ENGLAND — Pregnant women and cancer patients in England are facing delays for vital ultrasound scans due to a shortage of staff. Some ultrasound departments are unable to accommodate all patients requiring emergency pregnancy scans.

The Society of Radiographers says demand for ultrasound has increased in healthcare but there are not enough trained sonographers to meet it. NHS sonographers say patients are facing delays for ultrasound scans used in cancer diagnosis and organ assessment.

Sonographer vacancy rates in England have doubled since 2019, rising from 12% to 24%, according to the Society of Radiographers. The organization's census of sonographers was compiled by contacting managers of more than 110 NHS ultrasound departments across the UK.

Regional vacancy rates vary across England. Sonographer posts in the south east of England have a 38% vacancy rate, while the North West has a 30% vacancy rate and the North East and Yorkshire have an 11% vacancy rate, according to the Society of Radiographers.

"If somebody's coming in with concerns about their pregnancy, about their baby, they would like to be scanned that day, if possible," said Katie Thompson, president of the Society of Radiographers and practising sonographer. "That raises anxiety - and that's not good to have in pregnancy."

Hospitals sometimes redeploy sonographers from other areas to maintain antenatal services, reducing capacity in those other areas. Thompson said that training new sonographers takes quite a long time and that numbers cannot be increased very quickly.

She said that publishing the NHS workforce plan is taking longer than expected, which has hindered efforts to address staffing shortages. "You can't say that you're going to invest in all these new scanners and open all these community diagnostic centres unless you've thought about the professionals who are going to conduct the scans and provide patient care," she said.

Dr Jenny Barber said that the high sonographer vacancy rate is very concerning as doctors are seeing more women with increasingly complex pregnancies. Barber said that meaningful investment in the maternity workforce is needed.

The government has rolled out new community diagnostic centres and expanded opening hours for diagnostic services, according to a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson. The government said this expansion aims to keep patients away from busy hospitals and cared for in their local communities. "We recognise the pressures facing diagnostic services, including the sonography workforce, and we are taking action to ensure the NHS has the skilled staff it needs to meet rising demand and deliver timely care to patients," a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said.

Sonographers have cited limited career progression, low pay, and better private sector opportunities as reasons for considering leaving the NHS, according to the Society of Radiographers. There are 1,821 sonographers in England, according to the organization.