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Written question asked by Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 24 March 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 26 March 2026. It was answered by Sharon Hodgson (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 April 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Heart Diseases: Tomography

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to computed tomography coronary angiogram machines, including to increase the number of successful heart transplants.

Answer

The Government is committed to expanding access to diagnostic imaging, including computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA), through investment in new and expanded community diagnostic centres and wider imaging capacity.

Improved access to CTCA supports earlier and more accurate diagnosis of coronary artery disease and can contribute to pre-transplant assessment. In the context of heart donation, CTCA may be used selectively to assess donor heart suitability, particularly in higher-risk donors. NHS Blood and Transplant is currently progressing work to improve access to CTCA in selected donors to support safe decision-making and potentially improve organ utilisation.

The Government continues to prioritise and support access to computed tomography scanning services. Through ongoing capital investment in computed tomography assets, we have seen an 11% increase in the total number of computed tomography scanners recorded across the country, from March 2023 to March 2025. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostic-imaging-dataset/national-imaging-data-collection/

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
123411
Session
2024-26
Subjects
ICT Heart diseases Transplant surgery Tomography
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk