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Key findings from the Clinical Radiology UK Workforce Census Report 2018 include: Three quarters of radiology clinical directors say they do not have enough radiology consultants to deliver safe and effective patient care. NHS hospitals spent £165m last year on outsourcing, overtime and locums to cover radiologist work, £49m more than in 2017 and three times what was spent in 2014. The amount spent on outsourcing would pay for 1,887 full-time radiologists, which would more than pay to cover the current shortfall of 1,104 consultants. Only one in five UK trusts and health boards has enough interventional radiologists to run a safe 24/7 service to perform urgent procedures . England has seen an increase in its full-time radiologist workforce; however, consultant numbers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are flatlining.

This editorial by Dr Michael Farquhar, published in Anaesthesia, explains the importance of taking breaks while on shift and ensuring a good sleep between shifts and the inextricable link between sleep and patient safety.

Nine key reasons why there should be more investment in analytical capability: Clinicians can use the insights generated by skilled analysts to improve diagnosis and disease management. National and local NHS leaders can evaluate innovations and new models of care to find out if expected changes and benefits were realised. Board members of local NHS organisations and systems can use analysis to inform changes to service delivery in complex organisations and care systems. Local NHS leaders can improve the way they manage, monitor and improve care quality day-to-day. Senior NHS decision makers can better measure and evaluate improvements and respond effectively to national incentives and regulation. Managers can make complex decisions about allocating limited resources and setting priorities for care. Local NHS leaders will gain a better understanding of how patients flow through the system. New digital tools can be developed and new data interpreted so clinicians and managers can better collaborate and use their insights to improve care. Patients and the public will be able to better use and understand health care data. Action and investment is needed across the system so the NHS has the right people with the right tools to interpret and create value from its data. This could result in an NHS that can make faster progress on improving outcomes for patients.

Q: Alison, please tell us about yourself? A: I started out as an engineer and then went on to become a registered nurse. I worked in cancer for about 15 years and became an Advanced Nurse Practitioner. I also studied PG medicine and data science so have an eclectic background. I spend a lot of my time researching the relationship between workforces and safety. Q: What got you involved in patient safety? A: As a registered nurse, safety is a core part of the job and I’ve always worked in industries which take safety seriously. For some time, I was calculating optimum caseloads for people like specialist nurses and various people approached me to see if it could be done for the wider workforce. I like looking at complex issues, so I’ve worked on several problems. Q: You have had a varied career – which role has been the most challenging and why? A: Nursing has been the most challenging because nursing generally isn’t valued or seen for the contribution it brings. I struggle to communicate to decision makers/policy makers the risk of diluting the skill of the frontline workforce. Q: We often hear in healthcare that we can learn from other industries – what needs to change to enable the NHS to become a high performing organisation? A: Mostly a shift in culture – being more open when things don’t go well, learning from issues and experiences as they arise and learning from when things do go well. I think employers need to change their view of the people they employ – too often they are seen as some kind of expensive burden instead of an essential asset. Q: Who inspires you, and why? A: A lot of people inspire me. I think really though I keep doing this because I see people going to work everyday under quite difficult conditions. A lot of patients and families who have suffered but still campaign, like Sara Ryan and Julie Bailey, have given tremendous insight into to the very real challenge we face. I think we are fortunate that people who work in patient safety tend to have a real passion for it. Q: How do you envisage patient safety in the future, and how are you playing a part? A: I'd like to see the same legislative framework that other industries have. My part is largely modelling using data – I'd like to see an improvement in the quality of healthcare data so that it's more sensitive to things like workloads and safety. A: If you had a magic wand, what would you add to make safer care for patients? Q: If I could wave a magic wand, I would introduce safety legislation and a proper safety management system into health. As someone at NASA said to me “people shouldn’t need courage to come to work”.