The NHS is spending record sums on outsourcing the analysis of diagnostic scans to private firms, as hospitals struggle with staff shortages and high demand. According to new research, NHS trusts and health boards across the UK paid £241 million to private companies for reading CT and MRI scans in the last year, up from £120 million in 2021 and £81 million in 2018. This represents a doubling in five years and a 12% increase from £216 million the previous year.
Radiologists Raise Concerns
The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), which compiled the data in its annual workforce census, described the spending as “ballooning” and warned that the NHS is “haemorrhaging” cash to independent firms due to a shortage of radiologists. The RCR also highlighted that the quality of outsourced reports is sometimes so poor that NHS radiologists must re-read them. A survey found that 86% of NHS radiology department heads had serious concerns about lower-quality reports from private firms, and 90% said NHS specialists needed to double-check outsourced work.
Unsustainable Reliance
Dr. Stephen Harden, president of the RCR, stated: “Increasing NHS reliance on outsourcing in radiology is not sustainable and the costs of this are spiralling out of control. In the short term, outsourcing can help to manage diagnostic backlogs, but it cannot be a long-term solution to workforce shortages.” He urged ministers and NHS leaders to boost the radiology workforce by creating more training posts, noting that there are currently 11 applicants for every training position.
The Centre for Health and the Public Interest thinktank warned that the NHS could become permanently dependent on private firms for scan reading. Director David Rowland said: “The use of private teleradiology companies to read NHS scans is growing rapidly. History shows that once the government hands these roles over to the private sector, they remain in private hands, taking income and revenue away from NHS hospitals and removing the opportunity to train the next generation of NHS staff.”
Government Response
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson acknowledged the pressures on radiology services but noted that the NHS carried out 30 million diagnostic tests in the last year, with 95,000 more patients diagnosed with cancer or given the all-clear within 28 days compared to the previous year. The spokesperson added that the government will publish a 10-year workforce plan to help deliver a transformed health service in England, ensuring the right staff with the right skills are in place.
