State of the wait
A major reason for this backlog is workforce shortages. In England, we have a 31% shortfall of clinical radiologists; projected to rise to 41% in five years' time, which means growing waiting times for patients who need a timely diagnosis. This is why we're calling on the government to prioritise the workforce by adopting our three-point plan to 'recruit, train and retain' the doctors we urgently need.
For further detail on our workforce recommendations, read our clinical radiology census report.
Please share these figures on social media with #StateOfTheWait.
We'll update these figures monthly, on the first Thursday of every month. If you would like to discuss the results, please contact the RCR's External Affairs Team on: [email protected].
The NHS in England would have to employ more diagnostic radiology consultants overnight in order to clear the 6 week wait for CT and MRI scans in one month.* The figures below indicate how many more consultants would be needed to reduce the gap.
*This is calculated based on CT scans and MRI scans taking an average 15 and 20 minutes respectively to report.
State of the wait: Diagnostic Imaging (CT and MRI waits)
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
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