The vast majority of patient journeys through the NHS start with a test. Whether that’s an x-ray for a broken leg, an MRI scan for spinal cord injuries or CT scans to look for cancer, it is a vital step in getting patients a diagnosis so they can access the treatment they need.

We know less people came forward for things like cancer checks during the pandemic and waiting lists for potentially lifesaving tests have increased.

The NHS is working on the biggest catch-up programme in its history and is making considerable progress with over 100,000 patients diagnosed with early stage cancer last year – the highest proportion on record.

That’s why we have announced a series of measures to turbocharge our plans to tackle long waits and get services back on track. This includes approving 19 more community diagnostic centres (CDCs) across the country.

Health Minister Will Quince explains the thinking behind the new centres

These are one-stop-shops providing a range of checks, tests and scans, reducing pressure on hospitals and providing quicker access closer to patients’ homes. There are already 91 open across the country which have delivered 2.4 million checks, tests and scans since June last year. These include three in Yorkshire - in Mexborough, Barnsley and Hull - which have delivered over 64,640 tests since October 2021.

This announcement means over the next few months we will start opening 10 more centres across Yorkshire including in Leeds, Huddersfield, York and Hull.

When fully operational these sites will deliver 485,981 tests, checks and scans a year, including MRI and CT scans and x-rays as well as ultrasound scans, cardiology services and blood tests. The one-stop-shops in Beverley, York, Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds, Beeston, Wakefield, Selby, and Withernsea will be up and running by winter 2023.

We know early diagnosis and treatment lead to better outcomes for patients, so making it as easy as possible for people to access these services will not only help services recover from the impact of the pandemic, but will make it easier for people to access testing and treatment in the long term.

I will also be chairing a new Elective Recovery Taskforce to boost our plans to tackle the Covid backlogs and eliminate waits of longer than a year for routine care by March 2025.

We’ll be investigating how the independent sector can support the national effort to bust the backlogs, maximising use of all available capacity so patients can be treated as quickly as possible.

The independent sector already works with the NHS to provide additional capacity at no extra cost to the taxpayer for a range of services and patients are benefiting from the services they provide.

In fact they have been bolstering NHS capacity and easing pressure at critical times for nearly two decades, delivering over 450,000 appointments in October this year alone - approximately six per cent of NHS care. This includes York & Scarborough NHS Foundation Trust who have entered into a partnership with Ramsey Clifton Park in York to build a new modular theatre unit at the Ramsey Clifton Park Hospital site which will create additional theatre capacity for orthopaedics and urology.

The taskforce will look at how we build on success stories like this to deliver more for patients, while maximising value for taxpayer money and making sure the NHS always remains free at the point of use.

There is no doubt the coming months will be challenging, facing the dual threat of Covid and flu while the NHS perseveres with tackling the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, so I urge everyone in Yorkshire to do their bit to reduce pressure on services as much as possible, by getting their Covid and flu vaccinations if eligible.

Will Quince is Minister for Health and Secondary Care

What Yorkshire's new community diagnostics centres will mean for NHS backlogs: Will Quince