New NHS England data has revealed that 125 new CT and MRI scanners have been added to the health service since March 2024, helping to deliver an additional one million scans over the past 12 months.
However, the Society of Radiographers has cautioned that celebrating technological investment while ignoring the workforce only tells half the story.
On Tuesday (3 November), the government celebrated the increase in scanning capacity, largely driven by new Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) and the national rollout of AI-accelerated MRI software,
Sue Johnson, SoR professional officer for clinical imaging, said: “Cancer patients aren't scanned by MRI and CT machines. They're scanned by radiographers using MRI and CT machines.
"Every scan depends on a highly trained radiographer to assess safety, optimise image quality, support often anxious patients and make sure the right examination is performed in the right way at the right time."
While the NHS plans to give every trust the opportunity to upgrade compatible MRI scanners with AI software by 2029, the SoR stresses that these efficiency targets rely entirely on human expertise.
“New scanners are welcome, but machines do not train staff, mentor the next generation, cover workforce shortages or deliver care on their own,” Sue added.
“The NHS cannot scan its way out of a workforce gap. To realise the full benefit of these investments, we need the same commitment to recruiting, training and retaining radiographers as we do to buying new technology.”
Discover how the SoR is campaigning for a fully funded, sustainable radiography workforce plan to meet rising diagnostic demand, and learn how you can support the push online here.
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