Development of sonography extended practice to accelerate patient care

UWE Bristol has secured funding from NHS England for an exciting new project to further develop sonographer skills.

Background

Many sonographers in the UK are expanding their clinical skills to alleviate long patient waiting lists, but some are experiencing challenges to accessing appropriate training opportunities. To facilitate this, UWE Bristol has secured funding from NHS England to undertake a project in which sonographers are trained by specialist practitioners.

This training will extend their clinical skills to encompass areas such as interventional procedures. Clinical sonographers are well placed to extend their practice, and establish new and innovative approaches to imaging and reporting.

Participants, mentors and managers were interviewed to explore specific challenges and opportunities, and to inform future sonographer role extension.

Sonographer using an ultrasound machine to assess a patients tummy.

"Many sonographers have the desire to extend their scope of practice and develop more specialist skills to help reduce patient waiting lists. But some find it difficult to obtain the necessary practical training. This project will provide an opportunity for them to learn these skills and obtain academic recognition for their new areas of practice through UWE Bristol’s Negotiated Specialist Practice module."

Antonio Sassano, Medical Ultrasound Programme Co-Lead and Senior Lecturer at UWE Bristol

Antonio Sassano Medical Ultrasound Programme Co-Lead and Senior Lecturer at UWE Bristol

Objectives

  • Organise practical workshops at UWE Bristol, led by specialist practitioners.
  • Pair each participant with a clinical expert mentor, and spend time working together with their mentor in clinical practice.
  • Enable participants to also have the opportunity to obtain academic credits for their learning, by completing an assessed academic module at UWE Bristol.
  • Compile a Register of Mentors with specialist skills. This provides contact details for sonographers to contact for advice and guidance on how to extend their practice and establish new services within their departments.
  • Explore the current position of sonographers and departments who want to extend their practice to accelerate patient care.
  • Investigate the potential barriers, challenges and opportunities that exist for sonographers and their departments who would like to extend their practice and offer additional diagnostic/therapeutic services.
  • Explore with the participants the outcome of their training, and whether new services are being offered by them as a result.

About the project

Acquiring these new skills requires a very hands-on method of training. UWE Bristol organised two workshops led by specialist practitioners, Peter Cantin, Consultant Sonographer at University Hospitals Plymouth, and Steve Savage, Consultant Sonographer and Clinical Director at the Radiology Department of Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The workshops consisted of lectures and opportunities to practice advanced techniques on phantoms using ultrasound equipment. Each student was then offered a clinical expert mentor to work with in clinical practice.

  • General biopsy and drainage workshop was held on Thursday 1 February 2024 at UWE Bristol. The workshop included biopsy, fine needle aspiration (head and neck), cyst drainage and paracentesis.
  • A joint injection workshop was held on Friday 2 February 2024 at UWE Bristol. The workshop included shoulder, elbow, hand, knee and foot.

Students also have the opportunity to obtain academic credits for their learning, by completing an assessed academic module at UWE Bristol. All training is fully funded with no academic costs incurred by students. The funding is intended for sonographers based in the South West region of England. This funding is also available to sonographers working in the private sector where NHS contracts are in place.

Impact of the project

Enabling sonographers to extend their practice and develop new skills to undertake procedures such as interventional work (which is currently carried out by radiologists), will help to reduce patient waiting times. In addition, costs per procedure will be reduced by enabling the work to be undertaken by a sonographer rather than a radiologist. Job satisfaction for sonographers will also increase with a subsequent positive impact on staff retention.

Meet the project team