Diagnostics Programme

Cheshire and Merseyside Provider Collaborative’s Diagnostics Programme is a collaboration across all NHS Cheshire and Merseyside organisations, including its Endoscopy, Imaging, Pathology, Community Diagnostics Centres and Physiological Science clinical networks.

As 95% of all patients need a diagnostic test, the programme (which covers over 70 tests) has an impact on all trusts’ cancer, emergency, elective and primary care services and their performance.

By joining together through the Diagnostics Programme, Cheshire and Merseyside trusts can use NHS resources in the best way possible, driving waiting times down and ensuring that all patients can access high-quality, innovative and efficient diagnostic services, both now and in the future. 

Throughout 2025/26, Cheshire and Merseyside ranked in the top four Integrated Care Boards for diagnostic waiting time performance, with over 93% of patients receiving their test within six weeks.

The programme also increased capacity by installing Advanced Acceleration Technology on 11 MRI scanners, enabling an extra 5,830 scans each year.

In addition to this, more than 3,000 patients experienced shorter waiting times through Cheshire and Merseyside Provider Collaborative’s mutual aid procedure, whilst an Artificial Intelligence review of all chest X-rays is helping to detect more abnormalities and shorten lung cancer pathways by three days.