NHS spends record £241m outsourcing scan analysis to private firms | NHS

The NHS is paying record sums to private companies to analyze diagnostic scans because hospitals are too busy and understaffed to do the work themselves, research has revealed.

Money spent on outsourcing the interpretation of CT and MRI scans is “spiraling out of control” and reflects a short-sighted failure to train enough doctors, they told ministers.

The scans are essential for diagnosing diseases such as cancer and for monitoring patients’ responses to treatment. They must therefore be carried out quickly. Many hospitals, however, rely on non-NHS healthcare companies reading certain tests to ensure they get results quickly.

NHS trusts and health boards across the UK gave £241 million to private companies last year to undertake such work. As demand increases, spending has doubled in five years from the £120m spent in 2021 and tripled from the £81m spent in 2018.

The 2025 figure of £241m was £25m, 12% more than the £216m outsourcing bill a year earlier.

The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), which compiled the figures as part of its annual workforce census, said health service spending on private reading of scanners was “skyrocketing”. The NHS-wide shortage of radiologists has left hospitals with too little capacity to read all the scans, meaning the service is “hemorrhaging” money to independent companies, he said.

The RCR also raised concerns that scans carried out by private companies were sometimes so poor that NHS radiologists had to re-read the scans, raising questions about the benefits of outsourcing.

Eight-six per cent of NHS radiology department heads were seriously concerned that privatization was leading to poorer quality reporting, and 90% said NHS radiologists needed to double-check outsourced reports.

“The NHS’s growing reliance on outsourcing of radiology is unsustainable and the resulting costs are spiraling out of control,” said Dr Stephen Harden, president of the RCR.

“In the short term, outsourcing can help manage diagnostic delays, but it cannot be a long-term solution to workforce shortages. Clinical radiologists play a critical role in making most diagnoses, but the growing demand for tests is beyond our capacity.”

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) acknowledged radiology services were under increasing pressure, but said the next NHS workforce plan would provide the necessary staff.

Harden urged ministers and NHS chiefs to strengthen the radiology workforce by creating more training posts in the profession. There are currently 11 candidates for each training position.

“Ignoring this call and continuing to spend heavily on outsourcing would be a short-sighted approach, would not be the best use of NHS funds and would not be in the best interests of patients,” he said.

The NHS could become permanently reliant on private companies to read analyses, the Center for Health and public interest think tank has said.

Its director, David Rowland, said: “The use of private teleradiology companies to read NHS exams is growing rapidly. History shows that once the government hands these roles over to the private sector, they remain in private hands, depriving NHS hospitals of income and revenue and removing the opportunity to train the next generation of NHS staff.”

“The risk is that the NHS becomes entirely dependent on private companies for this critical function, whose only concern is the bottom line. »

A DHSC spokesperson said: “We recognize the pressures facing radiology departments and that demand for diagnostic imaging has increased significantly in recent years.

“Despite this, the NHS carried out 30 million diagnostic tests in the last year alone, and compared to the previous 12 months, 95,000 more patients were diagnosed with cancer or given the all clear within 28 days.

“But we know there is still more to do, which is why this government will publish a 10-year workforce plan to help transform the health service in England. This will ensure we have the right staff in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need them.”