The Health Secretary announced a 237 million investment to create and upgrade community diagnostic centres across England, marking the NHS’s largest expansion of diagnostics in a generation.

The new and upgraded CDCs will offer tests and scans—MRIs, CTs, and ultrasounds—at convenient locations to fit around daily routines, reducing travel and wait times for patients.

Officials frame the move as the biggest NHS diagnostics expansion in a generation, designed to integrate tests into everyday life and shorten journeys for patients.

Official NHS data up to January show ongoing pressure on elective care waiting lists but improvements, including the lowest waits for routine hospital treatment since early 2023 and 72.8% of urgent cancer referrals diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days.

Urgent cancer pathways reported 72.8% of patients referred for suspected cancer diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days in January, down from 77.4% in December and below the 75% target.

NHS data accompanying the announcement show 7.25 million treatments waiting for 6.13 million patients at the end of January, with 135,657 patients waiting more than a year for treatment—the lowest figure since August 2020.

Four new CDCs will open in 2026/27 in Gorton, Luton, Boston, and Bideford, with 17 existing centres expanded and 15 enhanced to boost nationwide diagnostic capacity.

The plan includes expanding 17 existing CDCs and enhancing 15 others, alongside the four new sites opening in 2026/27 to advance diagnostic capacity.

Breast Cancer Now has raised concerns about timely diagnosis and treatment, urging expanded mammography access and breast imaging capacity as part of CDC development to promote screening and reduce waiting times.

Government and health officials frame the initiative as improving early diagnosis and timely cancer treatment, aiming to reduce reliance on luck and ensure diagnostics are accessible when needed.

Authorities emphasise expanding access to diagnostics (MRIs, CTs, ultrasounds) and strengthening early detection and timely treatment, including cancer care, while noting ongoing performance gaps and the need for more imaging capacity for breast cancer.

Streeting underscored that timely diagnosis should not depend on luck and highlighted the NHS’s goal to fit around people’s lives by enabling tests while they shop or commute.