The ‘State of the wait’ is our analysis of diagnostic imaging and cancer treatment waiting times, showing how many radiologists it would take to clear the imaging backlog in England.
A major reason for this backlog is that we have a 29% shortfall of clinical radiologists. There is also a 17% shortfall of clinical oncologists, which means growing waiting times for patients who need timely treatment. This is why we’re calling on the government to make sure its workforce plan is fully-funded, and covers both long-term issues like training numbers as well as immediate issues like pensions.
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: policy@rcr.ac.uk.
State of the wait: March 2023
Diagnostic Imaging (CT and MRI waits)
Key statistic
The NHS in England would have to employ 406 more diagnostic radiology consultants overnight in order to clear the 6 week wait for CT and MRI scans in one month.*
- For context 406 CR diagnostic consultants equals an 11% increase in the current workforce.
- For comparison in pre-pandemic March 2019, it was 31 radiology consultants.
*This is calculated based on CT scans and MRI scans taking an average 15 and 20 minutes respectively to report.
State of the wait: February 2023
Diagnostic Imaging (CT and MRI waits)
Key statistic
The NHS in England would have to employ 404 more diagnostic radiology consultants overnight in order to clear the 6 week wait for CT and MRI scans in one month.*
- For context 404 CR diagnostic consultants equals a 10% increase in the current workforce.
- For comparison in February 2020, it was 40 radiology consultants.
*This is calculated based on CT scans and MRI scans taking an average 15 and 20 minutes respectively to report.
State of the wait: January 2023
Diagnostic Imaging (CT and MRI waits)
Key statistic
The NHS in England would have to employ 500 more diagnostic radiology consultants overnight in order to clear the 6 week wait for CT and MRI scans in one month.*
- For context 500 CR diagnostic consultants equals a 13% increase in the current workforce.
- For comparison in January 2020, it was 63 radiology consultants.
*This is calculated based on CT scans and MRI scans taking an average 15 and 20 minutes respectively to report.
State of the wait: December 2022
Diagnostic Imaging (CT and MRI waits)
Key statistic
The NHS in England would have to employ 480 more diagnostic radiology consultants overnight in order to clear the 6 week wait for CT and MRI scans in one month.*
- For context 480 CR diagnostic consultants is equivalent to 12% of the current workforce.
- For comparison in December 2019 it was 50 radiology consultants.
*This is calculated based on CT scans and MRI scans taking an average 15 and 20 minutes respectively to report.
State of the wait: November 2022
Diagnostic Imaging (CT and MRI waits)
Key statistic
The NHS in England would have to employ 410 more diagnostic radiology consultants overnight in order to clear the 6 week wait for CT and MRI scans in one month.*
- For context 410 CR diagnostic consultants is equivalent to 10% of the current workforce
- For comparison in November 2019 it was 36 radiology consultants.
*This is calculated based on CT scans and MRI scans taking an average 15 and 20 minutes respectively to report.
State of the wait: October 2022
Diagnostic Imaging (CT and MRI waits)
Key statistic
The NHS in England would have to employ 390 more diagnostic radiology consultants overnight in order to clear the 6 week wait for CT and MRI scans in one month.*
- For context 390 CR diagnostic consultants is equivalent to a 10% increase in the current workforce
- For comparison in October 2019 it was 34 radiology consultants.
*The number of clinical radiologists needed to clear the backlog overnight is calculated based on CT scans and MRI scans taking an average 15 and 20 minutes respectively to report.
