The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is increasingly struggling to meet its diagnostic targets. As of August 2025, over 1.6 million people were on waiting lists for diagnostic tests in England – an increase of 95,500 people since the previous year, and a 105% rise compared to a decade ago. Despite the record number of diagnostic tests being conducted, waiting lists remain ‘stubbornly immobile’, underscoring the rising demand for services.
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This backlog highlights an ongoing crisis in diagnostic services, exacerbated by a shortage of qualified staff. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (awaiting an update in Autumn 2025) reveals a shortfall of approximately 150,000 staff needed to meet demand. This shortage is expected to grow to between 260,000 and 360,000 NHS staff by 2036/37. The impact on patient care is already substantial and, without intervention, will continue to worsen.
Pathology under pressure
Pathology services are a clear example of this strain. Since 2007, histopathology requests have increased by an average of 4.5% annually, according to the Royal College of Pathologists. In a 2025 survey by the organisation, the majority of respondents said they do not believe current staffing levels are adequate for the long-term stability of pathology services and to meet growing clinical demand.
Pathologists are facing mounting pressure due to rising workloads with greater task complexity, and vacancy rates of 10-12% – a figure that continues to climb. Many services are struggling to meet critical care targets, and the gap between what’s needed and what’s available is only expected to get worse.
Intelligent & targeted automation
As demand for faster, more accurate diagnostics grows, meaningful improvements will depend on intelligent, targeted automation strategies. Over recent decades, pathology laboratories have made a concerted effort to standardise processes and reduce manual tasks, to improve accuracy and patient outcomes. Automating time-consuming tasks like aliquoting (splitting solutions into equal parts), centrifugation (separating fluids by density), and recapping tubes can greatly increase testing capacity while cutting costs.
Fully integrated, vendor-neutral automation systems help larger labs manage routine steps before and after analysis, freeing up pathologists and technicians to focus on more complex and high-value tasks, like interpreting results and ensuring outputs are accurate and reliable. For automation to make a real difference, however, laboratories need a clear strategy to identify and target where digital solutions can deliver the most value.
Financing smarter labs
While the benefits of expanding automation are clear, financial constraints remain a significant obstacle. Even with the efficiencies offered by AI integration, many laboratories face capital limitations that delay or prevent adoption.
Fortunately, laboratories have access to a range of financing options that support investment in new technologies without the burden of large upfront costs.
One effective approach is transition finance. By delaying payments until the solution is fully tested and operational, labs avoid paying for both old and new technologies at the same time. Specialist financing can also protect against the risk of technological obsolescence by including options to upgrade or enhance equipment during or after the financing term – a future-ready approach that helps to keep labs at the forefront of innovation.
Other increasingly popular options include Managed Service Contracts, which guarantee a set level of equipment time, along with leasing and pay-for-outcome models. These flexible arrangements spread the cost of new technology over time and link payments to measurable improvements like increased throughput. Moreover, by eliminating the need for large initial investments, they also preserve cash flow and working capital.
Why specialist financing matters
To get the most value from automation, labs need both strategic investment and specialised knowledge, which is a level of insight that isn’t typically available through generalist financiers. Specialist financiers such as Siemens Financial Services (SFS) bring a deep understanding of diagnostic technologies and their real-world applications. This expertise allows them to assess risk accurately and design tailored financing solutions that meet individual laboratories’ specific needs.
Siemens Financial Services works with Siemens Healthineers and other vendors to offer cost-effective financing solutions for a wide range of medical equipment. This allows healthcare organisations to acquire cutting-edge technology without depleting their capital budgets, ensuring they can meet testing demands without compromising financial stability.
Learn more about the range of healthcare finance solutions here. SFS has also produced a Healthcare Leaders Briefing Series that explores the priority investment areas for transformative healthcare. Read the reports and sign up to receive updates here.
References
NHS England, Monthly Diagnostics Data 2024-25, August 2025, https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/10/DWTA-August-2025-Report_EJKO9.pdf
NHS Providers, NHS Activity Tracker: September 2025, September 2025, https://nhsproviders.org/resources/nhs-activity-tracker-september-2025
Society of Radiographers, Waiting lists grow despite more diagnostic imaging, December 2024,
https://www.sor.org/news/imaging/waiting-lists-grow-despite-more-diagnostic-imaging
Independent Healthcare Providers Network, Going Private: A briefing on private diagnostics care, April 2025 https://www.ihpn.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Going-Private-Diagnostics-2025.pdf
NHS England, NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, June 2023, https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-long-term-workforce-plan-2/
The Royal College of Pathologists, The pathology workforce, 2024, https://www.rcpath.org/discover-pathology/public-affairs/the-pathology-workforce.html
The Royal College of Pathologists, The pathology workforce, 2024, https://www.rcpath.org/discover-pathology/public-affairs/the-pathology-workforce.html
National Library of Medicine, Cutting-edge technology and automation in the pathology laboratory, November 2023, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11062949/
Siemens Healthineers, Laboratory Automation, https://www.siemens-healthineers.com/laboratory-automation
National Library of Medicine, A systematic review of the barriers to the implementation of artificial intelligence in healthcare, October 2023, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10623210/
