Clinical radiology UK workforce census 2015

 Insufficient numbers of clinical radiologists in the UK.  Demand is increasing much faster than the workforce.  Patients waiting too long for imaging results  Spending on outsourcing increased by 51% between 2014–2015.  Investment is needed in long-term solutions to provide a sustainable workforce. The main findings

 99% of departments were unable to meet their reporting requirements in  This has risen from 88% in  This is inevitable given that the increase in workload has outpaced the workforce expansion for some years. Services in crisis

Supply and demand – England

Supply and demand – Scotland

 The result of this workforce crisis is that patients are waiting too long for their imaging test results.  This means more anxiety, delayed treatment and potentially worse patient outcomes. Patient impact

 To try and meet demand, radiology departments are: Outsourcing reporting to the independent sector Making additional payments to their radiologists to report outside of contracted hours.  These are short-term, unsustainable solutions; the money spent on this should be reinvested in the NHS. Unsustainable solutions

 There is a consistent 9% vacancy rate in radiology services.  This is likely to be an underestimation of the problem, as many departments have abandoned efforts to recruit as a result of previous failed attempts.  46% of vacancies have been unfilled for 8 months or more. Long-term difficulties

 Clinical radiology has one of the lowest proportions of trainees to consultants when compared to other medical specialties.  With planned retirements in the next 5 to 10 years, some departments and specialties will be stretched to breaking point.  It is vital to invest in training numbers now to ensure that radiology departments can provide safe and timely care to patients. Unsustainable workforce

 Addressing the workforce crisis is the key focus for the RCR.  The census data provides vital evidence to support the case for increased training numbers in discussions with Health Education England.  We have set out a vision for training for the next 10 years to maximise the training capacity within radiology.  We are promoting clinical radiology as a career choice.  We have run two successful Working in the UK session at the European Congress of Radiology to put UK recruiters in touch with European radiologists who are interested in working in the UK. What is the RCR doing about it?

 Once again, the clinical radiology UK workforce census achieved a 100% response rate.  This makes the data much more robust and helps to strengthen our case when working to influence health policy.  Thank you to all those who completed the census, without your support we would not have the vital statistics to support our ongoing efforts to resolve the radiology workforce crisis. Thank you