Radiology: Staff
(asked on 5th June 2025) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the (a) physical and (b) workforce capacity of radiology departments for (i) CT and (ii) MRI scanners.
We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including investment in new magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.
As announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, £1.65 billion of capital will be investment in 2025/26 to support NHS performance across secondary and emergency care, including funding for new diagnostic scanners.
The Government is continuing to invest in community diagnostic centres (CDCs) to expand diagnostic capacity, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. 169 CDCs are currently operational, and have delivered nearly 14 million additional diagnostic tests since July 2021, as per latest published data, which is available at the following link:
Our Elective Reform Plan committed to building up to five new CDCs, as well as expanding existing CDCs and increasing opening hours.
In addition, the Government is backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital in 2025/26, enabling systems to allocate funding to local priorities such as replacement diagnostic and radiotherapy equipment.
We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again. This will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills, including in radiology departments, to deliver the care patients need when they need it.
As of February 2025, there are 5,859 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of clinical radiology in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. This is 223, or 4.0%, more than in 2024 and 1,244, or 26.9%, more than in 2020. There are also 22,599 FTE therapeutic and diagnostic radiographers working in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England in February 2025. This is 1,140, or 5.3%, more than in 2024 and 4,606, or 25.6%, more than in 2020. Data on the NHS workforce is published by NHS England monthly, and is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics