BIVDA welcomes the Secretary of State’s acknowledgement of the importance of diagnostics during the pandemic. Diagnostic testing is fundamental to cutting waiting lists, spotting life-threatening illnesses, and ensuring the UK clears the elective care backlog rapidly and efficiently. As has been noted, currently only 75% of people needing a diagnostic test received one within six weeks – a fall from 96% before the pandemic. We are encouraged by the Secretary of State’s goal to increase this percentage to 95% by 2025, and the diagnostics industry will provide their full support to ensure this target can be achieved.

BIVDA recognises the tremendous impact that Community Diagnostic Centres have made around the country. We therefore champion the expansion of this project in today’s Plan which commits to increasing the number of centres to at least 100 over the next three years. We hope that these will implement more diagnostic test technologies as they embed in local communities. By focusing on accurate testing in an accessible fashion, many more preventable deaths can be avoided through early diagnoses coupled with effective treatments.