In this section
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What is your current role?
I am the Radiology AI and Digital Lead at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, with a background of 14 years as a diagnostic radiographer working across Interventional Radiology and CT, and five years as a chest reporting radiographer.
My role spans clinical practice, digital leadership, and service transformation. In 2024, I became the trust clinical lead for the NHS AI Diagnostic Fund (AIDF) programme, overseeing the implementation of AI for chest X-ray reporting. This programme delivered significant benefits in productivity, patient safety, and compliance with the National Optimal Lung Cancer Pathway (NOLCP), and has since become embedded in routine clinical practice.
I now focus on the strategic development, evaluation, and governance of AI within radiology, with current and planned workstreams including musculoskeletal imaging, CT brain, and other high-impact clinical pathways. This includes business case development, safety and hazard analysis, clinical validation, audit, and benefits realisation.
Alongside my AI leadership role, I also hold responsibility for PACS and RIS management, giving me a comprehensive understanding of radiology digital infrastructure, data flows, interoperability, and reporting. This allows me to bridge clinical, technical, and operational perspectives, ensuring that digital and AI solutions are safe, clinically meaningful, and deliver real service benefit.
How did you develop to reach this position?
My route into this role has been shaped by progressive responsibility, targeted development, and practical experience delivering digital change within radiology at trust level.
Alongside my clinical career, I gradually took on leadership roles in radiology digital systems, including responsibility for PACS and RIS. This provided detailed exposure to radiology IT infrastructure, data flows, interoperability, and system governance, and helped develop the ability to bridge clinical and technical perspectives.
I undertook focused learning in AI and digital healthcare, supported by hands-on experience evaluating and implementing new technologies in clinical pathways. In 2024, I was appointed trust clinical lead for the NHS AI Diagnostic Fund programme at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust. This role involved leading local implementation and governance of AI for chest X-ray reporting, and developing skills in clinical safety, risk and hazard management, business case development, stakeholder engagement, and benefits realisation.
Overall, progression into this role has been evolutionary, combining clinical insight with digital leadership and real-world delivery of AI-enabled service transformation.
What support have you found helpful?
I have benefited from strong support through a combination of local, regional, and national networks. At a regional level, the South East 2 (SE2) imaging network has provided valuable opportunities for shared learning and collaboration, particularly around digital transformation and innovation within imaging services.
Support from professional radiographer specialist interest groups has also been important. These groups bring together highly experienced radiographers from across the country, providing a forum to pool ideas, share emerging evidence, and collectively develop expertise in advanced practice, digital innovation, and AI.
In addition, expert support from industry partners has played a key role. Working with vendors who are committed to helping customers get the best from their products has supported effective implementation, optimisation, and ongoing evaluation, particularly during early adoption phases.
Locally, close collaboration with IT and digital transformation teams has been essential. Their depth of knowledge around infrastructure, interoperability, and information governance has significantly developed my own understanding and capability, and reinforced the importance of multidisciplinary working in delivering safe and sustainable digital change.
What do you find most rewarding?
The most rewarding aspect of my role is the opportunity to use innovation and technology to meaningfully improve patient care at scale. Earlier in my career, I assumed that remaining fully clinical was the primary way to connect with patients and make a difference. While that remains vital, this role has shown me that clinically led digital transformation can improve outcomes and experiences for far larger patient populations.
By helping to safely embed technologies such as AI into routine imaging pathways, I am able to contribute to earlier diagnosis, improved patient safety, and more timely care across whole services rather than individual patient encounters. Seeing tangible benefits such as improved pathway compliance, reduced delays, and better use of clinical time reinforces the value of this approach.
The role is also rewarding because it sits at the intersection of clinical practice, technology, and collaboration. Working with radiographers, radiologists, IT teams, managers, and industry partners to solve real clinical problems is both intellectually stimulating and professionally fulfilling.
Ultimately, knowing that this work helps improve the quality, consistency, and equity of care for patients across a hospital or region is what makes the role most rewarding.
Do you have any particular advice for others?
My main advice would be to remain open to opportunities beyond traditional clinical roles. Digital and AI-enabled transformation in radiology benefits enormously from strong clinical leadership, and radiographers are well placed to step into these roles given their understanding of imaging workflows, patient pathways, and service pressures.
One of the key lessons from my experience is that effective clinical leadership does not have to be limited to a single professional group. The projects I have led have been successful with a radiographer acting as the clinical lead, helping to challenge the assumption that such roles must always be held by a radiologist. What has mattered most has been clinical credibility, collaborative working, and a clear focus on patient benefit.
A genuine desire to make a project succeed is often half the battle. Taking ownership, investing time in understanding the problem, and being willing to engage with stakeholders across disciplines are critical to delivering meaningful change.
I would strongly encourage other radiographers to explore leadership roles in digital transformation, innovation, and AI. These roles provide an opportunity to influence care at scale, improve patient outcomes, and shape the future of imaging services, while still remaining grounded in core radiography values.