The Society of Radiographers (SoR) is working alongside BAPEN, the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), and the British Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (BSGAR) to launch a new radiographer-led nasogastric (NG) tube position check pathway aimed at reducing misplacement incidents and improving patient safety.
Radiographers will be trained to evaluate and record NG tube placement via X-ray, increasing efficiency and providing a safe consistent structured process.
Dr Wendy-Ling Relph, commented:
“I’m delighted to have been able to represent BAPEN, along with Dr Dan Rogers, on this innovative and new way of working. To have a dedicated training and competency tool for Radiographers which enables them to interpret the position of NG Feeding tubes will reduce NG Never Events, enhance patient safety, ensure patients have reduced delays from tube insertion to administering of feed and improve the satisfaction of radiographers and the wider teams.
BAPEN always advocates for multidisciplinary teams to be involved in nutritional care and is completely supportive of this safety critical aspect which builds upon our NG position paper.”
Sue Johnson, SoR Professional Officer for Clinical Imaging, highlighted the initiative’s importance:
“This pathway empowers radiographers to take a crucial role in preventing avoidable harm, deliver faster, safer care, and ensuring timely patient interventions.”
The pathway involves a structured competency-based training programme, including e-learning modules, to equip radiographers with the skills and confidence to perform NG tube checks independently. NHS Trusts and Health Boards are encouraged to pilot this initiative, with full governance approval required for local implementation.
“The support and guidance provided by both the SoR and RCR ensure radiographers are well-prepared to take on this formalised responsibility, building on their existing skills and knowledge, benefitting both patients and clinical teams,” Johnson added.
For more information, please visit: https://www.rcr.ac.uk/news-policy/latest-updates/radiographer-led-nasogastric-tube-position-Check-pathway.
