Scottish health boards still relying on scanners from 28 years ago

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request has revealed that Scottish NHS boards are relying on more than 100 pieces of diagnostic equipment which are more than a decade old including X-ray machines which date back to the 1990s.

Among the 13 health boards who responded there are 329 X-ray machines, CT and MRI scanners, of which almost a third are more than a decade old (106).

This comes despite medical advice suggesting that such devices should be replaced every ten years to ensure they continue to operate reliably and produce clear images.  

The oldest was an X-ray machine owned by NHS Highland that is a staggering 28 years old, followed by 25 years in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and 22 years in NHS Tayside. The age of the oldest CT scanner was 16 years and the oldest MRI scanner was 15 years old, both in Greater Glasgow & Clyde.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

“Every Scot will likely know someone whose lives have been affected by cancer or other conditions whose treatment depends on diagnostic devices such as these.

"It beggars belief that NHS staff are having to rely on results from decades-old hospital scanners, machinery that may have been built before they were even born.

“Understaffed and exhausted NHS staff are being pushed to breaking point.

“The Scottish Government must give hospitals the capital funding they need to invest in newer equipment, so patients can get the first-class treatment they deserve.”