RCR welcomes Scottish Labour pledge to deliver AI hospital scanners
RCR welcomes Scottish Labour pledge to deliver AI hospital scanners
On Tuesday 17th March 2026, Scottish Labour announced that a Scottish Labour government would roll out new AI-enabled scanners and expand the diagnostic workforce in a bid to improve Scotland’s diagnostic services.
Responding to the announcement, Dr Stephen Harden, President of the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), said:
“We welcome Scottish Labour's commitment to replace old, slow, breakdown-prone scanners with state-of-the-art equipment to help patients get vital scans faster.
Demand for diagnostics is rising, and faster scanning will increase pressure on overstretched radiology departments. So, we welcome the pledge to address the need for more radiologists.
These measures, if enacted, would help to reduce the agonising waits patients face to get a diagnosis.”
Notes to editors
- Media contact: [email protected] 02038054065
- The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) is the leading professional membership body for clinical radiologists and clinical oncologists
- Clinical radiologists are specialist doctors who use imaging to diagnose, monitor and treat diseases and injuries
- Clinical oncologists are specialist doctors who manage cancer and prescribe radiotherapy and drug-based treatments
- Throughout 2025, most patients in Scotland waited more than 6 weeks to have a CT or MRI scan, despite an interim target for 95% of radiology referrals to be seen within 6 weeks by March 2026. The national standard is that no patient should wait longer than 6 weeks for a diagnostic test, including CT and MRI scans.
- The total number of people waiting for CT and MRI scans has increased by 64% over the past five years.
- Rising demand for complex scans is outstripping the workforce needed to interpret them. In 2025, 430,000 CT and MRI scans were carried out in Scotland – 6% more than in 2024. Over a comparable period, the number of clinical radiologists in Scotland only grew by 3%.