Helen welcomes plans to tackle hospital scan backlog

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has welcomed plans to drastically cut the amount of time patients are having to wait for scan results in Shropshire.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust (SaTH) is targeting urgent CT scan turnaround times to be down to two weeks by Christmas. This comes as a step forward in tackling the long delays faced by patients in need of vital diagnostic tests across the county.

The update follows Helen’s ongoing campaign to highlight the unacceptable delays for both CT and MRI scans. In November, she raised the issue during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), where she revealed to the House of Commons that Shropshire has the worst record in the country for CT and MRI scan results.

NHS statistics show that one in three people referred by their GP for an MRI, CT or X-ray scan at SaTH are having to wait more than a month for their results.

The issue is affecting both people waiting for a diagnosis and those already undergoing treatment for serious conditions like cancer.

Helen has on several occasions highlighted harrowing cases of constituents waiting far too long for results to Ministers and local health bosses. These delays in some instances risked delaying crucial treatment for life-threatening conditions.

In response to Helen’s campaign, the Interim Chief Executive Officer of SaTH confirmed in a letter to Helen that urgent CT scans are expected to see a significant improvement by Christmas, with turnaround times set to hit the two-week target. The Trust also outlined that the full backlog of both urgent and routine CT scans is on track to be cleared by the end of January 2025, with MRI reporting expected to be fully recovered by March 2025.

Helen will be monitoring progress closely, as some patients are still being warned that their results could take months instead of weeks.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said, “Noone should have to endure the mental and physical toll of waiting weeks or even months for the results of a scan.

“These tests are often the first step in accessing treatment, and delays risk making health outcomes far worse while causing added stress and anxiety. I’ve raised this issue in Parliament and with local health bosses repeatedly, and so I am glad the Trust has now set out a plan to address this backlog.

“However, while progress is being made, this must be the start of a sustained improvement. Clearing the backlog and hitting the two-week target for urgent scans is crucial, but we must ensure this progress is maintained in the long term. Local people deserve an NHS that works for them and delivers timely, high-quality care.”

The letter from the Trust also confirmed that some radiology reporting is being outsourced to external providers, such as Everlight Radiology in Australia, to help manage demand and speed up the reporting process.

Helen added, “Outsourcing is playing an important role in addressing the current crisis, but this is not a long-term solution. The government must invest properly in training and recruiting the NHS workforce we need to keep up with demand. For too long, services have been underfunded and under-resourced, and it is patients who pay the price.

“I will continue to push for further improvements and hold the Trust and the government to account until we see an NHS in Shropshire that patients can rely on.”