HC Deb 21 April 2004 vol 420 cc555-6W
Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken towards ensuring that there is a magnetic resonance imaging scanner on site at every major hospital trust in England. [165346]

Miss Melanie Johnson

After decades of underinvestment, there has been an unprecedented level of central capital funding provided to purchase magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners since 2000, first through the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) and now through central Department of Health capital. These programmes are providing over 160 new MRI scanners from 2000 to 2006, resulting in a 150 per cent. increase in the number of MRI scanners available to the national health service since 1997.

Once the central programmes have been completed in 2006, all large acute and/or teaching NHS hospital trusts will have MRI on at least one hospital site.

The allocation of new MRI scanners has been agreed in conjunction with strategic health authorities. Allocations have been made to ensure equitable access to MRI services across the country.

Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government have spent in each of the last five years on(a) procurement of new magnetic resonance imaging scanners and (b) training staff to operate them; and what the projected expenditure is in each of the next five years. [165348]

Miss Melanie Johnson

From 1999 to 2004, approximately £38.5 million was spent in providing 57 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners via the New Opportunities Fund.

In 2003–04, approximately £33.5 million of Department of Health cancer capital was spent in providing new and replacement MRI scanners.

It is estimated that departmental cancer capital spending on MRI in 2004–05 will be approximately £46 million and in 2004–05 will be approximately £30 million.

The projected expenditure on MRI beyond 2005–06 is not known at this stage, although, on 8 April 2004, the Department launched a procurement from the private sector to provide an extra 80,000 mobile MRI scans per year for the national health service for five years.

Initial applications training for the use of new MRI equipment is included in the capital cost of that equipment and has therefore been provided to all NHS trusts in the central procurement programmes. Further training requirements will vary from center to center and are the responsibility of local NHS institutions.