United Kingdom Nuclear Imaging Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends And Forecast (2025 - 2030)

United Kingdom Nuclear Imaging Market Trends and Insights

Rising Cancer Prevalence and PET-CT Adoption

Cancer diagnoses continue to climb, with 66,000 incidental cases recorded in the past year, representing one in five total diagnoses. Only 58.2% of patients received treatment within the 62-day referral-to-treatment window, well below the 85% target. NHS England responded by allocating GBP 70 million for radiotherapy equipment upgrades and launching the EDITH AI breast-cancer trial involving 700,000 women across 30 sites. Diagnostic waiting lists have swelled to 1.66 million, with nearly 500,000 patients awaiting CT or MRI, prompting wider adoption of nuclear medicine alternatives. Alliance Medical now delivers more than 50% of UK PET-CT scans through 46 static centers and 64 mobile scanners.

NHS Early-Diagnosis Funding Boosts Imaging Capacity

The National Cancer Plan prioritizes earlier detection, channeling GBP 130 million toward radiotherapy modernization that will replace 69 Linear Accelerators over three years. In November 2024, a total-body PET scanner was installed at St Thomas’ Hospital, achieving scan times below five minutes and feeding data into the National PET Imaging Platform. Siemens Healthineers has structured more than 30 Value Partnerships with NHS trusts to finance equipment and optimize workflows.

Rapid Detector Advances (Digital CZT, SiPM)

Kromek Group signed a USD 37.5 million, four-year contract with Siemens Healthineers to supply cadmium zinc telluride detectors, securing domestic manufacturing for high-resolution SPECT systems. Digital CZT and SiPM sensors shorten scan times, reduce radiation doses, and enable higher patient throughput across the UK nuclear imaging market . The British Nuclear Medicine Society reported equivalent image quality between high-sensitivity and ultra-high-sensitivity PET modes, supporting protocol optimization.

Pipeline of Novel PET/SPECT Radiotracers & Theranostics

MHRA granted a world-first approval to trofolastat (RoTecPSMA) for prostate-cancer imaging in March 2025, showing 94.2% sensitivity and 83.3% specificity. Curium closed its acquisition of Monrol to expand Lutetium-177 capacity. Blue Earth Therapeutics raised USD 77 million to fund PSMA-targeted therapy trials. GE HealthCare leads Thera4Care, a EUR 25.3 million Horizon Europe program that will standardize isotope production and deploy AI-enabled decision support.

High Upfront Cost of Scanners & Cyclotron Facilities

The GBP 130 million Radiotherapy Modernisation Fund illustrates the scale of capital outlays confronting NHS trusts, with individual linear accelerators costing several million pounds. Siemens Healthineers’ GBP 250 million MRI factory in Oxford highlights the high expense of domestic manufacturing investments. Project Arthur’s GBP 400 million price tag represents the upper bound of infrastructure spending required for sovereign isotope production. Although NHS Supply Chain saved GBP 17.1 million through group purchasing, smaller trusts still struggle to finance state-of-the-art equipment without vendor partnerships.

Workforce Shortage of Nuclear-Medicine Technologists

The UK recorded a 30% shortfall in clinical radiologists and a 15% gap in clinical oncologists, feeding the 1.66 million patient diagnostic backlog. BNMS rebranded its practitioners group to broaden professional appeal and campaigns for mandatory Health Professions Council registration. GE HealthCare launched training grants to ease technologist shortages and secure qualified users for its installed base. The Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine calls for GBP 8 million annual funding to fill medical physics roles and mitigate safety risks.

Segment Analysis

By Product: Radioisotopes Drive Domestic Capability Expansion

Radioisotopes captured 62.34% of UK nuclear imaging market share in 2024, while the segment is forecast to grow at a 9.84% CAGR through 2030. The UK nuclear imaging market size for radioisotopes is on track to rise markedly as Project Arthur and private fusion initiatives bring local supply online. Technetium-99m shortages underscore dependency risks, prompting accelerated investment in PET and SPECT isotope manufacturing. Alliance Medical operates five radiopharmacies and distribution centers to stabilize supply, whereas equipment growth remains constrained by funding cycles. Nevertheless, King’s College London’s ultra-sensitive PET installation signals sustained demand for advanced scanners.

Limited capital budgets cause hospitals to stagger equipment upgrades, but the shift to digital detectors and combined PET/MRI systems will steadily lift the equipment sub-segment over the forecast. Cyclotron rollouts at major academic sites, coupled with MHRA approvals of tracers such as piflufolastat, will broaden local isotope portfolios and further enlarge the UK nuclear imaging market .

By Application: Oncology Leads, Neurology Accelerates

Oncology held 62.89% share of UK nuclear imaging market size in 2024 due to rising cancer incidence and priority NHS funding. Prostate-cancer imaging benefits from PSMA-targeting tracer approvals, while breast-cancer screening trials widen nuclear medicine pathways beyond symptomatic referrals. Neurology logged the fastest 10.19% CAGR outlook as quantum research hubs explore early Alzheimer’s detection. The Q-BioMed program’s GBP 19 million budget underscores public commitment to non-oncology nuclear medicine expansion.

Cardiology faces substitution from CT angiography, yet remains stable for perfusion studies, whereas thyroid applications maintain a reliable baseline driven by standardized iodine-based diagnostics. Overall, application diversification reduces reliance on single-disease demand and enhances resilience in the UK nuclear imaging market .

By End User: Diagnostic Centers Outpace Hospital Growth

Hospitals delivered 72.26% of UK nuclear imaging market share in 2024, reflecting centralized NHS pathways. However, Community Diagnostic Centres drive a 10.93% CAGR for independent imaging centers, relieving hospital backlogs and shortening patient journeys. Alliance Medical’s mobile PET-CT fleet allows flexible deployment, while Siemens Healthineers’ Value Partnerships embed long-term service contracts that stabilize hospital budgets.

Academic institutes leverage National PET Imaging Platform data repositories for drug discovery, sustaining steady scanner utilization. Updated Ionising Radiation regulations broaden practitioner licensing but add administrative workload across all end-user settings. This balanced expansion across settings supports sustainable growth for the wider UK nuclear imaging market .

Geography Analysis

England dominates through large-scale equipment installations and 30 NHS PET sites, benefiting from the GBP 130 million radiotherapy refresh. The region houses Siemens Healthineers’ new Oxford factory and Alliance Medical’s densest scanner network, translating into the highest regional UK nuclear imaging market size. Wales positions itself as a strategic isotope hub via Project Arthur, which could supply the entire UK upon completion and generate 200 high-skill jobs. Scotland leverages integrated health boards and research collaborations, while Northern Ireland utilizes shared procurement and cross-border referrals to maintain diagnostic access.

Persistent regional workforce gaps—most acute in England—drive adoption of tele-reporting and create opportunity for unified imaging networks. Uniform ARSAC guidance ensures consistent radiation safety, while the Civil Nuclear Roadmap targets indigenous fuel cycle capability, shaping a more self-reliant supply chain across all UK nations. Collectively, these regional dynamics foster balanced demand and resource sharing in the UK nuclear imaging market .