Technicians who carry out a vital role in hospitals are leaving the profession in droves because of poor pay, claims their union.

There are approximately 15,000 medical technical officers (MTOs) in the NHS, carrying out a huge amount of behind-the-scenes work.

They are involved in everything from maintaining scanners and radiotherapy machines to carrying out audiology and heart rate tests.

But much of the status and credit goes to the doctors or trained nurses who head up the service.

Many MTOs are educated to degree level, with others holding different hard-won qualifications.

However, the lowest paid among them are earning as little as �10,000 a year, and their union, the Manufacturing Science and Finance Union (MSF) claims many would leave the NHS if another job came up.

A survey of members suggested that more than half were prepared to do this. Similar numbers said they felt career prospects were non-existent and that they were undervalued.

The union is calling for MTOs to become state-registered, like nurses and physiotherapists.

Better pay deals

The registered professions have fared much better in pay terms over the last few years, with their deals negotiated by an independent pay review body.

Andrea Lawson, chairman of MSF's Medical Technologists' Occupation Advisory Committee, said: "We're not looking to take action - we're just saying: 'we're here!'.

"We do a lot of technical work and we would like to see some recognition."

She added: "There are certainly shortages of MTOs. A lot of places have got vacancies.

"But in many cases, you get better pay working on the checkout at Tesco's than working in the NHS."

MSF Regional Officer Sarah Cook, who wrote the report, said: "Pay is the key issue for our members. They are the forgotten men and women of the NHS."

The survey suggests that 81% of MTOs believe their pay is too low.