Society giving evidence to Commons’ Health Committee
The SoR has been called in front of an influential parliamentary committee to explain its views about workforce planning. Chief Executive Richard Evans will be explaining the organisation’s concerns about the planning process, which is based on looking backwards at staff profiles in the past, in order to predict needs for the future.
“This process does not take account of changes in needs for the service, changes in demography, disease and needs profile of the population, nor fluctuations in the numbers of people available to train to join the workforce,” Richard comments.
“We will emphasise the significant predicted levels in demand for radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging services, the fact that we have done more than any other profession to model our workforce structure to meet the needs of the changing demands upon our services, the need for adequate provision and training of staff at all levels, and for sustained growth to avoid pendulum swings in workforce numbers in the future.”
He continued: “We will also encourage a more future oriented emphasis in workforce planning which draws upon expertise and insight from across the healthcare context. In our own world, for example, the influence of technological development should not be ignored. We have experienced repeated instances of technological innovation in both imaging and radiotherapy that have arrived and been implemented without any thought being given to planning or preparing a workforce to deliver the new or changed service. Current examples include IMRT and PET-CT.”
Regarding pressures on recruitment, the Society says these are due to widespread financial pressure in the NHS. Even where trusts are not in deficit, there is a caution leading to posts being ‘frozen’ or lost. Against this, both diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy services are required to play central roles in the service to meet government plans and targets. There will be pressure on trusts and other providers to ensure they are operating services as efficiently as possible, but the fact remains that there will need to be many new posts created right across the radiographic workforce and especially for new practitioner level jobs.
“The Society is involved in discussions on meeting service requirements at national level in all four home countries,” Richard Evans says. “We will oppose any suggested redundancies affecting the profession and campaign for managers to be allowed to plan for appropriate staff profiles and numbers for the future. These plans must be honoured if the NHS is to stand any chance of meeting the service improvement plans that are in place for the next two years.
Of course, the current pressures on finance do not do anything to increase confidence that this can happen. There are many examples of hospitals where service innovation and improvement has stopped in order to save cash. It is essential that the government make clear how this situation can be turned round, especially with regard to radiographic services.
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