Pregnant women and cancer patients could face “life-threatening” delays due to a growing shortage of sonographers, experts have warned.
According to the Society of Radiographers (SOR), the vacancy rate for sonographers across England is 24.2%, rising to 38.2% in some areas.
Additionally, the census found that one in every 13 (7.6%) sonographers are planning to retire within the next year.
Sonographers perform ultrasound scans that are essential for pregnancy care and are also used for diagnosis. cancer.
Pregnant women undergo scans when their baby is 12 weeks old and then again at 20 weeks.
Katie Thompson, SoR president and a practicing sonographer, said the shortage was forcing hospitals to call in physicians from other areas to keep prenatal services running “at the expense of those other services.”
“Hospitals try their best to conduct three-month and five-month antenatal checkups on time,” he said.
“But when there are not enough staff, prioritizing those scans impacts subsequent fetal development scans, which in some cases need to be done within 24 or 36 hours.
“Departments struggle to fit patients who need these emergency scans.”
Ms Thompson said ultrasound also plays a role in cancer diagnosis, with a patient’s “first check” often being an ultrasound.
Follow-up care after treatment “often takes the form of regular ultrasound scans,” he said.
“The government’s recent cancer plan calls for increasing testing and reducing waiting lists,” he said.
“But sonography is one of the starting points for people with cancer.
“With the current workforce shortage, it is going to be very difficult to reduce wait times.
“And if the cancer is not picked up when it should be picked up, it can have an impact on the patient’s outcome.”
Ultrasound is also used during cancer diagnosis and treatment. Photo: iStock
The highest vacancy rates for sonographers were in the South East of England, where almost two in five positions are vacant (38.2%).
There is also a 34.6% shortage in London, and three in 10 vacancies in the North West (30%).
The SOR said the North East and Yorkshire had a lower reduction of 11%.
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Ms Thompson said it “takes a long time” to train new sonographers, so the numbers can’t be increased too quickly.
“The fact that numbers have declined shows that the number of sonographers being trained is not keeping pace with demand and is not sustained over the long term,” he said.
He said that the government’s schemes will improve Health Care, through the anticipated release of its NHS Workforce Plan and the recent Cancer Plan, will meet the staff shortage.
“You can’t say you’re going to invest in all these new scanners and open all these community diagnostic centers unless you’ve thought about the professionals who will be doing the scans and taking care of the patient,” he said.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We recognize the pressures facing clinical services, including the sonography workforce, and we are taking action to ensure the NHS has the skilled staff needed to meet increasing demand and provide timely care to patients.
“We have already taken action to expand services for patients, launching new community diagnostic centers and extending opening hours, keeping patients away from busy hospitals and into care in their local communities.”
