Nearly one million patients in England waited over a month for their scan results in 2024, marking a 28% increase from the previous year, according to data published by the Royal College of Radiology.
This surge occurred despite NHS spending on private teleradiology services reaching £216 million, a 24% rise from 2023 and more than double the pre-pandemic levels.
The RCR highlighted that 95% of UK radiology departments now outsource some of their workload, primarily due to a national shortfall of 30% in clinical radiologists. While outsourcing offers short-term relief, the RCR warns that it’s a financially unsustainable approach that fails to address the root causes of the delays.
Dr. Katharine Halliday, President of the RCR, emphasized the need for long-term solutions:
“It is a false economy to be spending over £200m of NHS funds outsourcing radiology work to private companies, and evidence of our failure to train and retain the amount of NHS radiologists we need.”
The RCR advocates for increased investment in training new radiologists and the adoption of technologies like AI to enhance productivity. Without such measures, projections indicate that outsourcing costs could exceed £400 million annually by 2028, funds that could otherwise support the salaries of over 3,000 full-time consultant radiologists.
The UK has one of the lowest numbers of radiologists per capita in Europe. According to the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), the NHS was short of nearly 2,000 full-time consultant radiologists as of 2023—about a 30% workforce shortfall. Projections indicate the gap could exceed 3,600 by 2027 if training and recruitment do not improve.
Why is there a radiologist shortage, according to the Royal College of Radiologists?
-
-
30% workforce shortfall: NHS England has 4,923 consultant radiologists — nearly 2,000 fewer than needed. Projected to hit 40% by 2028.
-
Demand outpacing growth: Imaging demand (CT/MRI) rose 11% in 2023, while the workforce grew just 6%.
-
Delays in diagnosis: Over 745,000 patients in England waited more than 4 weeks for imaging results in 2023.
-
Heavy reliance on outsourcing: NHS spent £276m on locums and outsourcing in 2023 — enough to fund over 2,600 consultant radiologists.
-
Training bottleneck: Not enough radiology training posts despite strong applicant interest.
-
RCR response: Urging government to expand training places, improve retention, and invest in diagnostic tech.
-
Privatisation steps (from www.NHSforsale.info)
In July 2024, several companies were awarded places on the ‘Radiology Reporting & Associated Services Framework Agreement’. This replaces an earlier Framework Agreement which came to end on 2nd December 2023. The Framework Agreement is awarded for an initial period of 2 years with the option to extend for a further 2X12 months period. A full list of companies can be found on the contract award notice, but include 4Ways Healthcare, InHealth, Radiology Reporting Online, Medacs Healthcare PLC, Medica Reporting Ltd, DMC Healthcare, Telemedicine Clinic Ltd, Tesla Radiology Solutions Ltd, and AXON Medical.
From 2020 to early 2024 there was an acceleration in the privatisation of diagnostics through the development of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) under the then Conservative government.
In late 2020, NHS England advertised a multi-year framework agreement worth up to £10bn to provide services to increase NHS capacity, including diagnostics.
The first contract award notice 2021/S 028-070725 included the details of the 61 suppliers that had entered into the frameworks agreement in February 2021, then Contract Award Notice 2021/S 028-070725 in April 2021 includes an additional 24 suppliers. A further award notice in June 2021 includes more suppliers. Many diagnostics companies are now listed on the contract, including InHealth and Alliance Medical, the two largest in the UK.
Then in June 2021 a framework agreement for the CDCs was advertised – Invitation to Tender For: Community Diagnostic Hubs (CDH) Framework Agreement, worth up to £10 bn over five years. The award notice was published in March 2022 and included many private companies, including InHealth, Alliance, Perspectum, Omnes Healthcare, Circle, and Ramsay.
Now companies that are listed on the framework, contracts can be awarded for the CDCs without any further tendering process.
Find out more from the NHSForSale website – on the privatisation of diagnostics and the A-Z of companies involved in NHS outsourcing.
Dear Reader,
If you like our content please support our campaigning journalism to protect health care for all.
Our goal is to inform people, hold our politicians to account and help to build change through evidence based ideas.
Everyone should have access to comprehensive healthcare, but our NHS needs support. You can help us to continue to counter bad policy, battle neglect of the NHS and correct dangerous mis-infomation.
Supporters of the NHS are crucial in sustaining our health service and with your help we will be able to engage more people in securing its future.
Please donate to help support our campaigning NHS research and journalism.
