An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Radiotherapy Radiographer to join our team. The Trust is delighted to invite applications from enthusiastic, forward-thinking radiographers with a keen interest in delivering radiotherapy services and a passion for team working and service development. We have a fantastic team approach, and love to develop all of our staff and will give the opportunity to rotate through all areas of our department including Treatment, Pre Treatment, Brachytherapy and Review. We want you to achieve and grow your potential as a Radiographer.
The Royal Surrey Cancer Centre is focused on providing excellent patient pathways and patient-centred care. We strive to continuously evolve to reflect the technical advances within Radiotherapy. To that end, we have recently completed the replacement of two of our Varian TrueBeams with a Varian ETHOS and a Varian Halcyon at our satellite centre. These units are the first in the NHS for in-bore SGRT and we are scheduled to be the first Centre to implement Hypersight later this year. Surface guided radiotherapy system installation will further improve the accuracy of treatment and present the opportunity for tattoo-less radiotherapy. Our patients benefit from access to two ETHOS units, one Halcyon and four TrueBeams across our two radiotherapy centres.
Royal Surrey is a compassionate and collaborative acute and community Trust. Recognising that our 5,000 colleagues are our greatest strength, we offer a comprehensive health and wellbeing programme alongside a strong commitment to developing your career. Our diverse and welcoming Royal Surrey family ensures you feel valued from your initial interview and throughout your time with us.
We are clinically led and provide joined-up care by bridging hospital and community services, alongside delivering regional specialist cancer care. Our main acute hospital site is in Guildford, with community sites at Milford, Haslemere and Cranleigh, and services delivered in patients’ homes across Guildford and Waverley.
We work in partnership with Ashford & St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust through a collaborative Group Model, supporting joined-up services, workforce flexibility and development opportunities.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated us as Outstanding. We are proud of our achievements and continue to invest in our people and infrastructure.
To learn more about life at Royal Surrey, please watch our short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R96pMboIYdo
Adverts may close early, so you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
- The post holder will maintain the highest professional and technical standards of radiotherapy.
- The post holder will need to maintain core clinical skills. This will include statutory skills, Trust mandatory skills for clinical staff and all radiotherapy-specific skills required to perform the role of a Senior Practitioner. The clinical skills framework for the radiotherapy department will include the full range of skills which are expected of the post holder and will be updated periodically.
- The post holder will be required to participate in the induction, supervision and teaching of junior staff and students within the treatment environment enabling them to achieve the required level of clinical competence.
- The post holder will deputise for other Radiographers as required including at internal and external meetings.
- A flexible approach to work is essential to meet the service needs of the department and hours of work may vary with occasional weekend and public holiday working on a planned and on-call basis. Post holders may be rotared to work at either the Royal Surrey County Hospital or East Surrey Hospital sites and may be asked to travel between the sites at short notice to cover sickness.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
- To verbally give an explanation of the treatment procedure to the patient and carer answering any questions they may have. Furthermore, you will provide reassurance during the procedure and advise them as to their care and management during a course of radiotherapy.
- To make a professional assessment during the initial patient interview as to their requirements for further support in relation to their physical, emotional and spiritual needs and refer to other professionals as appropriate. This will be an on-going assessment during their course of treatment.
- To communicate efficiently and effectively with both internal and external professionals in the provision of information related to patient care.
- To negotiate, liaise with and advise with other sections of the department in respect of the patient pathway to ensure that the department is offering a coherent seamless service.
- To attend multi-disciplinary and operational radiotherapy treatment meetings to receive and impart both clinical and operational knowledge and report back to the treatment unit team when relevant.
- To communicate any operational issues, i.e. machine breakdown to Operational Manager for appropriate managerial decisions.
- To clearly communicate with the technical services department and medical physics staff relevant technical data relating to the treatment units and the operation of them that may affect the safety of their operation, i.e. Radiation safety.
- As senior in charge of a given treatment unit you are responsible for reporting actual or suspected treatment errors to the Operational Manager, Radiation Protection Supervisor, Medical Physics Expert and Clinical Oncologist for further investigation in respect of the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposures) Regulations 2000.
- To achieve personal competence in simple and complex treatment techniques associated with the treatment unit to which you are rotared.
- To assist the Radiographer in Charge in the technical training of students and trainee assistant practitioners in the safe and accurate manipulation of the treatment unit equipment and accessories.
- To assist the Radiographer in Charge in the clinical and theoretical training of students and trainee assistant practitioners in simple treatment techniques within the scope of your competence.
- To participate in the student assessment, discussion and meetings relevant to the on-going training of students within the department.
- To undertake obligatory training associated with new equipment that may be away from your normal place of work.
- To be technically competent to safely and accurately manipulate the treatment unit and accessories to which you are rotared.
- To be responsible for, or to be responsible in conjunction with the Team Leader Radiotherapy Radiographer in charge for the routine quality assurance checks on the treatment unit every morning, reporting any faults or unsafe equipment.
- To accurately input and check clinical data into the department network database and hospital patient administration system.
- To report any unsafe equipment / conditions to the Team Leader Radiotherapy Radiographer in charge of the treatment unit to prevent hazards to patients, staff and visitors. As the senior in charge, reporting to the appropriate relevant body and Operational Manager.
- To ensure that the treatment room is tidy, clean and fully stocked with all necessary equipment and consumables and stationary.
- To be responsible for, in conjunction with the Team Leader Radiotherapy Radiographer, the daily efficient time management of the treatment unit and patient workload. A treatment unit may have an average of 40 – 50 patients per day scheduled for treatment within the nominal opening hours of the department
- To be responsible for the co-ordination of the scheduling and organisation of an individual patient treatment appointment, or schedule of a course of appointments in conjunction with the Team Leader Radiotherapy Radiographer.
- To organise and delegate tasks and duties required to be performed by the treatment team (4-5 staff) on a daily basis to maintain an effective patient-focused service in association with the Team Leader Radiotherapy Radiographer, or to deputise for the Team Leader Radiotherapy Radiographer in their absence.
- Maintain and monitor the professional standards of practice to ensure that the staff are performing their duties in a safe and competent manner. To appropriately report any staff management issues to your line manager.
- To directly supervise the clinical activities of junior radiographers, assistant practitioners, trainee assistant practitioners and student staff within the treatment unit environment.
- To adopt flexible work practices in the event of emergencies or machine failures, to assist in allocating and rescheduling of patient appointments according to department and professional guidelines.
- To take responsibility for the accurate delivery of simple and complex treatment by interpretation of treatment data.
- To take responsibility for the accuracy of given information to enable precise treatment delivery from the first day of a patient’s treatment and annotate as appropriate on the treatment card that the senior set up check has been performed.
- To make a professional judgement by applying a critical and analytical approach to a treatment situation if deviations from treatment protocol occur. To evaluate the options for correction and take the appropriate actions in conjunction with the Radiographer in Charge.
- To make an autonomous professional clinical assessment as to the fitness of the patient to proceed with the proposed treatment on a daily basis. Proceeding to treatment if considered fit to do so.
- To communicate any concerns or findings with regards to the patient’s fitness for treatment to the Team Leader Radiotherapy Radiographer in charge or Clinical Oncologists for further management.
- To understand and therefore manage the side effects of radiotherapy treatment to assist and support the patient during their course of treatment.
- To assist the patient to achieve the required treatment position and make reasonable assessment of their physical and mental ability to co-operate with the intended procedure.
- To assess the patient with respect to the Trust’s manual handling protocols. To complete the manual handling risk assessment as appropriate.
- To record and report accurately any machine faults into the machine log book for assessment by the technical team.
- To participate in the research, development and audit of new treatment techniques adopting an analytical and critical approach.
- To keep up to date with best practice in radiotherapy treatment delivery locally and nationally and contribute to the implementation of evidence based clinical practice.
- To understand and therefore treat patients within the scope and practice of the Radiotherapy Trial portfolio. This will be guided by approved procedures, policies, work instructions, standard operating procedures (SOPs), good practice, established precedents and understand what results or standards are to be achieved. You will be managed by a more Team Leader Radiotherapy Radiographer but will not expect to be directly supervised.
Special Responsibilities:
1. Standards of Behaviour
To ensure safe practice and to abide by the Health Professions Council Standards (including the Standards of conduct, performance and ethics, of proficiency, of education and training and of continuing professional development) applicable to Radiographers. As a registered radiographer, you are personally accountable for your practice. In caring for patients and clients you must:
- Respect the patient or client as an individual
- Obtain consent before you give any treatment or care
- Protect confidential information
- Co-operate with others in the team
- Maintain your professional knowledge and competence
- Be trustworthy
- Act to identify and minimise risk to patients and clients
These are the shared values of all the United Kingdom health care regulatory bodies.
