Therese Coffey – 2022 Comments on Covid Backlog

The comments made by Therese Coffey, the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 11 October 2022.

My number one priority is delivering for patients and we’re getting on with the job of tackling the issues that affect people most – ambulances, backlogs, care, doctors and dentists.

Today I’m announcing the approval of 10 new community diagnostic centres which are helping to bust the COVID-19 backlogs by delivering vital tests, checks and scans in local areas.

They have delivered over 2 million checks over the past year, diagnosing conditions from cancer to lung disease – and we’re on track to open up to 160 centres across the country by 2025, delivering an additional 17 million checks.