The U.K. Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) has broadly welcomed the overarching new long-term plan by the National Health Service in England (NHS England) aimed at improving the health of the nation, but it emphasized that achieving the initiative's goals will depend completely on resourcing and staffing across the health service.
In its plan announced on 7 January, NHS England unveiled a technology and digital agenda intended to provide patients with an array of services that will help them take a proactive approach to monitoring their well-being and better manage their own healthcare. RCR President Dr. Nicola Strickland said that the RCR was pleased that the plan features a strong emphasis on cancer detection, with the introduction of dated targets for diagnostic turnaround and early diagnosis -- coupled with some acknowledgement from NHS England that diagnostic capacity is currently lacking.
"The new 28-day referral-to-diagnosis standard due to be introduced next year ought to be a good way of reducing anxiety for patients waiting for test results and speeding up diagnosis," Strickland said in a statement issued on 8 January. "However, cancer waiting time targets are routinely missed because we don't have enough radiologists, pathologists, [general practitioners], endoscopists, and other diagnosticians, so it's hard to see how we can meet an enhanced cancer target without more staff resources."
The RCR is delighted, however, that the plan clearly addresses the need for scanning equipment and is eagerly awaiting more detail about timelines for provision. While the plan mentions maximizing efficiencies and capital in radiology and radiotherapy provision, it frustratingly fails to recognize that the much-needed networking of radiotherapy care and image sharing across hospitals urgently require sustainable investment programs for both treatment and diagnostic imaging machines, as well as IT connectivity, she said.
"On stroke care, we are pleased to see NHS England support work by the RCR and specialist colleagues to train more consultants in life-saving mechanical thrombectomy," Strickland said. "Despite this, without more interventional radiologists, we simply will not be able to meet the mooted aim to treat 10 times more stroke patients within the next three years."
Strickland said it's a relief to see that NHS England has given prominence to the need for realistic workforce planning, which -- like vital scanner upgrades -- will be dictated by the forthcoming spending review. The RCR looks forward to inputting into the proposed national workforce group, she said.
"With chronic shortages across our specialties, we can but look ahead and hope our NHS receives the crucial funding it needs to staff and equip the service and realize the laudable ambitions of the Long Term Plan," she said.
![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnieeurope.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop&h=100&q=70&w=100)
![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnieeurope.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
