‘Collaboration is at the heart of effective leadership’: the National Conference for Radiology Leaders 2025
Synergy recaps NCRL 2025, an event focused on leadership development for radiographers and radiologists
The 2025 edition of the National Conference for Radiology Leaders (NCRL) marked a change in direction from previous years – not least with the shift from the focus on ‘managers’ to ‘leaders’. Previously known as the National Conference for Radiology Managers, the co-organisers of the event, the SoR and Philips Healthcare UK, opted for the name change to give the conference a more specific focus and to be more inclusive of leaders who may not necessarily be managers.
It was impossible to miss the significance of the name change when attendees filed into the Shaw Theatre at the Pullman Hotel, London St Pancras on Thursday 8 May. On stage stood a large white ‘M’, a visual aid used by SoR CEO Richard Evans as he welcomed attendees and acknowledged the change in focus for the event.
This year’s conference had the largest number of registrations in its history, and the theme was ‘People-centred innovation: Transforming care through collaboration’.
Mark Leftwich, managing director of Philips, introduced the day’s events, calling it “the best day of the year for radiology, because we get the chance to listen in”.
After Mark took a selfie with the crowd in the packed theatre, the day’s programme got underway.
The 2025 edition of the National Conference for Radiology Leaders (NCRL) marked a change in direction from previous years – not least with the shift from the focus on ‘managers’ to ‘leaders’. Previously known as the National Conference for Radiology Managers, the co-organisers of the event, the SoR and Philips Healthcare UK, opted for the name change to give the conference a more specific focus and to be more inclusive of leaders who may not necessarily be managers.
It was impossible to miss the significance of the name change when attendees filed into the Shaw Theatre at the Pullman Hotel, London St Pancras on Thursday 8 May. On stage stood a large white ‘M’, a visual aid used by SoR CEO Richard Evans as he welcomed attendees and acknowledged the change in focus for the event.
This year’s conference had the largest number of registrations in its history, and the theme was ‘People-centred innovation: Transforming care through collaboration’.
Mark Leftwich, managing director of Philips, introduced the day’s events, calling it “the best day of the year for radiology, because we get the chance to listen in”.
After Mark took a selfie with the crowd in the packed theatre, the day’s programme got underway.
Radiography skills crucial for leadership
The first event on the itinerary was a keynote delivered by Jenny Keane, a Therapeutic Radiographer and national director of urgent and emergency care at NHS England. Jenny spoke about how her storied career as a radiographer set her up for her position within the department. “The skills and experience I gained as a radiographer became the very foundation of my success,” she told the packed theatre. “The root skills of being a radiographer serve the greater healthcare system,” she continued, making it a unique and crucial thing.
“When I reflect on the core competency of a radiography leader, I’m reminded [that] at the heart of our work is the ability to translate complex, highly technical aspects of our field into something that is meaningful to the broader healthcare system.”
Throughout her career, Jenny said she asked herself the same question each time she moved roles: “Why did I do that?” It comes down to leadership, and the collaborative opportunities within it. “Collaboration is at the heart of effective leadership,” she told delegates.
“Leadership is the ability to get things done… The ability for others to do the things you need them to do.”
She closed out by reminding the crowd “we are more than just technical experts – we are leaders”, before the conference went on a short break.
Workforce development
NCRL’s breaks allow attendees to network or catch up with friends who are also in the profession. The main exhibition room was a flurry of chatter when delegates gathered for breaks, with the friendly atmosphere attributed to the overall relaxed energy of the day.
Soon, the audience filed back into the Shaw Theatre for the next portion of the day. This consisted of presentations that centred around the theme of workforce development.
Richard Griffin, professor of healthcare management at King’s Business School, King’s College London, presented on ‘Empowering the future: Optimising the contribution of the radiological clinical support worker and assistant practitioner workforce’.
Meanwhile, Nichola Jamison, students and new professionals officer at the SCoR, and Rachel Woodbridge, a Therapeutic Radiographer at University Hospitals Sussex NHS FT, presented the results of the SoR National Student Placement Survey. The survey – which ran from 30 April to 12 June and had 1,034 responses – covered topics such as placement planning, accommodation, costs, experience, wellbeing and learning support. Respondents raised issues with rota announcements, coordination of placements across different sites and financial strain, among others.
As part of the presentation, Rachel outlined five ways leaders can support newly qualified staff:
Workforce development
NCRL’s breaks allow attendees to network or catch up with friends who are also in the profession. The main exhibition room was a flurry of chatter when delegates gathered for breaks, with the friendly atmosphere attributed to the overall relaxed energy of the day.
Soon, the audience filed back into the Shaw Theatre for the next portion of the day. This consisted of presentations that centred around the theme of workforce development.
Richard Griffin, professor of healthcare management at King’s Business School, King’s College London, presented on ‘Empowering the future: Optimising the contribution of the radiological clinical support worker and assistant practitioner workforce’.
Meanwhile, Nichola Jamison, students and new professionals officer at the SCoR, and Rachel Woodbridge, a Therapeutic Radiographer at University Hospitals Sussex NHS FT, presented the results of the SoR National Student Placement Survey. The survey – which ran from 30 April to 12 June and had 1,034 responses – covered topics such as placement planning, accommodation, costs, experience, wellbeing and learning support. Respondents raised issues with rota announcements, coordination of placements across different sites and financial strain, among others.
As part of the presentation, Rachel outlined five ways leaders can support newly qualified staff:
Can AI advance radiography?
Following a presentation on 'workforce development: enhanced and advanced practice' by Beverly Snaith, clinical professor of radiography at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust and the University of Bradford, the conference moved on to one of the most hot-button topics in radiography currently – AI. This consisted of four seven-minute presentations and a panel discussion.
Dr Tracy O’Regan, professional officer at the SCoR, advocated for continued investment in research, education and infrastructure to support sustainable AI integration, and for those present to champion “the right thing” and make sure it is person centred. To demonstrate, Tracy showed attendees an AI-generated SoR coat of arms, which had some errors. She reminded the crowd to always check AI-generated content to ensure its accuracy. “We will support anything that’s going on as long as it supports patients,” she concluded.
Next, Jeevan Gunaratnam, head of government affairs at Philips, presented the results of the latest Philips survey and linked them to four leadership takeaways:
On the second takeaway, he asked delegates how we control the management and flow of AI, and who they should choose to make that happen.
During the panel discussion, the speakers were asked about how undergraduates should be involved with AI. Mike Jones, radiology AI/digital lead at the Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS FT, advised them to “immerse yourself in it”.
“It’s everywhere… look what it’s churning out,” he said.
Psychological safety
Following a lunch break, Georgina Charlton, associate director of delivery at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS FT, delivered the second keynote of the day. The theme was the importance of psychological safety in a team environment.
She told the crowd that psychological safety was important for three reasons – without it, patient safety is compromised, moral stress and burnout rise and toxic and fear-based cultures abound. Georgina also explained a five-minute psychological safety audit, which included questions such as ‘will a mistake be held against you?’ and ‘is it difficult to ask members of this team for help?’, which attendees could ask themselves to ensure they felt safe. “The world we are living in… it’s changing at a pace that is uncontrollable,” she said. “You need to be mindful of the pace of this change.”
During an afternoon break, Synergy caught up with Richard Evans, who was chairing the conference. He said people should attend NCRL both for continuing professional development (CPD) purposes and to benefit from the wealth of knowledge presented at the conference. “It’s important CPD for leaders,” he told Synergy. “There aren’t a great deal of opportunities out there that are specifically set up for leaders to get together, share ideas, learn about best practice and get updates on what’s happening.”
As for the day’s highlights, he praised the “extraordinary” keynote talks and said he was looking forward to hearing the case studies, which were up next in the programme. “We’re also keen to have case study-type work; it’s always great to hear from junior people in the service and people who are looking to develop their workforce,” he continued. “We’re going to hear some more about transformational leadership and the way that we can bring care closer into communities, which is all very important policy.”
Adding value
After the final break of the day, two case studies were introduced on the theme of ‘Quality and innovation adding value’, pertaining to NHS England and NHS Grampian, respectively. These were presented by Sheila Black, head of the community diagnostic centre programme at NHS England, and Sharon Jones, radiology unit operational manager at NHS Grampian.
Then it was time to ask the audience questions. Richard took attendees through some specific queries on topics such as the SoR and Royal College of Radiologists' Quality Standards for Imaging, and presented a Menti that allowed audience members to submit their opinions on how the conference was run. Attendees then spilled out into the main exhibitor area one final time for networking drinks and a last look at the exhibition.
Reflecting on the day’s packed itinerary, Richard praised the way NCRL is designed for those in leadership roles and explained that the NHS should be developing leaders who can advance the health service. “It’s a brilliant event,” he said. “We’ve been doing this in collaboration with Philips for more than 15 years now, and the idea is to provide an event specifically for people in leadership positions in healthcare, particularly around diagnostic imaging.
“It’s vital that healthcare organisations – specifically the NHS, but all sectors – develop leaders who are able to take their services forward for the benefit of their colleagues, for their organisations and, most importantly, for the public.”
More about NCRL
The National Conference for Radiology Leaders (NCRL) is a conference held in May each year. It is a collaborative event organised by the SoR and Philips Healthcare UK. NCRL was previously known as NCRM (National Conference for Radiology Managers).
The conference first launched in 2011 and regularly attracts more than 200 delegates within the UK. To learn more about NCRL and to read about previous conferences, click here.
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