The waiting list for diagnostic tests at hospitals serving Esher and Walton reached 16,000 people in July.

That’s up 37% on pre-Covid figures.

The information has been compiled by the constituency’s Lib Dem group, using data from the House of Commons Library.

It shows the waiting lists for both MRI and CT scans at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals doubled between June 2019 and July 2023.

At Kingston Hospital, the CT waiting list rose by over 50% from 1,855 to 2,530.

The NHS target says less than 1% of people should be waiting more than 6 weeks for these tests.

But in July, 14% of Kingston Hospital’s patients and 9% of Ashford and St Peter’s patients waited 6 weeks or longer.

Elmbridge Lib Dems are calling for an expansion of community diagnostic centres and the legal right to see your GP in seven days.