What have been your highlights from 2024?

I’ve said many times that because of our unique structures, the SoR is a special organisation that benefits from huge levels of engagement between the centre and members, especially the many hundreds of volunteer representatives and members of our networks and advisory groups. 

This regular conversation means we are in a really strong position to understand and resolve members’ individual and collective challenges, and also represent our members’ concerns and priorities to those in power.

So in leading the union arm of the SoR, the highlights and challenges in 2024 are, in the broadest sense, the same as they were in previous years and the same as they will be in 2025. We have used the energy generated from their engagements and turned them into positive outputs for members, both individually and collectively.

Landmark memories for me from last year centre on when I’ve been able to meet members – for example, our big events such as the Annual Delegates Conference and the Rep Summit, which were hugely positive and productive; meeting members in Northern Ireland last January, whose industrial action was key to the assembly reconvening and a pay award; and the study days that are now fully back up and running across the UK after Covid.

I’m also fortunate to see the stories behind our successful representations and negotiations for members individually in their workplaces. A lot of this by its confidential nature goes unseen by most, but every year we help hundreds of members. For example, we’ve secured personal injury settlements worth more than £1m since 2020, with some big wins for members in 2024. We also won important employment tribunals last year. Two in particular stand out: recovering monies owed and some compensation for members who had worked for Rutherford Health [a private oncology provider] when it went into liquidation; and compensation for an international recruit member who’d worked for an abusive, racist employer in the private sector. Both these cases send a strong message that the SoR will defend all members’ interests, including our most vulnerable members.

Then there are examples of where we’ve been leading for members and radiography through our campaign priorities; for example, launching our innovative Principles and Standards document on international recruitment in partnership with physios and midwives – important work that is continuing into 2025 – or taking a leading role in the Social Partnership Forum, challenging politicians and leaders, especially around improving access to flexible working and reducing sexual harassment, violence and bullying in workplaces.

I am especially proud that we are now recognised as a champion against workplace racism and a leader in promoting equality at work, as evidenced by the response to our inputs at the TUC Congress. This is another area that remains hugely challenging and where we have important and exciting plans for 2025 and beyond, utilising our reps and member networks. 

I’m also proud that all our campaigning also includes targeted help and support for management members, building on the launch of our Managers’ Network in 2023 – something again we have plans to build on in 2025 and beyond.

The contributions we are making in our national partnership spaces and inside partner organisations such as the TUC and Unions 21 are a source of pride and excitement at the potential in the coming period. This is on the back of steady progress in raising our profile and impact over the last few years. 

Radiography was often an ignored, missed-off profession in the media and public debate, but the general election saw every major party making specific promises that recognised the importance of addressing the waiting list crisis. This greater profile is the direct result of our campaigns and activities since 2023, which at every stage have been informed and illustrated by member intelligence and illustrated by authentic member stories.

What will be the biggest challenges for 2025 and beyond?

The biggest challenge for members is the environment they work in is too often overstretched, underresourced and chaotic to the point of unsafe. That has been the case for decades to some degree, but it’s gotten worse, and there’s no magic wand that changes things overnight. 

The public’s understanding of these challenges is greater than ever before, which is the necessary start to secure long-term change, but there remains an impatience for change and no clear pathway that secures the long-term funding and security needed to get ahead of the crisis. Too many people are still looking for magical solutions. This can be demoralising for members. 

There are also genuinely dangerous, cynical forces looking to exploit the crisis for their own political and personal gain. Part of our job is to guide leaders towards the practical changes that can make a real difference, and help turn the tide, while making sure they understand the need for, and help to shape, a credible long-term plan that can deliver positive change. 

We have to fight cynicism by being the voice of both hope and realism.

What are you most looking forward to in 2025?

I’m optimistic we are in a really good place to continue leading effectively for members. I’m looking forward to building on the progress we’ve made in the last few years in raising our voice and profile – progress founded on our unique organising strengths – and so we have to continue to build on this as well. 

Organisationally, our first challenge is to maximise opportunities for listening to and learning from members. From this, learning will feed into the support and training we give our local representatives, as well as into our policies and campaigns. This then helps shape and secure pragmatic and effective solutions that benefit members, individually and collectively. We then reflect on these and start the cycle all over again – communicating how we’re making a positive difference for members and how active membership helps us make that difference.

That’s pretty much good trade unionism in a nutshell, but I’m really proud to say we’ve lots of great examples of how this is a living reality in the SoR. Our new strategy has this philosophy, and building on our strengths, at its core – so I’m excited about our plans for 2025. For example, we will be using a new learning management system to roll out an expanding range of training and support sessions for members and representatives – using legislation to support union reps to access more new and refresher sessions. We’ll be prioritising allyship, SoR values in practice and core support for members in their workplaces so everyone knows why being a member of the SoR makes their work better and more secure.

We are also investing time and energy into deepening our conversation with specific groups of members to make sure our campaigning messages continue to reflect the priorities of everyone working across radiography and clinical imaging. Our pay review body submission, for example, has already highlighted the specific challenges for the support workforce, new professionals, overstretched and unsupported managers, certain key modalities such as sonography, etc. That’s on our website for anyone to see but we’ll be explaining and expanding these arguments after input from those groups. In 2025, we’ll be offering more to existing networks, such as those for students and managers, while working towards expanding the number of networks.

All these plans should see us continuing to make a positive difference for hopefully an ever growing society, with more members from the support workforce through to senior leaders and educators, drawn from both the NHS and independent sectors across the four UK nations and from the increasing number of international recruits.

That said, 2025 will not be easy. We started 2024 on strike in Northern Ireland and submitted evidence to the pay review bodies, highlighting the impact of devaluing pay on recruitment and retention, coupled with 15 years of underinvestment in numbers and equipment. We ended 2024 in a similar position. 

Our manifesto struck many positive chords during the election and, although the politicians say they’ve listened and changed the tune, the current score sounds very similar to the old one. We know change will not come quickly, but the SoR won’t be led on a merry dance if warm words aren’t being translated into positive improvements for members, especially now that radiographers have the political leaders’ attention. But I’m also hopeful because I can see progress beneath the surface, and the potential for real change is evident. 

We’re starting 2025 by reaching out to all MPs in Westminster, including the new select committee members, and re-engaging with all party parliamentary groups. We’re also planning our Scottish and Welsh manifestos with elections there in 2026. 

So it’s all go – and our members will have opportunities to help shape our campaigns and asks, as well as help deliver them, including by helping grow the membership by recruiting non-member colleagues.