In this section
In This Section
Who we are
The Society of Radiographers is the professional body and trade union for all those practising in medical imaging and radiography. We represent more than 33,000 members, most of whom work in the NHS across all four nations, at all grades, across clinical imaging and cancer/radiotherapy pathways of care.
Why we’re on strike
We’re on strike because we have had enough of being overworked and undervalued and we’re worried for our patients.
There are a million people waiting to see a radiography professional, but they have longer to wait because at least one in 10 radiographers is missing from the NHS workforce. That’s because too many people are leaving due to long hours and not enough pay and we can’t recruit the people we need to replace them.
Strike action is a last resort but we feel we have no other option because the government isn’t doing enough. In the NHS, 9 out of 10 patients are supported by radiography professionals – doctors and nurses can’t do their jobs without us.
We welcome any dialogue that’s constructive – but the government has to demonstrate the political will to do something to address our concerns for our colleagues and our patients. Sadly, we never saw enough to stop the strike action.
What we want
We want action on starting pay, pay restoration, and the long-hours and agency culture. We also want a workforce plan that realistically tackles the current recruitment and retention crisis in our profession.
When the NHS is missing 10 per cent of the radiography workforce, then pay has to be part of attracting people to work there. But it’s not just the starting salary that’s a problem, it’s across the board.
Radiography professionals have been undervalued for 15 years. Average earnings have risen 55 per cent since 2008; for radiographers, their pay has gone up by less than half that.
We believe that by investing in and growing the radiography professional workforce this would dramatically cut waiting lists. This would improve outcomes for patients, boost the wellbeing of the radiography workforce and save the NHS millions in agency fees by improving direct recruitment and retention.