The Royal College of Radiologists told BBC Wales that NHS Wales currently has 88 fewer radiologists than it needs, a 28% shortfall, and that for the first time the college has reported some patients' conditions deteriorating while they wait for diagnostic scans and tests¹.

Radiologists are doctors who use medical images to diagnose and manage disease. BBC Wales said cancer patients it interviewed warned that delays in scans could affect whether disease is caught in time¹.

North and west Wales are among the worst-affected areas in the UK, with a 42% shortfall in consultant radiologists compared with 22% in south Wales, according to the college's 2025 clinical radiology census as reported by BBC Wales¹. In 2024, the radiology workforce in Wales grew by 1.1%, below a UK average of 5% cited in the same report¹.

Dr Owen Nicholas, a consultant oncologist in Swansea and chair of the college's Welsh committee, said: "It is not getting better and the patients are now getting affected"¹.

Beverly Scott, first diagnosed with ovarian and peritoneal cancer 14 years ago, told BBC Wales that ongoing treatment has kept her condition stable but that delayed scans could let disease spread unnoticed. Karen Jones, another member of a Gwynedd cancer support group, described waiting for scan results as leaving patients in limbo¹.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, covering one of the areas most affected, said recruitment was ongoing and that, despite a substantial increase in demand for scans, reporting times had improved¹. Clara Day, its executive medical director, said the figures can be very worrying for patients and that the board was actively recruiting in radiology and oncology and strengthening links with the North Wales Medical School¹.

Not medical advice.

Sources

1. BBCCancer patients 'deteriorating' due to staff shortages, radiologists warn9:49 AM

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