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Hospitals spend millions maintaining decades-old X-ray and MRI scanners that are “obsolete” and frequently fail, hampering efforts to clear patient backlogs, study finds

Hospitals are spending millions of pounds servicing hundreds of X-ray and MRI scanners that are up to 37 years old, a survey found today.

Radiologists call some equipment “outdated” and warn that frequent outages affect their ability to handle the backlog of patients waiting for diagnostic scans.

The older technology exposes patients to higher levels of radiation and also produces lower quality images that are more difficult to interpret, increasing the risk of missing tumors.

The data comes from Liberal Democrat requests for information, to which 69 of the NHS’s 135 acute trusts responded.

According to this, they have a total of 541 X-ray machines, CT and MRI scanners that are more than ten years old, and 41 have at least one X-ray machine that is more than 20 years old.

Radiologists call some X-ray and MRI machines in hospitals ‘outdated’

The older technology exposes patients to higher levels of radiation and also produces lower quality images that are more difficult to interpret

The older technology exposes patients to higher levels of radiation and also produces lower quality images that are more difficult to interpret

The oldest is a 37-year-old Bedfordshire Hospitals Trust X-ray machine. Stockport NHS Foundation Trust has the oldest MRI scanner at 20 years and East Sussex has the oldest CT scanner at 17 years.

Figures from 27 of the trusts show they have spent a total of £20m repairing or servicing their machinery over the past three years. The others have not disclosed their expenses, and many have maintenance contracts that cover the cost of downtime.

Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Trust had the biggest maintenance bill with almost £7.5m spent over the past three years.

Ideally, CT and MRI scanners should be replaced every ten years to ensure they continue to function reliably and provide clear images.

DR Katharine Halliday, President of the Royal College of Radiologists, said: “More than half of clinical radiologists believe they do not have the equipment they need to work safely and effectively.

“The situation is very different, with some trusts using the latest kit and others using outdated machines. It’s not good enough.’

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “Having lost both my parents to cancer, I know how important it is for patients to receive the highest quality care.”

He urged ministers to “give hospitals the capital they need to invest in newer equipment.”

A Department of Health spokesman said record sums were being invested in upgrading and modernizing NHS buildings “which will be supported by £4.2bn this year and £8.4bn over the next two years”.

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