Tests and checks waits decrease

NHS staff have more than halved the average wait for tests and checks since the height of the pandemic as the waiting list continues to fall. Patients were waiting an average of 17 days for tests and checks in January – 43 days less than at the height of the pandemic (May 2020). Average waits for tests are now the lowest since 2.1 weeks in February 2020. NHS teams delivered more than 2.5 million checks in January, up almost a quarter (23%) on 2.05 million in January 2019 and 5% higher than the same month last year (2.4 million in January 2024). More…