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Parties must prioritise NHS workforce ahead of election, says SoR
The SoR is calling on all political parties to meet rising NHS demand with effective planning and significant investment, following Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement a general election will take place on 4 July.
Dean Rogers, director of industrial strategy for the SoR, said: “In the run-up to the general election, we need to cut through all the political spin and get to the heart of what really matters.
“While investment in AI or new community diagnostic centres (CDCs) may grab headlines, waiting lists will not come down without a realistic workforce plan and proper funding.
“Until they start talking about radiographers too, the NHS will not recover from its current crisis.
“As the general election approaches, politicians of all parties need to think realistically about how to ensure that our hospitals emerge from crisis and become once again places where NHS workers are fairly treated and patients receive the care they need, when they need it.”
SoR Council elections: three new members and one returning member selected
The UK Council elections have yielded three new appointments and one re-elected representative following regional seat ballots earlier this year.
Thomas Welton has been re-elected for the North West region, while David Morris won in London, Clive MacCallum-Roberts succeeded in Wales, and Margot McBride has been elected Scotland representative.
Representatives have a range of duties, including:
- Company director responsible for the Society of Radiographers
- Representing and promoting agreed policies
- Representing the trades union and professional interests of all Society members
- Developing and promoting the advancement of the radiography profession and the wider radiographic workforce
- Undertaking campaign work as required
- Encouraging recruitment of members in their countries and regions
- Attending and speaking at national and international conferences, events and meetings
All NHS radiotherapy departments in England to receive AI technology through government funding
All NHS radiotherapy departments in England are to receive AI technology through £15.5 million worth of government funding, the Department for Health and Social Care has said, which aims to cut NHS waiting lists, relieve pressure on hospitals, free up staff time and support people in care settings to live more independently.
The technology automatically reviews scans to distinguish between cancerous cells and healthy organs 2.5 times quicker.
While the SoR welcomes investment in new software it has warned that humans are still needed to ensure outcomes are positive.
The SoR also highlighted the confusing language used in the government announcement, which refers to diagnostic CT and MRI scans in radiotherapy, but despite the confusion the Society welcomed the announcement.
Announcing the initiative, Victoria Atkins, health and social care secretary, said: “This is an exciting breakthrough in our work to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment, and AI is helping to make our healthcare system faster, simpler and fairer.”
Radiotherapy alone is effective following low-risk prostate cancer surgery, finds 16-year study
Patients with lower risk prostate cancer will be reassured radiotherapy alone is effective following surgery, after findings from a 16-year long study have been released.
There is “little benefit” to additional hormone therapy for low-risk prostate cancer patients, when compared with radiotherapy alone, it discovered.
For patients with a higher risk of cancer returning, there was greater benefit to a two-year course of hormone therapy than a six-month course.
The phase III RADICALS-HD trial study, which began in 2008 and was published in The Lancet last month, divided 3,000 patients into three groups for randomised trials: radiotherapy alone, radiotherapy with six months of hormone therapy, and radiotherapy with two years of hormone therapy.
It was led by researchers from The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at University College London, with funding from Cancer Research UK.
Chief investigator Professor Chris Parker said: “The new information from this practice-changing study will ensure clinicians can better tailor treatment for prostate cancer patients following surgery and help facilitate important discussions.”
Radiographers will play ‘pivotal role’ in teleoperations, says EFRS
Radiographers must be involved in the development of remote imaging technologies, according to a statement released by the European Federation of Radiographer Societies.
The federation, together with the ISRRT, has drafted a joint statement on teleoperations which underscores the “pivotal role of radiographers in driving the successful implementation and utilisation of teleoperations.”
Teleoperations is a broad term referring to the ability to operate imaging technologies remotely, an area with “potential for significant growth,” the joint statement said.
This technology is particularly relevant for facilities and countries where there may be a significant distance between the imaging equipment and the radiographer or where radiographers in the field wish to seek advice from more experienced colleagues located elsewhere.
Charlotte Beardmore, executive director of professional policy for the SoR, said: “The safe and effective implementation of teleoperations is essential. The SoR has been part of a steering group ‘piloting’ the implementation of such technology across a number of imaging sites in England.”
The report is imminent and SoR officers will join with colleagues from the clinical pilot sites and representatives from NHS England to discuss the outcomes from the pilot study in England.
Image credits:
Peter Nicholls via Getty Images
Eva Slusarek
Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images
Royal Marsden Hospital Trust
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