Tiers before bedtime?
 The role of assistant practitioners was a recurring theme at the recent launch of the MRI Beacon Project, according to Richard Evans, the SoR's Chief Executive Officer. Some sites do not currently envisage assistants undertaking any scanning procedures, although they have outlined a number of skill developments to move staff who are currently helpers into a more enhanced role. Other sites are planning on supervised scanning by assistants for well defined protocol examinations.
Less controversial were plans to encourage radiographer reporting. Inevitably, however, there are concerns about full acceptance by radiologists and referring clinicians in some centres.
All the departments taking part in the project have experience of service redesign and the implementation of a four-tier structure for the radiographic workforce. Some regard the Beacon Project as a further stage in implementing an overall strategy for modernisation and minimisation of waiting times. One trust has published a strategy for reduction of waits across the board to two weeks.
Several interesting facets emerged about relationships that have been developed with Alliance Medical over the Wave I MRI procurement exercise. Some centres are clearly still having little success in seeing improvements. However, the majority now is reporting improved performance and in some cases this has been facilitated by very productive working relationships between local departments and Alliance in order to explore improving the arrangements.
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