A nationwide shortage of sonographers is leading to severe service delivery problems for many NHS trusts and health boards.

The issue is only going to get worse if immediate action is not taken to increase education and training of sonographers, according to a new survey of clinical departments carried out by the SoR.

Increasing service demands, government targets and the introduction of the national obstetric and vascular screening programmes are adding to the pressure for more trained staff.

The number of examinations per department has increased on average by 1848 (7.9%) year-on-year. A full-time sonographer is typically carrying out 4250 examinations per annum.Ten per cent of sonographer posts are unfilled, and some departments are reporting vacancies lasting more than six months.

New national protocols relating to stroke management and the NHS Next Stage Review, which requires services to be delivered at the primary care level, will only increase the stress on ultrasonography services.

“Workload pressures mean that sonographers are finding it difficult to meet service demand, look after their own safety in the workplace adequately, and undertake continuous professional development activities,” says Professor Audrey Paterson, director of professional policy at the Society of Radiographers.

“We’re finding that these factors are contributing to an increase in the numbers of sonographers taking early retirement, reducing their hours of employment, or leaving the service completely. In 10 years time, a third of the current workforce will have retired.”

She continued: “Close to 30 per cent of sono-graphers say they suffer from musculoskeletal injury due to their work and the reported incidence of this is growing. Current numbers of sonographers in training are barely keeping up with wastage and there is little scope for increased training activity, even though the demand is evident.”

Reports to the SoR from clinical departments is of a significant and growing crisis in staffing and training. Recent developments in service delivery such as fetal anomaly screening, the abdominal aortic aneurysm screening programme, guidance on the management of stroke and transient ischaemic attacks, and the growing use of ultrasound to investigate patients where cancer is suspected, are adding further to workloads.

As a result of the survey, the Society has published a study which includes recommendations of the action that is needed to bring sonography numbers up to strength.

Nigel Thomson, the SoR’s officer for ultrasound, commented: “The long established model of postgraduate education is not able to supply the necessary number of sonographers to meet the demand. In large part this is because of a lack of funding and consistent regional and national planning.

“A series of short, medium and long term steps need to be taken now by government health departments, health boards and strategic health authorities, as well as individual employers, if the UK is going to have sufficient ultrasound services to meet patients’ needs.”

Recommendations include increasing the number of trainee sonographers by up to 50 per cent, enabling postgraduate programmes to accept a much wider range of applicants, and to commission direct entry undergraduate programmes, followed by a preceptorship year.

Visit the SoR online document library to read Analysis of ultrasound workforce survey 2009 and Developing and Growing the Sonographer workforce: Education and Training needs.
 

Posted: 20/11/2009