For the first time ever, more than two million diagnostic imaging tests were carried out in a single month – and yet the number of patients waiting remains stubbornly immobile, analysis by the Society of Radiographers reveals.
Some two million diagnostic imaging tests were carried out in October 2024, according to SoR’s analysis of NHS statistics. Despite this, the number of patients waiting for these tests rose, reaching 1.11 million in the same month.
The figures for October 2024, released this month, include the following diagnostic imaging tests: magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, non-obstetric ultrasound and DEXA scan. All four tests must be carried out by radiography professionals.
'Demand is rising inexorably'
Dean Rogers, executive director of industrial strategy for the Society of Radiographers, said: “The increased number of tests means that many of us – including the government – were expecting the waiting list to drop below a million this month, for the first time since January 2022.
“But it hasn’t, because demand for diagnostic imaging is rising inexorably. Demand is far above pre-Covid levels – and even then the service was recognised as overstretched.
“Meanwhile, the numbers waiting more than six weeks for a test remain disturbingly high – that target hasn’t been met since 2013.”
Radiographers are central
Nine out of 10 NHS patients are supported by a radiographer. From X-rays to MRI and CT scans, ultrasounds to breast screening to radiotherapy for cancer, doctors and nurses cannot do their jobs without a team of radiographers, sonographers and radiography assistants.
Radiographers are central to addressing NHS waiting lists. However, there is a chronic shortage of radiographers – the average vacancy rate for radiography is 15 per cent, which means that some departments’ vacancy rates are much higher.
And 82 per cent of radiographers say their department relies on regular overtime to fill its roster.
In its Budget in October, the government pledged to create capacity for 1.25 million new diagnostic tests.
Investment is not enough
“Government investment in the NHS is very welcome – but it’s not enough,” Mr Rogers said. “And it takes time to come through. In the meantime, our members are working phenomenally hard and showing astonishing dedication. There’s no other way that they could have carried out two million tests in a single month.
“But this is unsustainable in the face of chronic workforce shortages. An SoR survey of more than 1,300 members found that 65 per cent had experienced burnout directly related to their work. Twenty-eight per cent said they had taken time off work because of burnout.
“Demand is rising, but our members have no more hours left to work safely. Radiographers are leaving the NHS, and they will continue to leave unless something changes. The government needs to understand that if we want to see waiting lists come down – and stay down – then we need more radiographers."
Pay gap attention is urgent
“This is why NHS employees see their pay levels restored. Our members are around 24 per cent behind where they should be if their pay had risen in line with the average across the rest of the UK economy since 2008. But the government’s recommended pay increase is a derisory 2.8 per cent.
“We need new radiography professionals, and we need to keep those already working in the NHS. Our members need to see that the government recognises this situation – starting with their pay. Unless the government urgently addresses the pay gap, it will not be able to recruit and retain the workforce it needs.
“We appreciate that the government is developing a 10-year plan for the NHS – but we can’t wait a decade to see any change here. If radiographers continue to burn out and leave the NHS, then waiting lists will only grow longer as demand continues to rise.
“Our members deserve better. Our patients deserve better.”
(Image: Photo by Lu ShaoJi, via Getty Images)