Scottish patients having to rely on decades-old equipment at hospitals

There are at least 99 X-Ray machines, 12 MRI scanners and eight CT scanners still being used in Scottish hospitals which are over 10 years old.

Scottish patients are having to rely on X-Ray machines, MRI scanners and CT scanners which are decades old.

Freedom of Information Requests by Scottish labour have shown that there are at least 99 X-Ray scanners still being used in Scottish hospitals which are over 10 years old. Some 54 of these are more than 15 years old.

There are also 12 MRI scanners and eight CT scanners which are over a decade old.

The Society of Radiographers said: “The widely accepted benchmark age at which equipment should be replaced is 10 years."

Scottish Labour’s Health Spokesperson 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.”

NHS Grampian is using the oldest piece of equipment, with an X-Ray machine that is 27 years old.

Some 23 of its 30 X-Ray machines are over a decade old, with 13 over 15 years old.

It has one MRI scanner which is 15 years old and a CT scanner which is 14 years old.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has a MRI scanner and CT scanner that are 18 years old and 19 years old respectively.

In total it has six MRI Scanners that were more than a decade old, including three that are more than 15 years old. It also has 26 X-ray machines that are over a decade old, including 21 that are more than 15 years old. Its oldest machine is 42 years old.

NHS Tayside also had an MRI Scanner and CT Scanner and two X-Ray machines that were more than 15 years old. This was mostly due to old X-Ray machines.

NHS Lanarkshire has two CT scanners and two X-Ray machines which are more than a decade old.

NHS Lothian had a whopping 18 X-ray machines which are over a decade old, including eight which are more than 15 years old. Its oldest machine was 21. It has one CT and three MRI scanners which are over a decade old.

NHS Highland has 10 X-Ray machines which are more than a decade old, eight of which are more than 15. Its oldest machine is 24.

Only two health boards - NHS Borders and NHS Orkney - has no X-Ray machines, MRI scanners or CT scanners which are more than a decade old.

Ayrshire and Arran, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Highland, Shetland and the Western Isles had no MRI or CT scanners which were older than 10 years.

Ayrshire and Arran had four X-Ray machines over a decade old, with one which was 17.

Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, and Shetland all only had one which was older than 10 years. Western Isles had eight machines which were over a decade old.

An independent report to NHS bosses in England in 2020 recommended that CT and MRI machines that are over 10 years old should be retired.

The Society of Radiographers, which represents radiography workers across NHS Scotland, said new gear "reduces imaging time and delivers a better experience and outcomes for all patients".

Executive director of professional policy Charlotte Beardmore 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.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said:

“The 2025-2026 Scottish Budget provides a record £21 billion for Health & 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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