News / Strike
Bristol radiographers join 24-hour strike over pay
A small group of radiographers gathered outside Bristol Royal Infirmary on Tuesday morning as they began a 24-hour strike.
Staff at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust are among those staging walkouts over pay.
The action by members of the Society of Radiographers – the professional body and trade union for all those practising in medical imaging and radiotherapy – is part of a national strike by 37 NHS trusts.
is needed now More than ever
The government previously said its offer of a five per cent pay rise combined with one-off payments totalling at least £1,655 was “reasonable” and “final”.
The Bristol trust said it was “committed to keeping disruption caused by the industrial action to a minimum”.
Amanda Howell joined the picket line outside the BRI
Amanda Howell, a radiographer from Westbury-on-Trym, said there was “a workforce crisis in radiotherapy”.
“People are leaving for jobs that are less stressful or completely changing careers because the pay that we’re getting is not equating to the work that we are doing and the high levels of care that we want to provide.”
Howell said she was inspired to become a radiographer after her friend passed away from leukaemia as a teenager.
“We see a lot of people at potentially the worst point in their lives and we want to provide compassion at every single appointment within radiotherapy,” she said.
“But currently it’s very difficult to do that with time pressures and the lack of staffing.
“It is essentially soul destroying to not be able to provide that level of care every day to a patient who’s struggling.”
Striking radiographers say the profession is “undervalued”, “underfunded” and “underrecognised”
Miriam Deakin, the director of policy at NHS Providers, which represents health service trusts, said: “The radiographers’ strike will hit tens of thousands of patients, compounding the impact of the consultants’ and junior doctors’ three-day walkout.”
She added: “Nine in 10 patients see a radiographer for diagnosis and treatment using X-rays, scans and ultrasounds.”
“Delays to this could mean slower diagnosis and treatment across all areas of care, leading to more patients distress and possibly worse health outcomes.”
Radiographers work in diagnostic services, carrying out X-rays, MRI and CT scans, and in therapeutic services, planning and delivering radiotherapy to cancer patients.
All photos: Betty Woolerton
Read next:
- Consultants join junior doctors for 72-hour strike
- Radiographers begin two-day walkout over pay and staffing
- University support staff begin two-day walkout
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