Career guide
Guide to locum radiography work in the UK: HCPC registration, IR(ME)R competencies, modality specialism, and the reporting radiographer rate premium in 2026.
At a glance | Regulator
HCPC registration as a Diagnostic or Therapeutic Radiographer requiredA locum radiographer covers clinical work on a session-by-session basis for the organisations that need them, as a self-employed professional rather than a salaried employee. This guide walks through everything you need to do to start, in order, and the common pitfalls that catch people in their first year.
Guide | 7 steps
HCPC registers Diagnostic Radiographers and Therapeutic Radiographers as separate titles. Modality matters for locum rate: CT and MRI are the premium. Therapeutic radiography has a thin locum market and is NHS-dominated.
Most agencies and trusts will not book a radiographer without a completed preceptorship in an NHS trust. This is effectively year one post-qualification and gives you the competency sign-offs you’ll need.
Reporting radiographer locum pay sits £50–£70/hr at Band 7 and grows with scope of practice. The route is a PgCert or MSc in reporting, then a local scope-of-practice sign-off at your first employer. Insourcing weekends for MRI reporting blitz pays £600–£1,200/day.
Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations competencies must be signed off locally per machine or protocol at many trusts. This is a real locum friction point – you can arrive for shift and not be cleared to operate the scanner. Ask in advance.
MRI safety training is usually trust-specific and not always paid. Budget for an unpaid induction session at each new MRI booking. Keep a personal file of every MRI safety certificate for context.
Globe Locums, Sanctuary Personnel, Medacs, and Athona run radiographer desks. Trust-direct bank work pays less than agency but builds local relationships and modality sign-offs.
Teleradiology reporting providers hire senior reporting radiographers on per-report or hourly contracts. These are typically Ltd Co contractor arrangements (more genuinely outside IR35 because the client is a reporting provider, not a public sector body). Discrepancy audits are rigorous.
Once you are registered
Log every session with its date, rate, and workplace, send invoices that chase themselves, keep your documents current, and watch your tax reserve build as you go.
Checklist | Documents
Sessional sends reminders 30 days before each expiry.
Checklist | First year
Related
Last reviewed April 2026. Rates and regulator details change. If something looks off, let us know.
From the first booking
Keeps the records, does the sums. Filing and advice stay with you and your accountant.
Sessional tracks every session, invoice, expense, and document from day one. No card to start.