HC Deb 01 May 1974 vol 872 cc494-7W
Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the establishment at the various grades of radiographer within the National Health Service and the percentage of establishment at these grades.

Dr. Owen

Staffing levels for radiographers are matters for individual employing authorities and no central record of establishments is maintained. A detailed survey of radiographers carried out in 1972 showed, by grade, at 1st April 1972, numbers of radiographers

(1) (2) (3) (4)
Grade Numbers in Post Additional numbers normally employed Columns (2)+(3) Percentage
Basic 2,244.0 481.8 82
Senior 1,567.8 91.9 94
Superintendent I 398.4 12.0 97
Superintendent II 303.4 3.0 99
Superintendent III 89.5 1.0 99
Teacher Principal B 12.5 2.0 86
Teacher Principal A 28.5 1.0 97

Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if she will list those agency services which have supplied radiographers to the National Health Service in the past three years, along with the fees paid to these agencies;

(2) how many employees within the radiographic service of the National Health Service were previously supplied on a temporary basis by agency services; and what fee was paid to each agency for transfer to permanent staff.

Dr. Owen

185.5 agency radiographers —whole-time equivalent—were employed in the National Health Service in England at 30th April 1973, but there is no central record of numbers transferred to direct National Health Service employment. No information on the fees paid is available centrally. In 1972, the latest date for which information is available centrally, the following agencies were supplying radiographers:

  • Agency of Radiographers.
  • >James Alley.
  • Emergency X-Rays (Private) Ltd.
  • Express X-Ray Service.
  • Era Agency.
  • Harlex Radiography Service.
  • R. W. Joyner.
  • King Personnel Ltd.
  • Mobile X-Rays (Private) Ltd.
  • Ortho-Ray Services.
  • Portable X-Rays Ltd.
  • Professional X-Ray Services.
  • Radiographers Agency.
  • Rapid X-Rays (Private) Ltd.
  • S.W. X-Ray Services.
  • Warley X-Ray Service.
  • Wessex Radiographers Agency.
  • X-Ray Agency.
  • X-Ray Staines.

Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the in post and the additional numbers who would normally be employed at that date.

A summary of the returns from hospital authorities in England shows, in whole-time equivalent terms:

qualifications required of each grade of radiographer in the National Health Service.

Dr. Owen

State registration is a normal condition of employment as a radiographer in any grade in the National Health Service. As the qualification for registration of the Radiographers Board currently requires the satisfactory completion of a full-time course of a minimum two years' duration based on the syllabus laid down by the Society of Radiographers.

Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps she is taking to increase recruitment of radiographers within the National Health Service; and if she will make a statement.

Dr. Owen

Recruitment is a matter in the first place for area health authorities. I am considering whether the new authorities would be assisted by central guidance on methods of stimulating recruitment of a number of classes of staff, including radiographers, in particular, and I am also studying ways of further encouraging married women who already qualified as radiographers to return to practise in the National Health Service.

Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the rate of turnover of staff within the radiographic service of the National Health Service.

Dr. Owen

Excluding those who are known to have moved to other National Health Service employment, about 17 per cent. of radiographers in post at 30th April 1972 left during the following year. This figure is derived from a single survey and it is not known whether it is representative of other years.