Patients across England are benefiting from faster cancer diagnoses after one million more scans were delivered thanks to new scanners and artificial intelligence technology, the government has announced. NHS England data published on Tuesday 3 November shows that, from March 2024 to March 2026, the number of CT and MRI scanners in the NHS increased by 125, giving doctors greater capacity to diagnose cancer and other serious conditions earlier and get patients into treatment sooner.

CT and MRI scanners are a vital part of diagnosing cancers including lung, brain, breast and prostate cancer. The expansion comes as each month in 2026 so far has set an NHS monthly record for diagnostic activity, with the diagnostic waiting list having fallen in three of the five months since April.

Where the new scanners went

Most of the new machines added since March 2024 — 107 of 125 — have gone into community diagnostic centres, which carried out nearly 2.2 million CT and MRI scans in the 12 months up to March 2026, an extra million compared with the 12 months up to March 2024. The new £19.2 million Manchester and Trafford Community Diagnostic Centre, which officially opened on Thursday 29 October, will further expand access to tests and scans closer to home.

AI helping scanners work faster

AI-powered MRI technology is being introduced across the NHS, helping services carry out on average 14 per cent more scans while maintaining image quality. Minister of State for Health Karin Smyth said the 125 new scanners and the rollout of AI technology are helping deliver around a million extra scans every year, while the new Manchester and Trafford centre will allow people to get checked quickly and conveniently in the community.

Sources: GOV.UK and Brit Brief.