Senior clinical radiologists cannot fulfill their job by working 100% remotely, according to the U.K. Royal College of Radiologists (RCR).
The RCR has released a statement on 17 November to indicate it will not support any job plans for consultant radiologists who are based entirely out of the hospital, unless there are genuinely exceptional circumstances.
"There should be sufficient consultant clinical radiologists physically present in the department to maintain the 'critical mass' required to support and lead imaging teams and the imaging service," the statement said.
The RCR said it is "completely aware" of the difficulty many departments have in recruiting sufficient staff to provide a comprehensive, safe clinical service and of the innovative and creative solutions needed to maintain service provision. However, it added, there is a belief that the complex role of a consultant clinical radiologist should not be delivered from an entirely remote working pattern.
The consultant role is multifaceted and involves clinical leadership, training, and interspecialty discussions on complex cases, as well as on-call duties, the RCR added.
