Royal College of Radiologists

Looking forward to working with the shadow health team in what's shaping up to be a busy year for health policy affecting our specialties.

RCR President Dr Stephen Harden and Stuart Andrew MP standing next to each other and smiling in parliament

Yesterday, our President Dr Stephen Harden met with Stuart Andrew, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

We discussed the role our specialties play in diagnosis and care, workforce pressures, waiting times, AI, advances in IR and more 🗣️

Thank you Grahame Morris for highlighting the impact of NHS recruitment freezes in parliament yesterday.

Hiring bans in cancer centres have more than doubled in the last year. The government must act now or risk widening inequalities in access to life-saving care.

Cancer and waiting lists: Recruitment bans and cancelled operations are derailing progress, leaders warn NHS cost cutting measures are undermining national efforts to reduce waiting times for cancer care and elective treatment, health leaders have said. It comes amid reports of a surge in recruitment ba...

Our new data shows that the number of NHS radiology departments and cancer centres imposing recruitment freezes on consultants doubled in the past year ❌

Read more in @bmj.com ⬇️
https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s272

A vertical bar chart showing the proportion of departments reporting recruitment freezes in percentages. The chart displays four bars: CO 2024 at 23%, CO 2025 at 54%, CR 2024 at 19%, and CR 2025 at 36%. Bars for CO are in dark purple and for CR in pink.

Hiring bans may appear to cut costs in the short term, but rising demand means teams must rely on expensive alternatives to fill the gaps.

Take a look at the preliminary data on recruitment freezes from our upcoming census ⬇️

www.rcr.ac.uk/news-policy/...

NHS hiring bans in cancer units shortsighted and dangerous, doctors warn Exclusive: RCR says recruitment freezes in treatment centres doubled in 2025 and could undermine government’s care plans

Recruitment freezes in NHS cancer centres and radiology departments doubled in 2025, according to RCR census data 📈

Our President, Dr Stephen Harden, told @theguardian.com that this shortsighted measure undermines government plans: www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Dr Nicky Thorp, Vice-President of Clinical Oncology, alongside a text statement emphasising the importance of collaborating with clinicians to enhance cancer care across the country.

We're pleased to see the National Cancer Plan reflect our priorities, including the radical reform of inefficient multidisciplinary team meetings.

Our vice-president for clinical oncology, Dr Nicky Thorp, shares her initial thoughts 🔽

www.rcr.ac.uk/news-policy/...

#WorldCancerDay