CQC’s annual report on our work to enforce the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations in England in 2024/25 is now published.
The regulations protect people from the dangers of being accidentally or unintentionally exposed to ionising radiation as part of their medical care. Errors can happen when healthcare providers use ionising radiation to diagnose or treat people. Healthcare providers must notify CQC about incidents that meet the threshold for notification.
The report gives a breakdown of the number and type errors that were notified to CQC between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. It also presents the key findings from our inspection and enforcement activity during that time.
By sharing this information, we aim to help providers and healthcare professionals to identify and take action where they may need to make safety improvements in their own service.
There has been an increase in the annual number of accidental and unintended exposures that are notified to us compared with last year. This may indicate a stronger patient safety culture in medical exposure to ionising radiation.
In 2024/25, we received 842 notifications. This is an increase of 3% over the previous year:
- 434 were from diagnostic imaging departments (447 in 2023/24)
- 291 were from radiotherapy departments (244 in 2023/24)
- 117 were from nuclear medicine departments (128 in 2023/24)
Diagnostic radiology made up the largest proportion of total notifications (52%) because of the greater volume of diagnostic examinations performed compared with radiotherapy (35%) and nuclear medicine (14%). All these notifications represent a small proportion of the total examinations and treatment undertaken during the period, and the risk of a notifiable significant accidental or unintended exposure remains relatively low.
During the year, we carried out 71 regulatory IR(ME)R inspections to check compliance with the regulations. Where we find a breach, we issue formal enforcement Improvement Notices and make recommendations to drive patient safety improvements in services.
A rising demand for services is stretching the capacity of departments to their limits. This, coupled with evolving medical radiological practice, technological advances and techniques, and changes to working practices results in pressure on the clinical professional workforce, which can lead to errors and mistakes.
The report identifies recurring themes and concerns found in our work, and shares practical actions for IR(ME)R employers. These are suggested actions that help to improve practice and ensure patient safety.