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NHS Tayside still using decades old MRI and X-ray scanners

The oldest X-ray machine still in use by NHS Tayside is 20-years-old, it has been revealed.

NHS Tayside old scanners
The oldest X-ray machine in use by NHS Tayside is 20 years old. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson.

NHS Tayside is relying on decades old X-ray machines and MRI scanners despite a recommendation they are retired after 10 years.

Scottish Labour has revealed the scale of potentially dated medical equipment in use throughout the health service.

Figures obtained by the party through freedom of information legislation show NHS Tayside is using a 16-year-old MRI scanner and a separate CT machine of the same age.

One of its X-ray machines is 20 years old, the data revealed. Of the 20 in use by the health board, two are over 15 years old.

Ninewells Hospital, NHS Tayside, Dundee
A report recently recommend scanners are retired after 10 years. Image: Kris Miller/DC Thomson.

It was not confirmed which hospitals the equipment is in use.

Of the four CT scanners in use by Tayside medics, three are over 10 years old.

The use of aging equipment comes despite a report from NHS England recommending that all imaging equipment aged over 10 years should be replaced.

Fife faired slightly better. The oldest MRI scanner in use in the Kingdom is four years old, while the most dated CT scanner is eight years old.

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie. Image: Andrew Crawley/DC Thomson.

‘Crumbling’ NHS

Around eight of the X-ray machines in use are over a decade old, with the oldest in use for 12 years so far.

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Dame Jackie Baillie said: “Patients might be forgiven for thinking they’re in the Scottish remake of Back To The Future when they learn how old the machines providing vital medical information actually are.

“Sadly, under the incompetent SNP our crumbling NHS is otherwise unrecognisable from the mid-2000s when patients could walk in the door expecting to be seen.

“The UK Labour Government delivered a record budget settlement to Scotland – the SNP must ensure that hospitals are able to invest in the latest technology to reduce waiting times and ensure that patients get the quick and accurate diagnoses they need.”

The Society of Radiographers (SoR) has also expressed concern over the age of some of the diagnostic imaging equipment being used in Scottish hospitals.

Charlotte Beardmore, SoR executive director of professional policy, said: “Older equipment is unreliable, requires expensive maintenance, is often operationally slower and delivers a higher radiation dose to the population than more up-to-date devices.

“More modern equipment also provides enhanced images and is installed with AI and assistive technology, which reduces imaging time and delivers a better experience and outcomes for all patients.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The 2025-2026 Scottish Budget provides a record £21 billion for health and social care, including £16.2 billion for NHS boards to deliver key services and £200 million to help reduce waiting times and improve capacity.”

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