The SoR has welcomed the shadow health secretary’s intention to improve access to DXA scans, but warned that it fails to address the true cause of the crisis.
Wes Streeting has said that the Labour party will provide an extra 15,000 bone density scans (DXA) a year in order to beat the current NHS backlog.
The promise comes as part of a wider campaign pledge to create 40,000 additional NHS appointments every week, or two million every year.
Additionally, Labour’s ‘Fit For The Future Fund’ aims to the number of state-of-the-art CT and MRI scanners over the next five years.
With more than 37,000 patients currently waiting for a DXA scan, according to the Royal Osteoporosis Society, Labour’s announcement has been welcomed by the SoR.
'No magic wand'
Earlier this spring, the Society of Radiographers drew attention to the need for a screening programme to detect osteoporosis before it causes injury.
However, the Society has warned that scanning equipment is not a “magic wand” to solve the NHS crisis.
Dean Rogers, director of industrial strategy for the Society of Radiographers, said: “The Society of Radiographers is very pleased that shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has pledged to end the postcode lottery for bone scans. We’re extremely encouraged to see Mr Streeting’s new pledge to deliver an extra 15,000 DXA bone scans each year.
“But, crucially, there is only one accredited provider in the UK of training in reporting DXA scans. This means that, as trained DXA radiographers retire or leave the profession, the number of radiographers qualified to conduct and report DXA scans is likely to shrink dramatically.”
'A partnership approach'
Radiography departments are facing acute shortages – the average vacancy rate for radiography has risen to 13.4 per cent.
“Whichever party forms the next government will need a properly funded workforce plan – we cannot expect an already burnt-out staff to fulfil these pledges by taking on even more overtime,” Mr Rogers continued. “There is no magic wand we can wave to solve the crisis facing the NHS – and the scale of the challenge should not be underestimated. It needs a partnership approach.”
He called for all political parties to support the SoR's Radiography Manifesto, to ensure NHS departments are fully staffed and NHS workers fairly treated.
Last week, after 46 weeks of press coverage, the Royal Osteoporosis Society’s Better Bones Campaign secured promises from Parliament to extend Fracture Liaison Services, which can diagnose people with osteoporosis as early as their first broken bone.
(Images: Wes Streeting, by Christopher Furlong via Getty Images)