Scottish health boards have sent nearly 400,000 radiology scans to external providers over the past three years, new data received by the Scottish Liberal Democrats shows.
Two of the 14 regional health boards in Scotland—Forth Valley and Ayrshire and Arran—were unable to provide a figure for the report.
The outsourcing comes in the midst of a severe radiologist shortage in the country termed a ‘red alert’ by The Royal College of Radiologists in Scotland.
"I am calling for the Health Minister to publish an annual report on workforce planning and lead an annual debate on it at Parliament. That would mean failings can be identified and rectified before it's too late," said Alex Cole Hamilton, Lib Dem spokesman to Planet Radio. "The body for radiologists in the Scottish NHS has warned that the profession is on the brink of collapse.”
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Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.