Decades-old scanners still being used by the NHS

NHS medics are being forced to use MRI scanners and X-ray machines that are decades old, raising fears for patient safety.
New figures show one health board is using an MRI scanner which is 15 years old, while one of its X-ray machines is 27 years old.
Experts say hospital machines should be replaced every 10 years, sparking fears patients are being put at risk by the ageing equipment.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has an MRI scanner and CT scanner that are 18 and 19 years old respectively.
In total, Glasgow's health board has six MRI scanners that are more than a decade old, including three more than 15 years old, and 26 X-ray machines that are more than a decade old, including 21 more than 15 years old.
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Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie urged the SNP government to provide funds to replace the old machines.
She said: "Under the incompetent SNP our crumbling NHS is unrecognisable from the mid-2000s, when patients could walk in the door expecting to be seen.
"The UK Labour Government delivered a record Budget settlement to Scotland - the SNP must ensure that hospitals are able to invest in the latest technology to reduce waiting times and ensure that patients get the quick and accurate diagnoses they need."
The Society of Radiographers also expressed concern over some of the machines being used.
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Executive director Charlotte Beardmore said: "Our members in Scotland frequently express the urgent need for new equipment.
"The widely accepted benchmark age at which equipment should be replaced is 10 years. Older equipment is unreliable, requires expensive maintenance, is often operationally slower and delivers a higher radiation dose to the population than more up-to-date devices."
According to the f...