Radiographers’ strike: London

SOCIETY OF RADIOGRAPHERS TAKES STRIKE ACTION TO ADDRESS CHRONIC STAFF SHORTAGES

Radiographers across London will be taking strike action for 48 hours from 8am today, in an effort to tackle the recruitment and retention problems besetting the profession – which have left one million patients on NHS waiting lists.

Members in trusts including Kings College Hospital, University College London Hospitals, Whittington Health and Croydon Health Services are going out on strike, demanding urgent improvements to pay and conditions for the radiography workforce.

Union representatives from each trust have worked with trust executives to provide life and limb cover for patients. This usually consists of the same staffing levels that would be provided on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Nine out of 10 patients in the NHS are supported by a radiography professional – they are responsible for carrying out X-rays, MRI and CT scans, ultrasounds and breast screening, as well as radiotherapy for cancer patients.

But too few radiographers are being recruited or retained right now. As a result, a million patients are currently waiting to be seen by a radiographer – often delaying vital diagnosis and treatment for months.

A radiographer in a South London hospital, said: “I love the patient-care aspect of my job. I’m really, really satisfied when I help someone. It’s very rewarding when you can offer a little extra help.

“I worry about my patients a lot. We’re seeing more patients than before. We have a lot of backlog, but you can’t just hurry up all the time. Work is very, very stressful. You find yourself dreading it sometimes. You’re kind of panicking. But once I get there, I love my job. I’m very happy when I’m helping patients.”

Many radiographers work punishingly long shifts to ensure that patient care does not suffer as a result of staffing shortages. This takes an inevitable toll on their physical and emotional health.

The South London radiographer said: “I do long days; I do lates. I work from 8am to 8pm; I work overnights; I work weekends. You come into work tired, but you just have to try your best. By the time you’re finished, you’re really, really broken. You come home and you can’t even stand up. Sometimes your body’s not able to recover, and then you need to start all over again. You have this constant headache. You’re tired – your body, your back. You’re just not yourself.

“A cousin of mine died, and I missed the funeral because I was working a long day and there was no-one to cover me. I missed a very, very close friend’s wedding, which I really wanted to go to. But it was a weekend, and I couldn’t get the cover.

“My daughter is 12. I’m not able to spend enough time with her – not when I have back-to-back shifts. Every night, she asks me: “Are you going to work tonight?” She’s trying to get used to it. She doesn’t have any choice.”

Despite working long hours in a professional position, radiographers often find themselves struggling to make ends meet. One spoke of how, at the age of 30, he was still living with his parents. Another, a single mother, said that she was unable to afford to take her daughter on holiday, even for a week.

“With all these shifts and overtime, I do earn enough to cover my bills,” said the South London radiographer. “But if I was working normal hours, the money wouldn’t be enough. You have to kill yourself with work before you make something meaningful.”

The low pay, coupled with long hours, is forcing people to leave the profession. “I don’t blame those who leave,” said the South London radiographer. “We don’t know what working like this does to your lifespan. I might one day think, ‘Come on. I want to save my health.’”

Many radiographers agonised over the decision of whether or not to go out on strike. The South London radiographer said: “The strike – we just want the government’s attention. I think people don’t understand what radiographers do. They don’t understand that we’re the centre of everything that goes on in a hospital. If we’re not there, it means diagnosis is delayed, or you can’t be diagnosed, or you get the wrong diagnosis.

“If the profession is attractive, then nobody will come in and have to do long days, with no time for family or themselves.”

Dean Rogers, executive director of industrial strategy and member relations for the Society of Radiographers, said: “Voting for strike action was a difficult decision for our members, who care above all about the safety and wellbeing of their patients.

“We need to draw attention to the fact that many radiography professionals are feeling burnt out by low pay and increased hours. They’re leaving the NHS, and they are not being replaced in adequate numbers.

“If the government wants to reduce NHS waiting lists and ensure that patients receive the treatment they need, when they need it, then it must urgently prioritise the recruitment and retention of radiography professionals – and that means talking to us about pay and conditions. But they are refusing to talk to us, even though our door is open.

“Our members deserve better. Our patients deserve better.”