wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_355
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_355

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of (a) available beds and (b) diagnostic equipment such as scanners per patient in hospitals across England. \p Karin Smyth: Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working to expand urgent care capacity through neighbourhood health services and virtual wards, enabling patients to receive care closer to home where clinically appropriate and easing pressure on hospitals. In addition, investment in digital tools will improve patient flow and further reduce reliance on inpatient beds. We are also working to develop stronger partnerships between the National Health Service and social care to ensure that patients receive the services they need to support timely and effective hospital discharge and to prevent avoidable hospital admissions.

The Department is also committed to increasing the number of surgical hubs, which will increase ringfenced elective capacity, providing greater protection from urgent and emergency care, improving outcomes for patients, and reducing pressures on hospitals. There are currently 123 surgical hubs operational across England.

At a local level, decisions regarding the opening of additional beds to manage pressures are made by individual NHS trusts, in accordance with their operational requirements. The Department does not direct these decisions centrally.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the 18-week constitutional standard by the end of this Parliament, including transforming and expand diagnostic services.

We are expanding diagnostic services, including investing in new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scanners in hospitals and community diagnostic centres (CDCs), as well as replacing some of the oldest CT and MRI scanners in the NHS estate. We have confirmed 13 new state-of-the-art DEXA scanners to support better bone care, delivering on the Government’s commitment in the Elective Reform Plan. These will allow for an extra 29,000 bone scans per year, benefitting tens of thousands of patients.

This is backed as part of the 2025 Spending Review, which confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective, and urgent care capacity. This includes £600 million in capital funding for diagnostics in 2025/26 to support delivery of the NHS performance standards. Further details and allocations will be set out in due course.

We are also supporting the NHS to maximise existing diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including extending the hours CDCs are open. In August 2025, we announced that 100 CDCs were delivering much needed checks, tests, and scans 12 hours a day, seven days a week. These will reduce overall waiting times for treatment. Alongside this, NHS England is working to ensure MRI acceleration software is being rolled out across MRI scanners, including upgrading old scanners which are unable to utilise this new software and technology.