MRI and CT scans cancelled at Glasgow Royal Infirmary due to staff check failure

All MRI and CT scans at Glasgow Royal Infirmary were cancelled for four days because staff had not completed legally required background checks.

The services were suspended between Thursday, January 15, and Monday, January 19, after it emerged that radiography staff employed by a private contractor did not hold valid Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) certification.

PVG is a legal requirement in Scotland for anyone working in regulated roles with children or protected adults.

The scheme, run by Disclosure Scotland, is designed to prevent individuals deemed unsuitable from working with vulnerable groups.

Although staff reportedly held equivalent English Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance, this does not replace the requirement for Scottish PVG membership.

Following government intervention, the outstanding PVG checks were fast-tracked, allowing scanning services to resume on January 20.

MRI and CT scans are critical diagnostic tools used to rapidly identify life-threatening conditions, including cancer, heart disease, major trauma, stroke, internal bleeding, pulmonary embolisms and aortic dissection.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) confirmed that appointments were postponed due to a national staffing issue.

A spokesperson said: “Due to a national supplier issue, some imaging appointments were postponed, and we apologise to anyone who was affected.

“This issue was resolved on Monday (January 19), and any patients impacted have now been scanned or had their appointment rescheduled within the next two to three weeks.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “As soon as we were made aware of an issue, we worked with Disclosure Scotland to prioritise the applications concerned. The issue was resolved quickly, with all scanning services fully resuming on Tuesday, January 20.

“We have been advised that all appointments cancelled last weekend have now been rescheduled by health boards.

“Staff working on the mobile MRI scanners had Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks in place.”