New King’s Fund Report: Why Do Diagnostics Matter?
A new scientific report has been released by The King’s Fund, titled Why Do Diagnostics Matter?
This was sponsored by Roche Diagnostics, a corporate partner at The King’s Fund, and independently developed, researched and written by The King’s Fund.
The report looks at the role played by diagnostics in the health and care system, where policy has been focussed so far and what can be done to make diagnostic capacity and capability fit for the future.
A selection of the report’s key messages
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Each year, the NHS undertakes more than 1 billion diagnostic tests, accounting for about 6 per cent of the NHS budget.
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Demand is rising across almost all aspects of diagnostics, with 4–7 per cent increases in activity seen for tests such as colonoscopies and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans each year between 2014/15 and 2018/19.
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Patients are waiting longer for diagnostic tests. There are now more than 1.5 million people currently waiting, and the standard that patients should wait less than six weeks for a diagnostic test has not been met since February 2017.
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