“We can only do so much”

A 48-hour strike across Northern Ireland saw radiographers demanding better pay and conditions to help tackle the dire recruitment and retention problems besetting the profession.

The lack of radiographers means there are now 188,881 people in Northern Ireland waiting for a diagnostic test – almost 10 per cent of the population. The two days of protests culminated in SoR members joining fellow union colleagues in a rally outside Belfast City Hall in an attempt to “collectively call our politicians to action”. 

The SoR's Northern Ireland national officer Cora Regan gave a passionate speech to the crowd, blaming political inaction for the crisis while thanking the public for their support and understanding.  

“We have been backed into a corner. This is a cry for help from our workforce. We can only do so much. Patients are waiting longer in Northern Ireland than they are anywhere else in the UK, and that's down to political inaction."

Cora told Synergy: “The turnout was fantastic and the enthusiasm and determination shown by every single person on every picket line, despite some inclement weather, was inspirational to everyone they met.

“There was huge public support and massive media coverage, with radiographers featuring on radio and television news, front and centre. I am immensely proud of every single person who stood in solidarity with their colleagues and fellow trade union members in Northern Ireland.”

Ninety per cent of those who voted in the strike ballot said that they wanted to take industrial action in order to secure improvements to pay and conditions, increase recruitment and retention of radiography professionals – and thus cut waiting times for patients.

A diagnostic radiographer in a Northern Ireland hospital said that she worked so many hours to ensure her patients received the best possible care in the face of staff shortages that she endangered her own health.

“I went into this job because I have empathy, but you don’t have time to have empathy now. No-one forced me to work the number of hours I worked but I didn’t want to let my team down, and we were really short-staffed. There was no capacity.”

The radiographer developed a serious infection. She turned up for her shift doubled over in pain but insisted that she was able to work. “Eventually, I went to A&E and was given morphine right away, because my bloods were so bad. I was given pain relief, and then I said: ‘I can go back to work now’. They said: ‘No you can’t. You’re being admitted.’”

“I hope the strike will achieve recognition that there aren’t enough staff. The public don’t see staff crying or breaking down. They don’t see the tears. The staff shortages are so bad it’s scary. Go into any department in any trust, and it’s the same story. This isn’t acceptable any more.”