Sonographer registration in the United Kingdom – a review of the current situation

Abstract

There is no statutory registration as a sonographer available in the United Kingdom (UK) and the titles of 'sonographer' and 'ultrasonographer' are not legally protected. The majority of sonographers are statutorily registered with the Health and Care Professions Council or Nursing and Midwifery Council as they have a professional background as a radiographer, clinical scientist, nurse, physiotherapist or midwife that allows this, but this registration is not as a sonographer. For otherwise well-qualified and experienced sonographers, statutory registration is impossible to achieve at the present time and they have no statutory regulatory home. This can lead to problems for the sonographers themselves, for the patients and public in terms of protection and for employers when selecting staff. This paper discusses the complex registration situation for sonographers in the UK and includes reference to the alternative voluntary registers and their possible accreditation by the Professional Standards Authority.