The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) has launched its clinical radiology and clinical oncology census reports for 2021.
All the UK’s clinical directors and heads of service have completed the annual survey which helps the RCR to identify current pressures, gaps and concerns amongst the workforces as they stood on September 1 2021 for clinical radiology and October 1 2021 for clinical oncology.
The RCR has revealed that the reports demonstrate the scale of workforce shortages in radiology and oncology departments across the country and the devastating impact on patients.
RCR President Dr Jeanette Dickson: “Whenever I speak to consultant radiologists and consultant oncologists, the number one issue is workforce.
“The situation we’re in is simply unsustainable, and as these reports show, the impact of doctor shortages is being felt across the country and affecting our ability to diagnose cancer, heart disease, stroke and many other devastating diseases.
“More training places have been provided recently, but we need a long term, fully funded sustained investment that builds in a permanent increase in training numbers, Trust funding to employ these trainees, and significant investment in IT and equipment. Doctors are burnt out and if we don’t address these workforce issues soon, the picture is going to get a lot worse in future years.”
The RCR, which is widely recognised for defining standards in imaging and cancer treatment, is calling for long-term strategy with sustained investment to grow the workforce. This includes a sustained increase in trainee numbers, a clear strategy for global recruitment and a focus on doctor retention.
For further information, or to read the reports, visit https://www.rcr.ac.uk/census2021
