North and West Wales faces 42% radiologist shortfall as new census reveals Wales worst for patient harm
Wales is the only part of the UK where every radiology department leader has seen patients’ conditions worsen because of staff shortages, according to the Royal College of Radiologists’ annual workforce census.
The census, which received responses from all radiology departments across the UK, found that North and West Wales has a 42% shortfall of consultant radiologists, nearly double the 22% shortfall recorded in South Wales.
Patients in North and West Wales have access to 6.5 radiologists per 100,000 people, compared with 12.5 per 100,000 in South Wales.
Across the UK, 79% of radiology department leaders reported knowing of patients whose conditions had worsened because of delays caused by staff shortages. In Wales, that figure was 100%.
The census also found that over half of Welsh health boards experienced a recruitment freeze in 2025, the highest proportion of any UK nation.
Wales’ overall consultant shortfall stands at 28%, against a UK-wide figure of 32%. The disparity within Wales is stark: North and West Wales at 42% sits among the highest regional shortfalls anywhere in the UK.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board covers North Wales. The health board has been in special measures since 2023.
The report also found that Wales has just one interventional neuroradiology service, which is not available around the clock, leaving patients outside Cardiff and South East Wales with a large gap in access to this specialist care. Interventional neuroradiology covers treatments including emergency stroke procedures where delays can result in permanent disability.
All Welsh radiology department leaders told the census that interventional radiology procedures had been delayed or cancelled in their departments due to staff shortages.
Natasha Asghar MS, Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care, said: “These findings from an authoritative Royal College paint an alarming picture of cancer services in the Welsh NHS.”
“Patients are already waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment and this report confirms that workforce shortages are now putting people’s lives at risk.”
“It is completely unacceptable that North Wales and West Wales have some of the worst shortages of radiologists in the UK. Behind every delayed scan is a patient anxiously waiting for answers and, in some cases, facing a worse outcome because their diagnosis or treatment have been delayed.”
“Alarm bells should be ringing at Welsh Government HQ, and the new Health Minister must now bring forward an urgent workforce plan to recruit, train and retain radiologists and oncologists, to radically improve services for patients.”
Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, was asked to respond.
The Royal College of Radiologists census is published annually and in 2025 received a 100% response rate from Clinical Directors across the UK.
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