• Freedom of Information research by the Labour Party showed that some critical medical equipment is still being used after it is meant to be replaced.
• Labour says that in the past four years the government has taken £3.8bn out of NHS capital budgets, leaving a £5.5bn backlog in outstanding maintenance works.
• The party is calling for the government to allocate the £1.6bn that the Institute for Fiscal Studies says is needed to bring the UK into line with comparable countries for numbers of CT and MRI scanners.

Responding to Labour’s Freedom of Information figures on old medical equipment, NHS Providers head of analyis, Phillippa Hentsch, said:

"We know that in recent years, funding to maintain and develop NHS buildings and equipment has been used to prop up day to day NHS spending.

"This approach simply stores up problems for the future.

It’s not just a concern for hospitals but is also a major problem for mental health, community and ambulance services as well

"Not only are we seeing a growing maintenance backlog, but the proportion deemed 'high' and 'significant' risk has also been rising year by year.

"This increases the likelihood of disruption and delays, and can pose a risk to patient safety.

"It’s not just a concern for hospitals but is also a major problem for mental health, community and ambulance services as well.

"This will be a key priority that must be addressed in establishing the long term sustainable funding for health and social care to which the government is now committed."