A position is available for a Health Care support Worker to work in the Nuclear Medicine department at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust. The Christie is situated in South Manchester and is an international leader in cancer research and development. It is the largest cancer treatment centre of its kind in Europe.
You would form part of a multi-disciplinary team that provides the clinical Nuclear Medicine service to patients of The Christie. The team provides a specialist imaging service using two SPECT-CT cameras and a PET-CT scanner.
Applicants should have a good general education, experience of working in a hospital or care home environment, sympathetic and caring manner and effective communication and inter-personal skills.
Duties and responsibilities include:
To be part of a multidisciplinary team providing diagnostic and therapeutic services.
To undertake some non-clinical duties caring for patients and their relatives to aid the smooth running of the department.
To undertake a range of housekeeping duties.
To assist with test kit and equipment preparation and radiation contamination monitoring
The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.
We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years.
We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.
The Nuclear Medicine Department at The Christie offers a specialist range of tests which are focussed on diagnosing and assessing cancer, including non-imaging tests, gamma camera imaging and PETCT scanning. We also provide a wide range of radionuclide therapy.
The Nuclear Medicine service is supported by the complementary skills and expertise of radiopharmacists, radiopharmacy technicians, radiographers, clinical technologists, medical physicists, physics technicians, nurses, healthcare assistants, and a dedicated administration team.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Care of Patients, Visitors and belongings:
1.1. Escorts patients, visitors or relatives between the Nuclear Medicine Department and other wards and clinics within the hospital
1.2. Assists with the handling of patients in the department; at injection times, while the patient is being prepared for scanning (for example, by helping with toileting) and maneuvering them on and off scanning beds.
1.3. Provides for the well-being of patients and relatives throughout their stay in the department by providing refreshments and collecting provisions for them from the canteen. Keeps a record of such collections.
1.4. Demonstrates the agreed set of values and accountable for own attitude and behaviour
2. Conveyancing:
2.1. Conveys letters, appointment slips, study results and other goods between the department and other parts of the hospital.
2.2. Conveys broken items to the workshop for repair
2.3. Conveys blood samples to Path Lab as required
3. Care and maintenance of patient/clinical environments:
3.1. Check resting rooms, preparation areas and clinic rooms in a timely manner, wipe down surfaces and run taps in accordance with departmental policy for radiation protection and hospital policy for infection control. Keep all records associated with such activities.
3.2. Change bed curtains according to policy.
3.3. Assists with decontamination procedures after the attendance of infectious patients (e.g. MRSA )
3.4. Maintains general tidiness of the department, clinic rooms, kitchen area, and waiting areas.
3.5. Housekeeping duties to include maintaining stock levels in preparation areas, scanning rooms and kitchen. Clean fridge on a regular basis. Check oxygen cylinders and ensure replacement when necessary.
4. Radiation Protection/ Monitoring:
4.1. Assists with the decontamination of items that become contaminated with radioactive materials (for example, a spill of radioactive urine on the floor)
4.2. Monitors laundry, waste and the environment for radioactive contamination, both within the department and elsewhere in the hospital.
4.3. Monitoring ward linen and side rooms on wards following patient discharge, and decontaminate if necessary
4.4. Monitoring and disposal of radioactively contaminated waste including used injection vials and syringe waste, in accordance with departmental procedures and current legislation
4.5. Keeping accurate records of all actions and results obtained above.
5. Preparation of Equipment
5.1. Assists with general laboratory tasks, such as preparing kits for certain patient tests, and cleaning of laboratory areas.
6. Patient Assist Duties This includes: -
6.1. Assisting at injection times, where radioactive materials are administered to patients
6.2. Reassuring and assisting in explaining the study to the patient
6.3. Assist in preparing the patient for scanning, e.g. taking height and weight, instructing the patient to remove metal items and sending patients to the toilet.
6.4. Sitting with the patient during the conduct of a study when required
