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 average waiting times between GP referral for suspected musculoskeletal conditions and receipt of MRI scans in Luton.

The latest data available from 2025/2026 shows that the average wait time from the point of requesting a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test to receipt of a scan is 41.5 days for all MRI scans, and 36.1 days for musculoskeletal (MSK) related issues for Luton residents. The average wait time is not collected from the point of general practice (GP) referral as referrals would not normally be directed from GPs.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance recommends that patients with MSK conditions do not have imaging requested by a non-specialist service unless serious underlying pathology is suspected. This means that MRI scans or other imaging should be requested by an MSK service, or other specialist service, and not by a GP unless there is significant, life-threatening, or urgent medical disease or condition, for instance cancer, spinal infection, organ failure, or a fracture.

NHS England publishes data on diagnostic waiting times, including the proportion of patients waiting six weeks or more for diagnostic tests such as MRI scans.

We are committed to improving access to diagnostics and have expanded capacity through community diagnostic centres, which are delivering additional MRI and other tests closer to patients’ homes and helping to reduce waiting times.