Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current diagnostic capacity in the NHS; and, further to any such assessment, what immediate consideration they have given to designating the Hartismere Hospital in Suffolk as a diagnostic hub to serve the surrounding rural area.

The Spending Review 2020 provided £325 million, with a further £2.3 billion in the 2021 Spending Review, for diagnostic services, including the launch of up to 160 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) by March 2025. There are currently 90 CDCs in operation, including supporting sites, which have delivered one million tests and scans since July 2021. CDCs are projected to deliver 17 million tests in the next three years, with an annual capacity for approximately nine million tests by 2025. The National Health Service collects data on 15 diagnostic tests, which shows that 1,850,900 diagnostic tests were delivered in April 2022. This is an increase of 3,400 from April 2021.

The East of England region, including Suffolk, is currently working with integrated care systems, diagnostic networks and primary care services to determine the location and configuration of services for future CDCs, based on the needs of the local population.