Expensive apparatus ‘not utilised enough’ by NHS

The NHS is in possession of a lot of high-tech and expensive machinery and equipment that it is not getting enough use from.

This is according to a report compiled by the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA), using data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act encompassing 187 NHS trusts in England.

In particular, the average usage of linear accelerators, which are used to treat cancer, was found to be 7,191 fractions annually. The National Radiotherapy Advisory Group recommends 8,000 fractions per year.

Research associate at the TPA Katherine Andrew said: “If those trusts that are lagging behind caught up just with the NHS average, it would make hundreds of thousands of extra treatment and diagnosis procedures available.”

In other NHS news this week, a report from the researchers from the University Hospital in Cardiff found that outsourcing hip operations to private companies often results in more strain on the health service, as two-thirds of procedures require further surgery due to errors.