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Screening: Private Sector

Volume 467: debated on Monday 19 November 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of diagnostic scans in the NHS were carried out by private healthcare companies in the last year for which figures are available. (163403)

The Department does not hold the requested data in this format.

The Department does collect data on the volume of some diagnostic scans carried out in the national health service. Data for the number of echocardiography, computer tomography (CT), DEXA scan, barium enema, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and non-obstetric ultrasound (NOU) carried out in the national health service between September 2006 and August 2007 are shown in the following table.

Diagnostic test

Total diagnostic activity (this includes planned activity)

MRI

1,196,392

CT

2,305,584

NOU

3,920,621

Barium enema

166,986

DEXA Scan

224,467

Cardiology - echocardiography

774,033

Source: Department of Health Monthly Diagnostics

Through the Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTC) programme, which is centrally led by the Department's Commercial Directorate, over 372,000 diagnostic episodes have been delivered to NHS patients at the end of September 2007. The above figure includes diagnostic episodes delivered to NHS patients through operational Wave 1 and Phase 2 schemes and the MRI fast-track contract.

It is not possible to identify the volume of diagnostic scans carried out by private healthcare companies purchased locally by the NHS.