Many hospitals are delaying advertising for radiographers to save on staffing costs, it has been claimed.

The Society of Radiographers (SoR) said a survey of more than 1,300 radiographers found that one in three reported that their hospital had delayed advertising to fill vacant roles to save money.

One respondent said: “If someone has given their notice to leave, work will not advertise the post until months later.”

Another said: “We are haemorrhaging staff due to poor morale and burnout. The trust waits until the day the person leaves before advertising, knowing it can take six months from advert to start date then another six months of training before the new recruit is up to speed. Shambles.”

Dean Rogers, SoR executive director of industrial strategy, said: “Most of our members are working in departments that are already understaffed, sometimes severely so. There is simply no slack in the system, there are no additional hours left to work safely.

“Delaying advertising for vacant roles might save the hospital some money, but at what cost? Two-thirds of our members are already telling us that they’ve experienced burnout.

“Making radiographers work even longer and harder while the hospital delays recruiting to their team will only lead to more people burning out and leaving the profession entirely – which creates an additional burden on those who remain.

“The SoR is eager to engage positively with the government, and to help shape its 10-year plan for the NHS.

“We want to be part of the solution to the crisis in the NHS but that solution must include a proper long-term plan, with proper long-term workforce funding to match.”