Health secretary visits Wood Green to see progress on NHS diagnostics

The visit coincided with an announcement on reduced NHS waiting times

Southgate and Wood Green MP Bambos Charalambous with Health Secretary Wes Streeting — Southgate and Wood Green MP Bambos Charalambous (left) and Haringey Councill leader Peray Ahmet (right) with Health Secretary Wes Streeting at Wood Green Community Diagnostic Centre

Health Secretary Wes Streeting visited Wood Green this week to learn more about an NHS centre’s work on diagnostics.

The visit to Wood Green Community Diagnostic Centre also included Southgate and Wood Green MP Bambos Charalambous, Haringey Council leader Peray Ahmet, and cabinet member for health Lucia das Neves.

It came as Streeting celebrated the news that national waiting lists are continuing to fall, despite continuing huge pressure on local services over winter. NHS data shows there was a drop of 43,000 in January, representing a fall of 374,000 over the past 18 months.

Data released today also showed that waiting times at accident and emergency (A&E) departments are at their shortest for four years, and ambulance response times are the fastest for half a decade. Waits for patients with heart attacks and stroke are down to less than 29 minutes.

The progress comes against the backdrop of 2025 being the NHS’s busiest ever year. A&E attendances last year reached 27.8 million, up by 367,000 on 2024, with 2.33 million attendances in December alone.

On his visit, Streeting received a tour of Wood Green Community Diagnostic Centre, which offers blood tests, ultrasounds, x-rays, MRI scans, and CT scans. The centre is located in The Mall Shopping Centre in Wood Green and is easily accessible for local patients.

Streeting said: “After years of rising waiting times, patients are finally starting to see things move in the right direction – with waiting lists at their lowest level for almost three years and more people getting treated within 18 weeks.

“Despite record demand this winter, A&E and ambulance services improved – meaning patients are getting help faster when they need it most, thanks to the hard work of NHS staff, better planning and modernisation.

“But we won’t take our foot off the gas. We’ll keep cutting waiting times, backing NHS staff and making sure patients get the high-quality care they deserve.”

Charalambous added: “Thanks to Labour’s record investment in our NHS, the modernisation of services, and the Elective Reform Plan, more patients in Southgate and Wood Green are receiving a faster diagnosis, quicker treatment, or getting the all-clear sooner.

“Wood Green Community Diagnostic Centre is making a massive difference to local patients, and it was a pleasure to see the centre so busy this morning. Our local NHS staff are key the to delivering better care and I want to thank them for all they are doing for the community in Southgate and Wood Green.”

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