Community Diagnostic Centres: Costs
(asked on 23rd June 2025) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the tariff rate per patient was for (a) CT, (b) MRI and (c) ultrasound scans delivered in community diagnostic centres on (ii) 1 March and (ii) 1 June 2025.
The community diagnostic centre (CDC) tariff price list has evolved to align with the national payment scheme from April 2025. Tariff prices in CDCs are now consistent with acute and primary care provision so that the cost of the delivery of diagnostics is equitable with the rest of the National Health Service. The payment scheme can be found at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-nhs-payment-scheme/
The cost differential over the Spending Review 2021 period allowed CDCs under construction to be supported financially with the additional costs of setting up a new service. The following table shows the CDC price tariffs for 2024/25:
Test type | Test name and description | Price |
Ultrasound (US) non-obstetric ultrasound (NOUS) | US (NOUS) without contrast | £52 |
US (NOUS) with contrast | £117 | |
Computed tomography (CT) | CT with contrast | £146 |
CT without contrast | £133 | |
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) | MRI without contrast | £177 |
MRI with contrast | £264 |
In addition, the following table shows the 2025/26 national payment scheme prices:
Test type | Test name and description | Price |
Ultrasound (US) non-obstetric ultrasound (NOUS) | US (NOUS) without contrast (under 20 mins) | £48 |
US (NOUS) without contrast (over 20 mins) | £61 | |
US (NOUS) with contrast (under 20 mins) | £99 | |
US (NOUS) with contrast (over 20 mins) | £111 | |
Computed tomography (CT) | CT with contrast 1 area (Adult) | £98 |
CT with contrast 1 area (Paediatrics age 6 to 18 years old) | £161 | |
CT with contrast 2 area | £105 | |
CT with contrast 3 area | £115 | |
CT non contrast 1 area (Adult) | £78 | |
CT non contrast 1 area (Paediatrics age 6 to 18 years old) | £132 | |
CT non contrast 2 area | £85 | |
CT non contrast 3 area | £94 | |
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) | MRI non contrast 1 area (Adult) | £129 |
MRI non contrast 1 area (Paediatric age 6 to 18 years old) | £217 | |
MRI non contrast 2 area | £155 | |
MRI non contrast more than 3 area | £222 | |
MRI with contrast 1 area (Adult) | £188 | |
MRI with contrast 1 area (Paediatric age 6 to 18 years old) | £329 |