'Political incompetence threatens CDCs'

The Society of Radiographers is an active supporter of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Diagnostics and welcomes the findings of its timely, independent report on the implementation of Community Diagnostic Centres. 

The SoR has supported the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) concept since it was proposed in the Richards Report in 2020. We have sought to engage positively with the programme at every available opportunity and continue to do so. Our experience in doing so informs our concerns about the programme rollout, which are echoed and amplified in the APPG report.   

We continue to believe that the community centred model presents the right answers to increasing accessibility to early diagnosis in the community, away from acute settings. Sir Mike Richards’ Report presented a compelling argument why this was the right thing to do. It also set out clearly the additional investment needed for its successful strategic implementation. 

The model requires expanded diagnostic services to be delivered: 

• In the right places, accessible to the community and away from acute settings 
• Using the right modern equipment 
• Supported by the right systems and digital connectivity to maximise the efficiencies presented by modern reporting systems; and most critically 
• The right numbers of staff, with the right skills mix. Sir Mike recommended the successful implementation of his report would be reliant upon: 
  · 2,000 additional radiologists
  · 4,000 additional radiographers
  · Including a 50 per cent increase in the number of advanced practice radiographers who could undertake reporting 
  · An expansion of the assistant practitioner role; and 
  · Additional support staff and other 'navigational' roles 

The APPG report shows these strategic requirements are not in place. Not surprisingly, it is therefore failing to meet the expectations and potential of the programme. The APPG report highlights that: 

• Too few centres are or will be in the right places. Too few CDCs are in the communities intended
• Progress with improving digital connectivity and integrated systems management is hampering efforts to meet the programme's potential
• The radiography staffing crisis and rollout of the programme without the additional required staff means the programme is failing

The SoR has been raising exactly these concerns throughout the rollout of the project. There is now a significant danger that this good idea will be sunk by political incompetence. The APPG should prompt an intervention to save the programme from itself. 

In particular, it is worth repeating that the project has been rolled out without any specific allocation of additional funds for increased staffing and/or training – with the exception of some funding to recruit 400 radiographers from abroad, just a tenth of the number identified as being needed. It is as if the government has forgotten about the staff. 

Instead of thousands of extra professionals the government has pushed the project forward within existing staffing levels. This is fuelling the recruitment and retention crisis across radiography. Instead of the CDC programme being a source of optimism, investment and hope for radiography it is fuelling despondency and lowering morale, with CDCs adding to demands and taking staff from acute settings already struggling to meet demand. It really doesn’t matter how many new machines you have if you don’t have extra staff to utilise them. Systems already under strain are now breaking as a result of the extra strain from CDCs. 

 The failure to allocate a budget for extra staffing also has the knock-on effect of no-one being identifiably accountable for addressing the complex organisational and HR issues associated with staff being asked to work across multiple sites. The SoR has repeatedly tried to engage with NHS employers but without success.