80s tech still used by NHS

Safety fears over creaking kit on wards

- LIZZY BUCHAN

NHS hospitals are being forced to rely on outdated X-ray machines, CT scanners and radiotherapy equipment, with some kit dating to the 1980s.

According to freedom of information data from 69 NHS hospital trusts, 541 pieces of critical diagnostic equipment are more than a decade old.

NHS England advises that CT and MRI scanners - which provide snapshots of tumors and joint injuries - and X-ray machines should be replaced every ten years.

But an X-ray machine owned by Bedfordshire Hospitals Trust is a staggering 37 years old.

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay had X-ray equipment bought 27 years ago, and Royal Cornwall Hospitals and Hampshire Hospitals both reported having 26-year-old devices.