JANE CHUDLEIGH examines the criteria employed by nurses in requesting X-rays, and the kind of training they may require

Shortening waiting times in A&E departments is high on the government agenda. This is highlighted in documents such as The NHS Plan (Department of Health 2000) and Reforming Emergency Care (DoH 2002). Indeed, The NHS Plan states that by this year waiting times in A&E departments should be no more than four hours and an average of 75 minutes. One approach to meeting this target has been to empower appropriately qualified healthcare professionals to undertake a wider range of clinical tasks, such as requesting X-rays (DoH 2000).