Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the commitment to deliver a doubling of the number of NHS CT and 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 (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scanners. We are investing in transforming and expanding diagnostic services to speed up waiting times for tests, 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 replacement of the oldest CT and MRI scanners. Further details and allocations will be set out in due course.

The National Imaging Data Collection is an annual retrospective data collection for NHS imaging services within England. It is published annually, focusing on the number of reported imaging assets, including MRI and CT scanners. The latest publication is correct for March 2024 and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/national-imaging-data-collection/