Concern over decades-old MRI scanners and X-ray machines in Scottish hospitals

Patients in Scotland are having to rely on MRI scanners and X-ray machines that are decades old, it has emerged.

Figures obtained by Scottish Labour through Freedom of Information legislation show NHS Grampian is using an MRI scanner which is 15 years old, while one of its X-ray machines is 27 years old.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has an MRI scanner and CT scanner that are 18 and 19 years old respectively.

The Society of Radiographers expressed concern at the findings | Jeff Moore/PA

In total, NHSGGC has six MRI scanners that are more than a decade old, including three more than 15 years old, and 26 X-ray machines that are more than a decade old, including 21 more than 15 years old.

NHS Tayside has an MRI scanner and CT scanner and two X-ray machines that are more than 15 years old.

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, which represents the radiography workforce across NHS Scotland, expressed concern at the findings.

Charlotte Beardmore, its executive director of professional policy, said: “Our members in Scotland frequently express the urgent need for new equipment.

“The widely accepted benchmark age at which equipment should be replaced is 10 years. 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.”

An independent report to NHS bosses in England previously recommended that CT and MRI machines over 10 years old should be replaced.

In 2023, it was reported that four in ten NHS hospitals in England were using outdated equipment, including a 37-year-old X-ray machine in Bedfordshire and a 27-year-old machine at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay trust.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The 2025/26 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.”

Last year, it emerged the cost of the maintenance backlog in Scotland’s NHS had risen to more than £1.3 billion.

Data released following a freedom of information request from the Scottish Conservatives showed it would take £1.335 billion to clear the maintenance waiting list. This was an increase from £1.1 billion at the end of 2022, according to a report by Audit Scotland.