“Shocking shortage” of radiologists adds to NHS pressures in Wales

Experts have warned that a “shocking shortage” of radiologists could risk patient safety and make it “extremely difficult” to reduce waiting lists brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) Wales has the UK’s worst shortage, with 38 per cent fewer consultants than were needed to keep up with demand.

Charities have called the figure alarming.

Senior doctors have expressed their concern that there are not enough consultants to keep patients safe, and said that the shortage would make it very difficult to manage the significant backlog of treatments and tests that built up during the pandemic.

Dr Toby Wells, consultant radiologist, who represents the RCR in Wales, said the pandemic had increased the pressure significantly, but there had been a “crisis” in recruitment for years, leading to a “shocking shortage”, adding “We’re trying to catch up that backlog but it’s on a background of a shortage of radiologists, a shortage of scanners, a shortage of radiographers.”

He said that there have also been changes in working practices, with radiologists scanning less people each day due to social distancing measures, and added “Trying to accommodate that and make any progress, and catching up, is difficult.”

Although there had been a reduction in the number of patients awaiting scans since February, he said there was a “huge backlog of patients waiting to see surgeons” which would lead to an increase in workload.

Richard Pugh of Macmillan Cancer Support in Wales, said he was “concerned at the level of radiology workforce gaps in Wales, which is part of wider gaps across the Welsh cancer workforce that make tackling the cancer backlog caused by the pandemic even harder.

“Macmillan’s analysis of Welsh cancer waiting times shows there were around 1,550 fewer first treatments for cancer in the year since the start of the pandemic compared to the same period a year before.”

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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