A system under strain: Rising demand, static workforce – shaping the future of diagnostics
Women in Leadership blog
by Annabel Bentley, Group Chief Medical Officer, Medica Group
Every year, women in leadership remind us of what thoughtful, responsible system design can achieve. Across healthcare, women lead with clarity and purpose, not only representing their professions but shaping how services evolve under growing pressure. For me, this reflection goes beyond titles or visibility: how we design services that work more effectively, and how we scale solutions that help solve the problem all healthcare systems face of increasing demand for diagnostics with limited healthcare staff to meet that demand. In healthcare, that responsibility is shared by clinicians making complex decisions, operational teams keeping services running, IT leaders developing tech, educators building future capability, and leaders working to remove barriers so others can do their best work.
My reflection is grounded in that shared reality. Demand for diagnostic services continues to rise, resources are constrained, and pressure on NHS teams has rarely been greater. Against that backdrop, recognising the role of women in leadership is not just about celebrating achievement; it is about asking how we design systems that genuinely support radiologists and clinicians to deliver care safely, effectively, and with better outcomes for patients.
At Medica, we are proud that women are well represented across our organisation, including in senior leadership roles. That balance matters because diverse perspectives strengthen how decisions are made, not just about strategy, but about how services are governed, delivered and experienced by those using and providing them.
Meeting a growing need, with limited resources
At Medica, we support over 2.5 million NHS patients every year, and we see demand continuing to increase, more scans, increasing complexity, and growing need for timely diagnoses, while the number of radiologists is not. The RCR estimates there is currently a 29% shortfall in radiologists and predicts this is set to rise to 39% by 2029 if no action is taken. (Reference: RCR Clinical radiology and clinical oncology workforce census report)
In this environment, progress is not driven by working harder alone. It comes from matching scarce resources to variable demands across the healthcare system more intelligently. That means streamlining clinical workflows, automating repetitive tasks where appropriate, and ensuring clinicians can focus their time on the decisions and interpretations that require clinical judgement.
It is about ensuring the right expertise reaches the right patient at the right time, and that radiologists and clinicians are supported to work safely, sustainably, and reducing burn out.
Becoming a system shaper, not just a service provider
Leadership in healthcare requires us to think seriously about the kind of systems we are building for the future. For me, that means looking beyond short-term capacity solutions and asking how organisations like Medica can take greater responsibility for strengthening diagnostic pathways as a whole.
My vision for Medica is clear: to act as a system partner and innovator, not simply a provider of reporting capacity. That requires long-term thinking, about how scarce resources are matched to variable demand across the healthcare system, so that diagnostic services can become more resilient as pressure continues to grow.
We have the foundations, ambition, and capability to bring together large networks of highly skilled reporters, supported by robust governance, processes, and technology. This is not about celebrating size or reach; it is about creating the flexibility needed to respond safely and effectively to fluctuating demand, using limited clinical resources well.
Ultimately, this approach must focus on improving outcomes, reducing delays, and helping overstretched healthcare systems function more reliably. This is the leadership challenge I believe matters most: using influence and responsibility to improve how care is delivered sustainably, for clinicians and patients alike.
Deploying AI safely, and with purpose
Innovation in healthcare is shaped by people who stay curious, those who ask questions, challenge assumptions, and continually look for better ways of working. In diagnostics, that curiosity, combined with a commitment to lifelong learning is essential if new tools are to genuinely strengthen clinical practice and serve patients well.
One of the clearest examples of this is the responsible deployment of AI.
AI is not a shortcut. Used in a targeted, thoughtful way, it can support clinicians by triaging cases, prioritising risk, and reducing repetitive workload. Used poorly, it can add complexity, bias, or undermine trust. That is why governance, transparency and accountability are not optional, they are fundamental.
Women clinicians are playing a critical role in shaping how AI is introduced safely into clinical practice. By carving out her own path as an expert in clinical AI, Dr Amrita Kumar is helping to lead how Medica tests and deploys AI responsibly.
“Women bring a unique perspective to AI, shaped by an instinctive awareness of who can be left behind by systems not designed with everyone in mind. That awareness makes us naturally rigorous about governance and bias; we ask who the algorithm was trained on, whether it performs equitably across diverse populations, and who is accountable when it doesn’t. In radiology, where AI is supporting critical diagnostic decisions, that scrutiny is essential. We bring a collaborative, patient-centred lens to deployment, asking not just ‘does it work?’ but ‘does it work fairly, safely, and for everyone?’ The future of responsible AI in healthcare will be built by those who refuse to accept innovation without accountability.”
Dr Amrita Kumar, AI Clinical Lead, Medica Group
Clinical responsibility for decisions about diagnosis and treatment must always remain with clinicians. When AI is implemented carefully and with curiosity, it enhances clinical judgement rather than replacing it, freeing radiologists to focus their expertise on the most complex cases, where it matters most.
Learning is a lifelong commitment
One of the most important priorities for a sustainable future workforce is the importance of access to learning, development and opportunity. If diagnostic services are to remain strong in the future, we must continue to invest in people at every stage of their careers. It is also about widening access to opportunity, wherever women are in their professional journey. As Dr Sarah Perrin often reminds us:
“The provision of medical education and ongoing learning is essential to ensure clinical excellence and optimise patient care”
Dr Sarah Perrin, Clinical Lead, Appraisal and Educate by Medica, Medica Group
Learning is not only about individual progression. It strengthens services, builds confidence, and ensures that expertise continues to grow and evolve in line with patient need.
Educate by Medica: widening access to expertise
At Medica, our commitment to learning extends beyond our own reporters. Through Educate by Medica, we support clinicians with high-quality CPD, skills development and specialist training, helping to widen access to expertise and strengthen standards across diagnostic services.
Much like the wider organisation, Educate is shaped by a diverse team, including many women, who play a pivotal role in designing curricula, developing faculty networks, and ensuring our programmes are inclusive and accessible. By supporting learning in this way, we help create diagnostic services that are more resilient, more consistent and better equipped for the future.
Leadership perspectives
Perspective from Jayne Davey
Strengthening diagnostic services requires more than clinical excellence alone. It depends on how organisations are led to drive continuous quality improvement, alongside the effective adoption of new technology, workforce redesign, and the creation of sustainable long-term capacity. These challenges sit at the heart of the pressures facing healthcare systems today.
Jayne Davey, UK CEO of Medica Group, brings a system-wide perspective to these issues, grounded in the operational realities faced by healthcare providers, and in Medica’s responsibility as a trusted partner to the NHS.
For Jayne, effective leadership starts with creating a culture where colleagues can grow at every level. She recognises the importance of representation in shaping future leadership and is proud of the diversity reflected within Medica’s senior team. Central to her approach is removing barriers to progression so that opportunity is driven by potential. This commitment not only strengthens individual careers but also supports organisational resilience and underpins Medica’s purpose to improve the lives of patients through diagnostics.
We invited Jayne to share her reflections on her career, what drives her work, and the values that guide her as a leader:
“I’ve been incredibly lucky throughout my career to work with leaders who recognised and nurtured talent, regardless of gender or background. I’ve always tried to carry that same approach into my own leadership. Some of the people I supported from the very start of their careers have since gone on to become very senior leaders within their organisations, and I’m deeply proud of them all.
Helping to grow our own talent not only creates brilliant career opportunities but also strengthens the resilience and diversity of the organisations we lead.
At Medica, we are proud to have strong female leadership across the organisation. That representation really matters. Having spent a decade as the only woman on a board, I didn’t always appreciate the significance of that visibility, but over time I’ve come to understand how powerful and important it can be. It helps people see what’s possible and know there is a space for them at the table.
For me, leadership has always been about lifting others as you rise, opening doors, sharing your own experience and helping to break down barriers so everyone has the opportunity to succeed. When we support and champion one another, we create an environment where women can build meaningful careers and reach their full potential.”
Jayne Davey, UK CEO, Medica Group
Jayne’s perspective reinforces the critical role inclusive leadership plays in strengthening diagnostic services. By investing in people and supporting talent across the organisation, Medica is helping to build a more resilient, sustainable healthcare system for the future.
Her contribution brings a strategic, organisational lens to the discussion, reinforcing the role Medica can play in shaping a stronger, more resilient diagnostic system for the future
Perspectives from senior leaders in Ireland
Healthcare systems face different pressures and priorities, meaning leadership approaches must adapt to local needs. In Ireland, Caroline Byrne, Managing Director of Medica Ireland, reflects on how diagnostic services are evolving and where targeted leadership can support more sustainable service delivery.
Caroline brings a deep understanding of the workforce realities underpinning diagnostic services and the importance of recognising and supporting the people who deliver care every day:
“Across radiography and sonography in Ireland, women make up a significant proportion of the workforce that keeps diagnostic services running every day. Their expertise, clinical judgement and patient-centred approach are fundamental to safe and effective imaging pathways.
The foundations of medical imaging were shaped by pioneers such as Marie Curie, whose discoveries transformed how we understand and use radiation in medicine. Today, that legacy continues through the many women working across diagnostic services.
As leaders, we have a responsibility not only to recognise their contribution, but to ensure they are supported with the right opportunities, technology and career development to continue shaping the future of diagnostics.”
Caroline Byrne, Managing Director, Medica Ireland
Her reflections reinforce the importance of insight, collaboration, and practical system understanding in shaping sustainable diagnostic services.
Perspective from Dr Katharine Halliday
Influence in healthcare does not sit solely within individual organisations. Professional leadership, advocacy and system-wide insight all play a vital role in shaping progress.
Dr Katharine Halliday, Immediate Past President of the Royal College of Radiologists, reflects on what matters most for the future of diagnostics and the NHS:
“Although huge progress has been made, we still have a long way to go. It remains difficult for women’s voices to be heard. It is vital that those of us in leadership positions do everything we can to counteract this, making a conscious effort to consider women for high-profile posts and encouraging women to speak up in meetings.”
Dr Katharine Halliday, Immediate Past President, Royal College of Radiologists and National Clinical Lead for Radiology, GIRFT
Her perspective underscores the importance of thoughtful leadership, professional voice, and long-term system thinking. By using influence responsibly and intentionally, clinical leaders play a critical role in shaping a more inclusive, resilient and effective diagnostic system for the future.
Perspective from Charlotte Beardmore CBE
Expertise in diagnostics is shaped not only by radiologists, but by the radiographers who form the foundation of high-quality imaging services. As Charlotte Beardmore CBE, Executive Director of Professional Policy at The Society and College of Radiographers and past President of the European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS), reflects, leadership in imaging comes from those who drive standards, champion professional development, and influence the shape of services on the ground.
We have invited Charlotte to share a short reflection on what drives her work, what progress matters most for the NHS, how she influences system change, and what inspires her as a leader in this space.
“What drives my work is a deep commitment to ensuring that radiographers and the entire radiography workforce, including those who support our profession in imaging and radiotherapy services, receive the recognition, resources and professional opportunities they need to deliver the highest quality care.
Radiographers are vital to a sustainable, high-quality diagnostic service; their expertise supports the vast majority of acute patients, underpins screening services, and delivers world-class radiotherapy to people with cancer. Recognising, celebrating, and valuing this contribution strengthens every diagnostic and radiotherapy treatment pathway across health services.
It is our Society members, radiographers working across clinical practice, education, research and leadership, who power the strength and advancement of our profession. Their dedication to developing the workforce and embedding evidence-based practice directly improves the quality, safety and experience of care. Ultimately, everything we do as a profession is about achieving better outcomes for the people who rely on radiographic services every single day.”
Charlotte Beardmore CBE, Executive Director of Professional Policy, The Society and College of Radiographers; Past President, EFRS
Charlotte’s perspective brings essential depth to this piece, highlighting the central role radiographers play in shaping safe, effective and future-ready diagnostic services and the leadership required to sustain them.
Perspective from Emma Savage-Mady
As a woman shaping clinical technology in a traditionally male‑dominated space, Emma’s leadership highlights the growing influence women have in designing the digital systems that underpin modern healthcare.
The design of digital systems is now inseparable from the quality, safety and sustainability of diagnostic services. Emma Savage-Mady, Product Manager in Clinical IT at Medica Group, plays a key role in shaping how technology supports clinicians, improves workflows and strengthens operational resilience across imaging pathways.
Her perspective brings an essential dimension to system shaping, demonstrating how thoughtful digital design, grounded in clinical reality, can reduce friction, enhance safety and help services scale responsibly.
We invited Emma to share her reflections on what drives her work, the progress she believes matters most for healthcare systems, how she influences system change, and what inspires her as a leader in this space:
“What drives me is ensuring the technology we build genuinely reflects the realities of the people who use it every day. We are committed to reducing friction rather than adding to it, which in turn improves the experience of our customers and supports the best patient care.
That work only succeeds through collaboration with experienced and dedicated clinical and operational colleagues, talented teams in IT and software development, and the strategic leadership that is focused on designing systems that truly keep healthcare moving.”
Emma Savage-Mady, Product Manager, Clinical IT, Medica Group
Her perspective reflects the increasingly critical role women play in shaping the digital foundations of diagnostic services, ensuring technology serves people, not the other way around.
Progress shaped by people
Leadership is not defined by visibility alone. It is defined by the environments we create, the decisions we take, and the impact those decisions have on people doing the work every day.
Real progress in healthcare is practical and measurable. It shows up in shorter waits for patients, in clinicians supported to work at the top of their licence, and in systems designed with care, equity, and sustainability in mind. When people across diagnostics are supported through better workflows, responsible innovation, and access to learning, the impact reaches far beyond any single organisation.
That is the responsibility we share, and the opportunity we have to shape and scale the future of diagnostics, together.
