News » Political News » Labour pledges £171m for secondary care IT
October 10th 2023
Better IT equipment for secondary care forms the centre of Labour’s £171 million ‘Fit For The Future Fund’ announced at the 2023 Labour party conference this week.
The fund aims to double the number of CT and MRI scanners in the NHS over a parliament and upgrade IT systems. The fund will be paid for by abolishing non-dom tax status, which allows people who live and work in Britain to pay their taxes overseas.
The party will streamline procurement and cut unnecessary red tape to give innovators a clear route to getting their products rolled out across the NHS, giving patients faster access to cutting edge treatments and diagnostics.
Freedom of information responses from NHS trusts reveal that half (48 per cent) still have an MRI or CT scanner in operation past the recommended life span of 10 years. Labour says that there are currently 1.6 million people waiting for diagnostic scans and tests in England.
The party also describes computers using Windows XP and Windows 7 operating systems as highly vulnerable to cyber-attack.
