The Cardiac Radiographer's Advisory Group (C.R.A.G) was set up at the end of 2001 by lead cardiac catheter laboratory radiographers from a variety of healthcare groups in England.

Membership

The group has a membership of 20, including, Superintendent/ Senior Radiographers from cardiac catheter laboratories. They come from specialised hospitals, tertiary centres and district general hospitals. KCARE representatives that report on image performance of radiological equipment for the Medical Device Agency and a representative from the Department of Health with specialist interest in cardiology NOF funding. Membership will be extended to include all cardiac modalities as CRAG develops.

The group has the power to co-opt interested parties when appropriate and guests can be invited to take part in future meetings.

Formal recognition has been sought from the Society of Radiographers and the British Cardiac Society as a special interest group.

What do we do?

We aim to create awareness amongst NHS leaders of all cardiac catheter related issues. The groups' remit is to inform Cardiac Radiographers of current issues, e.g. advances in equipment/technology, government funding and skill mix.
Our general objectives are to:

· Set standards/competencies for Cardiac Radiography.
· Share information and experiences.
· Provide advice and make recommendations.
· Develop best practice.

The Groups First Objectives.

· To write X-Ray Specifications for District General Cath Lab.
· Multi-disciplinary team working.
· Staff grading and job descriptions.
· Implementation of IRMER.
· Diagnostic Reference Levels.
· Standards and Competencies.