Outdated, Failing and in Short Supply: NHS Equipment Crisis Putting Patients at Risk

According to a recent article in The Guardian NHS England has confirmed that since 2022, equipment failures within the NHS have been responsible for:

• 87 patient deaths
• 68 patients severely harmed who suffered permanent damage or reduced life expectancy
• 522 patients moderately harmed whose independence was subsequently limited for up to 6 months

Of the 87 deaths recorded, 32% were as a result of defibrillators malfunctioning, including an incident where a defibrillator advised a paramedic to not administer a shock. A further 14% were due to issues with breathing equipment and tubing not operating as it should.

Outdated Equipment

In 2020 NHS England published an independent report addressing the renewal of diagnostic equipment. Within the report, a recommendation was made that all imaging equipment older than 10 years should be replaced. Without access to uptodate imaging diagnostics, hospitals face an increased risk when it comes to the reliability of the equipment, both in terms of its accuracy and also the increased possibility of old equipment breaking down or having faults. The report identified that there had been a marked increase of diagnostic imaging over recent years, including an 8.8% increase in CT scanning per annum and 5.6% increase in MRI scanning per annum. This surge in demand was put down to a rise in hospital attendances, more direct requests being made by GPs and wider indications for tests such as CT scanning.

Despite the advice of NHS England, research reported to have been carried out in 2023 revealed that 41 NHS Trusts had at least one x-ray machine that was over 20 years old. As recently as April 2025, Barts Health NHS Trust in London identified that aging equipment within the Trust was causing a risk of clinically significant delays in heart, lung, kidney and stem cell transplants. They further acknowledge that there is a risk of delays to patient care due to the potential breakdown of an obsolete x-ray machine.

Unless the NHS make replacing outdated equipment a priority, hospitals may face seeing a decline in their ability to promptly diagnose and treat patients.

Shortage of Equipment

Fatalities have not only arisen as a result of equipment failures within the NHS, but have also been linked to equipment shortages.

In 2024 a Coroner issued a prevention of future death report after an inquest found that a supply shortage of a specific aortic cannula was a contributing factor in the death of a 66-year-old patient undergoing a coronary artery bypass procedure.

The preferred aortic cannula of the operating surgeon was unavailable due to supply issues, and as a result, a cannula with a shorter tip was instead used. During the surgery the cannula became dislodged, leading to a prolonged period of interrupted blood flow to the patient’s brain, resulting in the patient suffering from an ischaemic hypoxic brain injury, which he subsequently died from. The Coroner considered that the fact a shorter tipped cannula was used contributed to the cannula’s dislodgement and ultimately, the patient’s death. Within her report the Coroner stressed that operating surgeons are the individuals best placed to make decisions regarding the most appropriate equipment to use during a procedure; and they should not be in a position where their options are restricted due to supply issues. The Coroner drew attention to the fact that the cannula in question was a basic and inexpensive piece of equipment which is used daily in hospital settings.

This incident highlights the avoidable risk to patient safety that can arise when medical staff are forced to use sub-optimal medical equipment due to supply shortages.  

Legal claims

In some instances, it may be possible to bring a legal claim for clinical negligence where someone has been harmed as a result of problems with medical equipment. If you are concerned about your medical treatment, or that of a loved one, please do not hesitate to contact the medical negligence team here at Kingsley Napley LLP for a friendly, no-obligation discussion.