The latest cancer waiting times data show that targets in England are still being missed, with around 2,200 people waiting too long in August according to latest figures.
In a recent blog, Cancer Research UK spoke to healthcare professionals working in diagnostics to get a glimpse of the issues they face and what they think would help solve them.
Sue Johnson, professional officer at the Society and College of Radiographers, was interviewed as part of the blog. She said: “We’ve been informing Health Education England that diagnostic workforce plans have been inadequate for a long time.
“But we’re really feeling the results of this lack of investment in the workforce now.
“Everybody is being as creative as they can be to get around these problems.
“The workforce is adapting to make full use of all skills – it’s not just that there’s a shortage of radiographers who scan patients, there’s a shortage of radiologists who interpret those scans too.
“So some radiographers are developing their interpreting skills to try and support efficient diagnosis for patients.”