Preliminary data from the U.K. Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) annual workforce census highlight the impact of hiring bans on radiologists and cancer doctors.
According to the RCR, the number of National Health Service (NHS) radiology departments and cancer facilities that are unable to hire consultants due to recruitment freezes has doubled in a year. This trend persists despite chronic shortages of these doctors causing widespread delays in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
In 2025, 36% of radiology departments experienced a freeze on hiring radiologists compared with 19% in 2024, it stated.
Of the departments, 15% had an ongoing freeze on new radiology posts only, 12% had an ongoing freeze on all radiology recruitment, and 8% had been subject to a radiology hiring freeze.
Also, 51% of cancer centers in 2024 experienced a recruitment freeze on hiring cancer doctors compared to 23% in 2024.
In 2024, the RCR found the U.K. was short of 1,953 radiologists and nearly 193 clinical oncologists needed just to meet current demand.
The RCR said these trends undermine government ambitions to address backlogs and delays in diagnosis and cancer treatment. It also stated that recruitment freezes are a "false economy," with rising demand leading medical teams to rely on expensive alternative measures to fill hiring gaps.
