Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS 10 Year Plan, what steps his Department is taking to to double the level of CT and MRI scanner capacity; and what plans he has to develop stronger and more structured partnerships with industry to tackle barriers to modernisation and to accelerate diagnostic innovation.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to bring down the size of the list and reduce waiting times, including investment in new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scanners. Speeding up waiting times for diagnostic tests is a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the referral to treatment 18-week standard.

The 2025 Spending Review confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective, and urgent care capacity. This includes £600 million in capital funding for diagnostics in 2025/26 to support delivery of the NHS performance standards. This funding will deliver new community diagnostic centres, including new MRI and CT scanners, new scanners in acute hospital settings, as well as replacements of the oldest CT and MRI scanners. Further details and allocations will be set out in due course.

The Health Innovation Network (HIN) fosters partnerships with industry and the NHS to accelerate the evaluation, adoption, and spread of health innovations, including diagnostics. This is why the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Plan make explicit commitments to continue funding and empowering the HIN.