A proposal that asked the Society to give advice and support to assistant practitioners to attain Band 5, was likened to the 'devil's work' by one delegate during a heated debate that took place during the Monday morning session at the Annual Delegates Conference.
Close to 200 representatives from across the UK gathered in Brighton to debate 59 motions and a rule change covering a wide range of radiography related issues as well as public policy issues such as the wearing of cycle helmets, prescription costs, and preventing fuel poverty.
Calling for "equal pay for equal clinical roles and responsibilities," Katy Marsden, an assistant practitioner (AP) who works in the Eastern Region, told delegates about APs "working daily within a different scope of practice to the one they initially qualified for.
"They have increased their scope with the encouragement of the radiography workforce. They are performing different tasks to other APs, perhaps even in the same department," she said.
"These staff are worthy of Band 5 pay scales if they can meet the expectations of that banding."
Despite strong support for Motion 13 amongst members of the Society's Council, a queue of speakers opposing it formed at the podium.
Neil Howard from North West Region was one of its strongest critics: "If the devil himself had decided to take an interest in the destruction of radiography and wanted to propose a motion to ADC, I suspect it would be something like this."
He went on to explain that his opposition to the motion was because Band 5 jobs "require knowledge across an area of practice, allowing the job holder to operate as an independent practitioner. We already have this level of independent professionally accountable practitioner within our ranks. They are called radiographers.
"APs have the opportunity to become radiographers by completing the second half of a radiography degree course."
In her right-to-reply, Katy pointed out that not all APs want to become radiographers and, in some instances, do not have the option to do so.
The conference overwhelmingly voted against Motion 13.
James Clarke, a student from the University of the West of England welcomed the decision: "If an AP can receive in some areas of the NHS a band five salary and a fully qualified radiographer band five in other areas then why have radiographers completing that role at all? With APs supplanting the role of the radiographer and nurses also encroaching on our profession (in the fields of sonography and in theatre) it would be fair to say that the role of the radiographer is under pressure."
Since then the debate has continued on the SoR website, with many students and APs writing in with comments.
Other motions carried at the conference asked the SoR UK Council to:
• Lobby for non-means tested bursaries for all health profession undergraduates;
• Lobby the Higher Education Funding Councils to re-instate the funding of student membership to the SoR for the duration of their undergraduate programme;
• Engage with managers to encourage, support and promote educational radiographers within the clinical setting by providing conducive conditions to facilitate the development of students and staff.
Click here to see all the motions and updates as to whether they have been carried or failed.
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