THE number of scans used to diagnose conditions including cancer dropped by more than a third as the pandemic hit, figures reveal.

The Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust, which oversees The Royal Oldham Hospital, performed more than 58,000 fewer imaging scans between March last year and February in comparison to the same period in 2019-20, NHS figures show.

Imaging tests which can be used to diagnosis diseases were carried out 87,910 times during that time - a 40 per cent drop.

The number of brain MRI scans fell by 40 per cent while there were 39 per cent fewer chest x-rays performed and a drop of 53 per cent in ultrasounds of the pelvis and abdomen.

Across England the number of scans used to diagnose or discount cancer dropped by a quarter to around 8.5m as lockdown measures gripped the health service.

The decline has been attributed to a pause on non-urgent treatment, a shortage of radiographers and a reduction in people coming forward for tests.

Andrew Stallard, Diagnostic and Pharmacy Group managing director of operations, at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group (NCA), which brings together the Salford Royal and Pennine Acute trusts, confirmed the number of scans is now increasing.

He said: “Last year there was a significant reduction in the number of routine and non-urgent examinations because of the pandemic, however, the majority of scans for patients on urgent clinical or cancer pathways continued, with the exception of those where Covid-19 presented a clinical risk, or where patients chose to defer or cancel their appointments.

“By December 2020, the amount of scans carried out had increased significantly and we are now starting to recover the backlog of patients, with many people now coming forward for scans that they had previously put on hold.”

An NHS spokesperson praised the tireless efforts of NHS staff and said diagnostic imaging services had continued despite the impact of the pandemic, with 90 per cent of urgent referrals with suspected cancer seen within two weeks in February.

She added: “We know that fewer people have come forward for checks during the pandemic but we continue to urge anyone experiencing worrying symptoms that could be cancer to contact their GP as soon as possible so the NHS can investigate them as soon as possible.”