The British Medical Ultrasound Society (BMUS) are carrying out a survey ‘Scope of UK Sonographer Practice 2021’ to find out about NHS sonographers’ scope of practice. This is part of a wider Health Education England (HEE) project looking at the sonographer career framework, workforce, regulation and training. The SoR are working with BMUS, the Consortium for the Accreditation of Sonographic Education (CASE) and other stakeholders on these HEE projects.
We would like to encourage sonographers who are currently practising ultrasound in the NHS to complete this survey.
‘There is wide variation in roles and duties of NHS sonographers and wide variation in what is considered standard, advanced and consultant level practice,’ said a BMUS spokesperson.
‘It is also known anecdotally that many sonographers over the years have gradually taken on more responsibility regarding patient management, research and training. At the same time, others have felt their own training and development have stalled due to reaching the top of their pay band. What is not known are the proportions of the workforce who are autonomous and feeling fulfilled or who are dependent and underused. It is therefore anticipated this much needed survey will provide a snapshot of what the UK NHS sonographer workforce is doing and how they feel about their current positions.’
The findings will be published as soon as possible with the intention to use them for future recommendations for change.
The deadline for submitting your response is 30 April 2021.