Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for people seeking a diagnosis for (a) Crohn’s disease, (b) colitis and (c) other inflammatory bowel conditions.

We have invested £325 million in National Health Service diagnostic equipment to improve clinical outcomes, while £1 billion is dedicated to tackling wider elective backlogs across the NHS.

Additional diagnostic capacity is also being delivered through the creation of new community diagnostic hubs, which allow for the separation of urgent and elective diagnostic tests. These hubs provide screening and testing more quickly and effectively, supporting healthcare professionals to diagnose diseases and conditions such as Crohn’s disease, colitis and other inflammatory bowel conditions.