHS England is driving the transformation of diagnostics services across the National Health Service. These services will grow their digital capability and become more efficient. They will have new and replacement equipment that will make tests quicker and increase the numbers of patients that get faster access to a test.

NHS England is also expanding community diagnostics centres (CDCs) and other community-based diagnostic services, so more patients can benefit from the increasing numbers of diagnostic services and gain access closer to home and via their general practitioner. CDCs are equipped to provide diagnostic tests for aggressive and/or life-limiting conditions.