Advancing education and the workforce: key updates and next steps from the SoR/NHS England project

I am delighted to report that the SoR has successfully delivered a large-scale programme during the 2024-25 financial year. Commissioned by NHS England (NHSE) Workforce Training and Education (WTE), the programme focused on seven key workstreams aimed at improving radiography education, workforce development and patient care:

The seven workstreams were divided into 26 projects, each led by experts in their field. These included various professional officers from within the SoR and College of Radiographers (CoR) as well as external experts. Five projects were successfully delivered by radiography teams at Birmingham City, Bradford, Derby, Keele and Sheffield Hallam universities. Four projects were contracted to external consultants, and several included working with partner organisations. 

The SoR believes this programme has significantly contributed to the advancement of radiography education and workforce development, and will continue to. The outcomes are expected to have a positive impact on patient care, staff retention and the overall quality of radiography services across the UK.

Resources created as a result of this programme, and the final report, will be published on a dedicated section of the SoR website https://www.sor.org/events-programme/nhs-professional-bodies-education-reform-contract. A special edition of Synergy, to be published later this year, will follow the impact of these projects. 

This workstream was organised into four projects. The first was an internal initiative that focused on developing an onboarding process for education providers when seeking CoR programme approval. This enhancement included the development of pre and post-registration onboarding packs containing various resources tailored to the provision for which approval is being sought. These improvements have increased transparency and made it easier for education providers to prepare the necessary documentation. Additionally, the revised process ensures greater consistency and efficiency in progressing approvals through to completion. Two CoR assessor training sessions were also held online to support new and existing assessors and the ongoing approval work. 

The second project was also internal and involved a review of the evidence base to explore a recommended minimum number of practice-based learning hours for pre-registration radiography education provision in response to the ongoing challenges around clinical placement capacity and the need to grow the workforce. As a result of this work a recommendation is being drafted to propose a minimum threshold hours for standard DRAD and TRAD pre-registration degree programmes (not applicable to apprenticeship pathways). It is expected that this proposal will be shared this summer/later this year, subject to the CoR approval. The college will continue to review the evidence base and update guidance accordingly. Subject to the college’s approval, the minimum threshold of practice-based learning hours will be promoted, with the goal of implementation from 1 August 2025.

The third project was awarded to Elaine Wilkinson, associate professor in radiography at the University of Bradford, and explored the use of simulation in supporting diagnostic radiography pre-registration education. The primary aim was to determine how effective simulation is as a teaching and learning tool within this context. This work marks the initial stages of the CoR’s scoping regarding exploration of the efficacy of simulation in diagnostic radiography pre-registration education. As outlined in the report, the college recommends that further research be undertaken to understand, evaluate and evidence the effectiveness of simulation in radiography education, and educators are encouraged to disseminate the impact of their simulation-based education to further add to the evidence base. The CoR will update its policy and guidance accordingly as the evidence base grows.

The project report, including the simulation model and associated templates, is available on the SoR website.

The fourth project saw Dr Emma Hyde, associate professor of learning, teaching and pedagogy at the University of Derby, in partnership with Keele University, commissioned to develop a national standardised clinical assessment tool for pre-registration diagnostic radiography education. This tool is intended to ensure a consistent approach to student supervision and assessment in relation to clinical placements across diagnostic radiography education provision. As outlined in the report, the college recommends that further research be undertaken to understand and evidence the effectiveness of this tool, including a pilot and evaluation phase. The CoR does not yet endorse use of this tool; however, policy and guidance will be updated accordingly as the evidence base grows.

The outputs from the report are available on the SoR website.

This project aimed to optimise the diagnostic and therapeutic radiography support and assistant workforce’s contribution to patient care. Overseen by Richard Griffin, professor of healthcare management at King’s College London, and healthcare consultants Penny Owens and John Gale, engagement was made with services and stakeholders through an expert group of more than 100 members representing 30 trusts. It continues the NHSE-supported programmes of work, led by the SoR, that have been delivered over the past four years, aligned with NHSE’s wider AHP support workforce strategy. 

Two guides setting out the roles and responsibilities (scope of practice) of the supportive and assistive workforce employed at Band 2 and 3 and those employed as assistant practitioners or trainee assistant practitioners (TAP) have been produced. The guides will recommend minimum education and entry requirements at each level and show work-based routes into TAP roles for existing support staff, which will complement the support workforce section of the revised CoR Education and Career Framework. There is also a local recruitment guide, along with guidance on delegation and supervision. 

The workstream’s resources will be housed in the new dedicated support workforce hub hosted on the SoR website, which will be launched very soon. This provides a free and accessible ‘one stop’ site for services and staff. The hub will ensure that staff and managers have access to the resources they need to implement a ‘grow your own’ workforce strategy from pre-employment to pre-registration, ensuring that the supportive and assistive workforce are clear about their scope of practice and are appropriately supervised. This will not only underpin safe care, it will also increase capacity and productivity.

Helen White, associate professor at the College of Health and Care Professions, Birmingham City University, was awarded a project to identify profession-specific preceptorship needs to support the embedding of the HCPC AHP Principles for Preceptorship and the NHSE AHP Preceptorship Standards and Evaluation Framework across the profession. 

Phase 1 was to establish an experienced steering group and conduct a literature review. Phase 2 comprised three separate surveys across both diagnostic and therapeutic radiography and included one for service managers/practice educators, one for preceptors and the third for the whole workforce. Following the surveys, focused discussion groups were held to further explore themes highlighted in the survey responses. During phase 3, the collective responses were analysed, and recommendations for the SoR were developed from the themes identified and linked to the HCPC Principles for Preceptorship. The project report and recommendations are available on the SoR website. 

A second internal preceptorship project complemented the initial research and recommendations. This included further stakeholder engagement to inform the development of a radiography preceptorship practitioner-level learning needs analysis tool. This will support newly qualified preceptees, or their preceptors, to identify areas of focus. The SoR will continue work on radiography preceptorship through 2025-26, with the development of a web page on preceptorship containing information, signposting and case studies.

Our objectives within this workstream were organised into five key projects. First, we aimed to continue supporting and expanding engagement with radiography educators by facilitating regular meetings and dedicated workstreams at major events in 2024, including the Annual Radiography Educators’ Conference, UKIO and the Annual Radiotherapy Conference.

Second, we delivered a workshop and handout on increasing educator capacity and capability, a central theme of the Education and Career Framework (ECF) for the radiography workforce. We also engaged in collaborative discussions with other AHP professional bodies on growing educator capacity and capabilities. This collaborative approach is intended to ensure that educators are well equipped to meet the evolving demands of the profession.

The third project focused on developing a practice educators’ network. A practice education special interest (PE SIG) group for Diagnostic Radiographers and sonographers has been established. This is in addition to the already existing therapeutic radiography PE SIG. Both SIGs are intended to provide ongoing support for educators in their roles. In addition, we worked to promote and further develop the CoR Practice Educator Accreditation Scheme (PEAS) by hosting a workshop with a follow-up resource on the role of the practice educator and the PEAS scheme. Following this, a PEAS online writing retreat was held – all to expand the network of accredited practice educators. 

Finally, we published additional educator case studies to highlight the diverse roles of educators across academia and clinical practice to encourage greater interest in careers within this area. These case studies can now be found on a new section of the CoR website, Your ECF, which was also developed as part of this project. Through these initiatives, we have strengthened the support available to radiography educators, enhancing quality and raising awareness of educational roles.

We have used the NHSE funding to support the workforce in these areas:

Students and new professionals – we launched a new Student Radiographer Podcast. The podcast series featured six episodes, offering valuable insights and support for students embarking on their journey in radiography.

This commission also enabled the production of a new Students’ and New Professionals’ Employability Series in collaboration with the Skilled Personnel Network. The virtual events featured practising radiographers as guest speakers. New live events will be scheduled annually, reinforcing key themes and providing fresh perspectives from practising radiographers.

NHSE funding was used to purchase a Point of Care Foundation Schwartz Rounds licence and to train an administrator and two facilitators to run Schwartz Rounds. A Schwartz Round is a structured event to help members tackle emotional and difficult healthcare topics in a supportive environment. The inaugural event took place in November last year. The SoR is the first professional body to hold a Schwartz Round licence, and it plans to deliver additional events in 2025. 

Enhanced practice – Melanie Clarkson, programme lead for the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice Radiotherapy and Oncology at Sheffield Hallam University, and Beverly Snaith, clinical professor of radiography at the University of Bradford, worked in close collaboration to lead two SoR-commissioned projects: 

The Championing Enhanced Practice in Radiography (CHEERs) project aimed to elevate awareness and understanding of enhanced practice within the radiography profession. Through stakeholder collaboration the project produced educational materials that were identified as required by the profession, with support from an inclusive stakeholder group. These include posters, infographics, an animation and a series of webinars. A network of trained enhanced practice champions has been instrumental in transforming workplace culture and increasing confidence in discussing enhanced practice at all levels. 

The Workforce and Education needs – Scoping the Enhanced, Advanced and Radiography Consultant Challenges and Opportunities (WE-SEARCH) project sought to identify current and future service needs, including workforce expectations, and to review whether present and planned academic provision is fit for purpose. Utilising information from UK-wide data collection, the nine-month project identified the current and emerging clinical development needs and reviewed gaps in education provision. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations are now being considered by the SCoR, as well as how these may shape the CoR education strategy and post-registration approval work. 

Advanced practice – an updated Scope of Practice, Code of Conduct and guidance on scope of practice for advanced practitioners and consultant practitioners have been published with the support of Michael Guthrie, a consultant with a background in professional regulation in the healthcare sector, in February 2025. Michael facilitated the review with expert input from SoR professional officers. The Advancing Practice in Radiography Special Interest Group launched at UKIO 2024 continues to grow with high-quality discussion and support. https://www.sor.org/about/get-involved/special-interest-groups/advancing-practice-in-radiography-sig 

Consultant practice – the trainee consultant and consultant radiographer and sonographer network is an SoR-hosted online workspace. The SoR Consultant Radiographer Advisory Group (CRAG) supported the development of the network with a range of resources, including network support meetings. A subgroup of volunteers from CRAG offered leadership and advice in response to topics raised by network members. The main topics identified for focused discussion were: imposter syndrome, support for the strategic research elements of consultant roles and raising awareness of levels of practice concerning the CoR ECF.

Research to explore workplace conditions, experiences and effects on the occurrence of imposter phenomenon among the trainee consultant and consultant radiographer and sonographer community of practice has resulted in a literature review, survey and submission to a peer-reviewed journal. 

Education and Career Frameworks – aligned to the CoR ECF, practice level-specific mapping tools have been developed for the enhanced, advanced and consultant levels of practice. These enable practitioners to undertake a learning needs analysis to inform their professional development, either in their current role or to progress towards higher levels of practice. This will therefore support the implementation of the ECF into practice and was a recommendation from a recent study that sought to determine the implementation of the ECF into practice and identify the existence of any implementation gaps. This research, led  by Holly Spencer with input from professional officers, is available here: The College of Radiographers’ Education and Career Framework (fourth edition): Exploring the guideline implementation gap across England using Normalisation Process Theory - Radiography

This workstream comprises two projects:

Practice education requirements to support sonographers – practice education is a key element for increasing placement capacity and to train more sonographers. Some practice educator roles are moving to Integrated Care Board or regional imaging academy level, and the SoR was asked for advice on how these should be developed. Two guidance documents were produced. In addition, a Diagnostic Practice Educator SIG has been set up to support a wider range of diagnostic imaging practice educators, and an inaugural meeting was held in London as part of a practice educators study day at the North Central London Imaging Academy.

Mentorship training – an independent consultant ran two online workshops in October 2024: New to Academia – using mentoring to develop your academic capability, and Mentoring for Experienced Academics. Participants in both sessions were able to share examples from their own practice to develop their understanding. 

Acknowledgments

The delivery of a large-scale project in a short timescale can only be achieved by a team of dedicated professionals. Thank you to the following people. 

NHSE team:

Beverley Harden, deputy chief allied health professions officer, Jan Zietara, head of operational delivery south, Paul Chapman, programme manager education reform (AHP), Sharon Kibble, project manager, national AHP programme

SoR team:

Leadership team – Charlotte Beardmore, executive director of professional policy, Rachel Harris, head of professional practice and education (until end January 2025), Ian Hadlow, executive director of finance and operations, Jessica Reid, head of external relations, marketing and communications

Project team – Lyndsey Callion, project manager, Amy Le Vannais-Robinson, digital projects officer, Rharutome Oyewole, project administrator (until December 2024)

Professional officers – Kathryn Williamson, professional officer, education and accreditation, Laura Charlesworth, professional officer, education and accreditation, Amy Robertson, professional officer, education and accreditation, Sue Johnson, professional officer in clinical imaging, Spencer Goodman, professional officer in therapeutic radiography, Gill Harrison, professional officer in ultrasound, Tracy O’Regan, professional officer in clinical imaging and research, Nichola Jamison, students and new professionals officer, Michelle Tyler, professional outreach officer, therapeutic radiography

Administration team – Shelley Whittington, employee relations and human resources business partner, Tanya Sinclair, PA to Charlotte Beardmore, Clare Leeson, professional and education administrator, Jason Custance, IT and facilities manager

Finance team – Memory Chipere, financial and management accountant, Alaina Pearson, finance assistant

Communications team – Naomi Alexander, digital marketing officer, Lee Allison, graphic designer, Blu Evans, digital communication executive (CMS editor) 

University teams led by:

• Melanie Clarkson, programme lead for the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice Radiotherapy and Oncology, Sheffield Hallam University
• Emma Hyde, associate professor of learning, Teaching and Pedagogy, Pedagogic Innovation Enhancement and Research Team, University of Derby in partnership with Keele University
• Beverly Snaith, clinical professor of radiography, University of Bradford
• Helen White, associate professor, College of Health & Care Professions: lead for practice and accreditation, Birmingham City University
• Elaine Wilkinson, associate professor in radiography, University of Bradford

Organisations: The Point of Care Foundation, Skilled Personnel Network, Coach Mentoring

Freelance consultants: Professor Richard Griffin, Penny Owens, John Gale, Michael Gutherie

Image credit: Getty Images