Radiographers to walk out for 48 hours in latest NHS strike action

NHS patients in parts of England could face delays to x-rays, scans and cancer treatment when radiographers walk out for 48 hours in a dispute over pay.

The latest strike to hit the health service was confirmed today by the Society of Radiographers (SoR) trade union.

Members of the union at 43 NHS trusts have voted to walk out between 8am on 25 July and 8am on 27 July.

Bank holiday levels of “life and limb” emergency cover will be provided for patients while the industrial action takes place, it added.

The announcement comes after union members voted to reject the government’s pay offer of 5% plus a non-consolidated lump sum for 2022-23 in an indicative ballot.

Affected NHS trusts include University College London Hospitals, the Royal Marsden, Liverpool University Hospitals, Nottingham University Hospitals and University Hospitals Bristol.

A majority of members were in favour of striking at more than 150 trusts but the required turnout threshold was not reached in many instances.

The union informed affected trusts of the strike by letter on Thursday.

It said radiographers – who carry out scans including x-rays and MRIs as well as radiotherapy for people with cancer – help nine out of 10 NHS patients but “too few” of them are currently being recruited and retained.

This means one million patients are waiting to be seen by a radiographer, it added.

The union also urged the government to discuss “urgent improvements” to radiographers’ pay and conditions to avert the walkout.

Strike action is ‘last resort’

Dean Rogers, the SoR union’s executive director of industrial strategy and member relations, said strike action is “a last resort” but that members believe they have “no alternative”.

He said SoR had been seeking “meaningful discussions with the government without success”, since starting its industrial action ballot across England.

He added SoR was invited to a meeting with health minister Will Quince on Tuesday and Thursday and explained that members were working “long hours for low pay, and that this was forcing radiographers to leave the profession, resulting in chronic understaffing and long waiting lists”.

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Mr Rogers said SoR asked for more pay and a review of the 5% pay offer; funding to support recruitment and retention; support for long-term pay restoration; and clear support for better working conditions.

He said the government “acknowledged our concerns but made no concrete proposals”.

The government “indicated they will not talk to the SoR any further while industrial action is proposed,” he said.

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The union said the government’s long-awaited workforce plan, unveiled last week, is a “plan for the future” which will not plug immediate staff shortages.

Mr Rogers added: “If the government wants to reduce NHS waiting lists and ensure that patients receive the treatment they need, when they need it, then it must urgently prioritise the recruitment and retention of radiography professionals.”

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