CASE STUDY

Radiology Support Programme - Skills Mix Module

Radiology Support Programme

Background

Understanding their workforce skills was not something that was readily available for this Radiology Department in the South West of England. This lack of transparency of who could do what was having a major impact on delivering the service for patients, planning rotas and on staff confidence and development.

Post

Xytal in Action

Recognising that there must be a better way, Xytals Radiology Support Programme supported the department to understand the current skills mix of their Radiographers, Sonographers and Healthcare Assistants. Offering a safe and friendly environment, our consultants supported the team to understand their current workforce and skill mix challenges and the impact these were having on patients, staff and the department as a whole.

Together a colour coded visual skills matrix was created allowing the team to see for the first time, at a glance, the department’s overall capacity and understand how many staff could perform each activity. This enabled the team to identify gaps and opportunities in their current skills mix which has led to more informed workforce future planning.

Results

The Skills Mix module has enabled the department to make the most effective use of their skills and supported staff to operate at the top of their license. Improvements to the rota process and the upskilling of staff to vet X-ray requests has provided significant time savings for the department (3 hours per week).

What our clients say
  • ‘It’s so positive to have a complete overview of who does what. The process has been very supportive. It’s helped us tease out the answers.’ Consultant Sonographer
  • ‘The sessions have helped us to really articulate what our issues are. You can’t just explain something like this or solve it within 10 minutes, you need a process like this to help you really unpick it. Having to say these issues out loud, and you [Xytal facilitator] are asking all the right questions.’ Clinical Lead Radiographer
  • ‘This will give us the true picture of our establishment. The numbers on the shop floor don’t always give you the whole picture, but this will help us share what we actually have. We needed a different way of sharing our establishment and this has helped.’ Head of Imaging