X-RAY machines from the 1980s are still being used in hospitals, a shock survey shows.
They are among hundreds of decades-old scanners — despite rules saying they should all be upgraded every ten years.
Science Photo LibraryThe NHS is using machines from the 1980s, a shock survey reveals[/caption]
An investigation found 541 X-ray, CT and MRI machines that are out of date, with four in ten hospitals running at least one.
Repair bills over three years have topped £20million.
The Lib Dems’ study even pinpointed a 37-year-old X-ray machine used by Bedfordshire Hospitals.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: “It beggars belief that NHS staff are having to rely on results from decades-old hospital scanners.
“In some cases the machinery may have been built before they were even born.
“The potential for error from poor quality machines doesn’t bear thinking about.”
The Department of Health insisted: “We are investing record sums.”