Manifesto update:

‘Challenges and solutions’

The Society of Radiographers will be publishing its radiography manifesto in early 2024. SoR’s head of industrial relations Leandre Archer explains how members can get involved

Leandre Archer at the SoR's first Rep Summit

Over the past few months, the Society of Radiographers has been hard at work compiling a radiography manifesto, with the aim of raising the profile of the profession and highlighting the biggest challenges facing radiographers.

We have been working behind the scenes on the manifesto, developed with the help of regional officers, professional officers, SoR union reps, and members, and we have compiled five key challenges facing the future of the health service, with the workforce at the heart of all of them.

The five points, finalised in December and being shared with members for consultation throughout January, are: pay restoration to 2008 levels, workforce planning now and for the future, effective training and development routes for all, safe working practices and staffing levels, and adequate long-term funding.

Due to officially launch in February 2024, the manifesto is designed to find solutions to many of the problems in healthcare - better, long-term funding, a proper workforce plan, recruitment and retention, with pay core to all of that.

We need to be able to entice people in to join the radiography profession, as well as support our international recruits so that they feel secure, especially following the government’s messaging on immigration.

Leandre Archer, speaking in Manchester during the 24-hour radiographer walkout last year

Leandre Archer, speaking in Manchester during the 24-hour radiographer walkout last year

The manifesto brings all of these issues into one place, and details the top priorities for our members moving forward.

I hope that worker's rights will be protected, that our NHS will be protected and properly funded, and that both diagnostic and therapeutic radiography are placed at the centre of that.

Our members should be awarded and recognised for the work they do, and I think the manifesto will help to do that, to bring our members to the front of people’s minds - both what they do, and the challenges they face.

'I hope that workers rights will be protected, that our NHS will be protected and properly funded'
– Leandre Archer

The document will also include member case studies and rep case studies, because that’s what MPs need to hear - they need to hear about their constituents and the problems and challenges they’re facing.

If these challenges are not dealt with soon, there will be bigger problems.

For members, please do read the manifesto and get in touch with your rep or your regional officer, and have a conversation about it.

Start talking to people within departments, lobby your MPs, and tell them what our priorities are.

Everybody has a responsibility to raise the profile of the profession.
We want to raise the profile of the profession, we want to be the voice of radiography, and the manifesto allows that to happen.

We have the solutions, we just need people to listen, and once launched this manifesto helps achieve that.

Find out more...

Leandre Archer has been head of industrial relations for SoR since June 2022, having previously held the role of national officer for Northern Ireland.

Leandre trained as a therapeutic radiographer at the University of Liverpool, and achieved her MSc in radiotherapy and oncology from Sheffield Hallam University in 2012.

She spent 11 years working as a therapeutic radiographer before joining SoR in 2015.

_{Picture credits: Eva Sulsarek,}_{Breige Cobane}

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