‘Keep going, keep moving forward’: ADC 2025
With a packed itinerary consisting of elections, a record number of motions and a gala dinner, Synergy recaps the 2025 Annual Delegates’ Conference
The 2025 edition of ADC marked a new era. Taking place on 28-30 April, the conference made a significant move from its traditional home in Leeds to London, being held in the spacious Novotel London West in Hammersmith for the first time. With a mini heatwave sweeping London outside, attendees were treated to air-conditioned spaces and 91 motions steering the future direction of the SoR.
ADC is a three-day event held in April each year, with the exception of the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. Around 350 SoR members attend each year, including regional representatives and national officers. Each regional committee and national council send an elected delegation to attend.
This year, ADC coincided with the SoR’s Annual Student Conference, which took place before the main event on 28 April. Amid a packed itinerary, student attendees had the opportunity to discuss the results of the 2024 National Student Placement Survey with Nichola Jamison, the SoR’s student support officer, and to listen to a talk on neuroinclusive workplaces by Emma Stevens, a workplace coach for autism and ADHD.
Charlotte Beardmore, the SoR’s executive director for professional policy, attended part of the student conference. “It was really fantastic to see such enthusiastic students attending the event,” she says. “A fantastic programme was put together by Nichola Jamison and Gill Harrison. There was really good interaction, particularly in relation to the early results presented by Nichola on the student survey.
“Some talked about how positive their student experience had been. Nicola presented the data that showed some less positive experiences, and some of that was echoed in the room. But there was generally good support.”
Communication is key
The following two days were dominated by ADC’s main event – the debating of motions. Motions are submitted by each region and county and are either carried or not carried based on delegate votes at ADC. The motions are presented to allow delegates to help shape the direction of the SoR in regards to key issues. Motions that are carried are passed on to the UK Council to be discussed and potentially implemented over the next year. This year, ADC saw a record 91 motions read. A total of 70 were read on the first day of motions.
While the motion debates took up much of the itinerary, in true ADC style there were also many opportunities to network and connect with fellow attendees throughout the conference. Tom Welton, president of the SoR, commented on how easily delegates were able to switch between connecting with one another and carrying out the task at hand. “It always astonishes me how quickly people get into the rhythm of ADC, going from zero to ‘let’s get through all the motions’,” Tom tells Synergy. “The business of the SoR just seems to click into place, which is great.
“When you’re in the throes of your job, in quite difficult times in healthcare, coming to places like this – networking, getting to know people, understanding what’s going on at different hospitals – you can’t underrate that.”
Motion debates
Day one of the motions saw a number of thought-provoking ideas raised.
A motion to introduce a ‘newly qualified’ status for healthcare professionals was also carried, as was a motion petitioning the government to fund routine cardiac screening for high-risk people under the age of 35.
Rachel Nolan, SoR vice president, chaired both days of motion debates. “I absolutely loved chairing ADC,” she says. “I did end up being quite strict with speakers and the timings of speeches as I was very conscious of how much we had to get through. I’m pleased to say I kept us to time and even got ahead on day one.
“I think there were some very good arguments for the motions raised with some compelling opposition. The thing I will take away is how passionate about the profession everyone was.”
An important aspect for Rachel was that members leave the conference feeling like they have a voice at ADC, “and that we as the UK Council will work hard to fulfil the asks from the approved motions”.
Large number of first-time speakers
Richard Evans, CEO of the SoR, was on stage as each motion was read. “I’ve been really impressed today,” he told Synergy on day one of the motions. “Mostly by the number of new faces; new people here who are taking their courage in both hands and standing up and presenting – either a motion, or supporting one or making a seconding speech – that’s been fantastic.”
While a majority of the motions presented across the two days were carried, Richard acknowledged the difficulty of having a motion fail for those who support it. “We’ve been fortunate in the first half day to have some real debate, with people opposing motions as well as supporting them,” he continued. “So we hear both sides of the argument.
“Some motions have fallen as a result, and the room goes against. But people seem to be taking that in really good part. It must be very hard when you’ve worked hard on something [and] you get up to present to find that it doesn’t gain support. But the amount of enthusiasm in the room and support for speakers has been fantastic. It’s been really good to see, and to be a part of it once again.”
Day one of the motions ended with a gala dinner, where the Rep of the Year 2025 winners received their awards. The winners for each region were announced in March. However, the overall Rep of the Year winner, Samantha Kemp, wasn’t announced until the dinner.
ADC wraps up on a positive note
On the morning of 30 April, delegates filed into the main conference room for the final day of ADC. The remaining 21 motions read that day were centred on topics such as health and safety, the HCPC and communications.
But it was AI that generated much debate during day two. Motion 86, titled Promoting AI Integration Alongside Person-Centred Care in Radiology and Radiotherapy, called on the UK Council to support the College of Radiographers and the College of Radiographers Industry Partnership Scheme (CoRIPS) in collaborating to promote how AI technologies can enhance person-centred care, but not replace it. The motion was ultimately carried. Motion 87, which urged the UK Council to look at how AI can enhance the role of a rep, was also carried.
Before the day wrapped up, committee nominations took place. Nominees were given the opportunity to present on why they should have a place on their respective committees. Following a delegate vote, Doreen Mutambuze was elected to the role of student observer to the UK Council. Rebecca Dan-Zaria and Daniel Smith were appointed to the Trade Union Education Committee, and Ifeanyi Obike and Catherine Mackay were named as UK Council observers.
How do delegates benefit from ADC?
With the motion debates at the event’s core, it’s clear how ADC benefits the SoR. It is made aware of what issues matter most to radiographers, and can address these over the next 12 months. But how does ADC benefit radiographers?
An overtone at ADC was how the NHS and the healthcare workforce are currently struggling. With the bombshell abolition of NHS England just getting started, attendees were aware that this ADC was no ordinary radiographer gathering. Tom Welton believes that ADC 2025 saw radiographers come away with an important message: that they’re not alone. “People up and down the UK are all struggling with their roles at the moment; hospitals up and down the country are the same,” he says. “I want people to take away that, when you’re in a position like this – when it’s difficult in healthcare – you’ve got to have people around you to keep you going and keep you moving through, whether that’s in your own hospital department or whether it’s another department – regional, national.
“This is what the SoR, to me, should be about – having that platform to be able to voice your concerns, your issues, your feelings, what’s going well, and to get that support.”
Opportunities to connect
Rachel Nolan feels radiographers benefitted from the event’s move from Leeds to London. “I feel this year’s ADC was one of the best as we were all in one location again,” she says. “This made it possible to have fringe meetings and an events space that were well supported by attendees.
“The networking opportunities were improved and I was part of many exciting conversations about the profession and how we can improve things for both our members and patients.”
For Charlotte Beardmore, ADC offers an annual opportunity to forge new relationships within radiography, as well as enrich existing connections. Not only do delegates benefit, the SoR does, too. “The benefits of being here together; you can meet people you’ve met before – re-establish those relationships,” she explains. “It’s such an important opportunity to network, to meet new people from whole diverse areas of the profession, working in different areas of the practice, in education, in research, but also from right across the UK. That’s been fantastic.
“But also it’s really important for the society. We can then further reach out to these members for advice and input into some of our work. We’re here for our members. We’re here to serve them.”
More about ADC
The Annual Delegates’ Conference (ADC) is an SoR event that takes place in April each year. Annually, ADC attracts around 300 delegates, which includes regional representatives and national officers. To find out more about ADC, and to see conference recordings from previous years, click here.
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