Data suggests that the NHS sends out tens of thousands of X-rays abroad each year due to a shortage in radiologists.
Around 14% of medical scans currently are outsourced to overseas locations, including New Zealand and Australia.
It is almost triple what was shipped overseas six years ago when 5% of all scans for patients were done this way.
An estimated 2million Xrays are taken annually by NHS facilities, along with 800,000 ultrasounds. 300,000 MRI scans are also performed at NHS sites.
Dr William Ramsden, vice-president for clinical radiology at the Royal College of Radiology (RCR), told the Financial Times private-sector involvement was vital to meeting the NHS’s immediate demands.
He warned that a greater outsourcing of radiologists to outside suppliers will not solve the problem.
According to the RCR, there are approximately one in three vacant posts for full-time consultants clinical radiologists across Britain.
In comparison to European countries, the UK employs about one-third fewer radiologists per 100,000 people. EU countries average 12.8 radiologists per 100,000 while the UK is at 8.6. Wales has the worst shortages
The UK has many variations in how many radiologists are available. London, parts of Scotland and the East Midlands perform better than Wales or East Midlands. However, no UK region is able to achieve the European average.
If the current staffing problems are not addressed the college estimates radiologist vacancies will grow to 3,600, equivalent to nearly half of all positions.
LEK Consulting, an advisor to so called ‘teleradiology’ providers, told the FT the 14 per cent figure rose as high as 80 per cent for out-of-hours services, including for emergency scans when people attend A&E.
Not only are scans important for emergencies, but they can also be used to detect and treat conditions like strokes and cancer.
The UK’s radiologists are less than average, according to data. This is in comparison with European neighbours.
EU countries have an average of 12.8 radiologists to every 100,000 people. The UK, however, has 8.6.
According to Cancer Research UK, staff shortages can have a direct effect on patients’ chances of survival.
CRUK stated that, before the pandemic in England, approximately 115,000 people with cancer are being diagnosed too late for them to have the best chance of survival.
According to the charity, Britain was ‘at the bottom’ or ‘near the bottom’ in a league of similar countries in terms of survival rates of multiple cancers over the past five years.
According to the RCR, 91 per cent of NHS trusts and health boards in the UK outsourced scans to an independent sector company in 2020 to the cost of £128million.
This represents a 58% increase over the amount of money that was spent on outsourcing in 2018.
Eilert Hinrichs of LEK Consulting said that teleradiology might help to address these shortfalls. Radiologists and patients no longer need to meet at the same place.
He said, “It offers speed and quality and could solve the capacity shortfall.”
Today the Government announced the NHS will £248million over the next year to improve technology in order to improve its record waiting list.
The Department of Health and Social Care will reform digital diagnostics services in the NHS. This is to make it easier to share images and tests between hospitals, labs, and GP surgery.
The NHS is a long-standing tech laggard. Staff have complained about the inefficiency of trying to log into outdated computer systems, and fax machines are still used by the NHS.
Due to a lack of expertise in Britain, more scans from UK patients are sent abroad.
In July, the number of people waiting to be treated in hospitals for routine care hit 5.6 million. This is the highest level since 2007. Health chiefs warn that the backlog will only get worse if it is not addressed. They project it could rise to 13 million by the end the year, if it isn’t.
More than 5,000 people waited more than 12 hours in A&E before being seen by a doctor in September, a record high
According to the Government, its investment in new technology will improve diagnosis and treatment times.
The new system will allow X-ray specialists to remotely review high-resolution images 24 hours per day, without the need to travel to an imaging lab.
Sajid Javid (Health Secretary) said funding would help to ‘drive up efficiency in the NHS.
“Today’s multimillion pound investment in diagnostics will play a major role in levelling out services throughout the country so that patients can receive faster results and healthcare workers can get their work done more easily. It reduces administrative burden and makes every taxpayer’s dollar count,” he stated.