Rotating Therapeutic Radiographer

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in Plymouth is seeking a qualified Radiographer capable of managing radiotherapy procedures and patient care. The role entails direct responsibility for treatment planning and delivery, training junior staff, and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. Ideal candidates will possess effective communication skills, be HCPC registered, and have a degree in Therapeutic Radiography. The Trust values innovation and offers robust career development opportunities within a supportive environment.

Benefits

Career development opportunities

Supportive working environment

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience of CT procedures within Radiotherapy and virtual simulation.
• Proven evidence of working under IR(ME)R 2017 and IRR 2017.
• Robust C.P.D. Profile.

Responsibilities

• Provide safe and accurate specialist technical service delivering therapeutic ionising radiation.
• Resolve complex treatment and planning issues with effective problem-solving skills.
• Communicate effectively with Oncology Consultants regarding treatment information.
• Participate in service improvement and clinical trials.

Skills

Specialist knowledge of treatment delivery techniques including IMRT and IGRT

Ability to communicate complex information

High level of concentration under unpredictable patterns

Experience with Varian Equipment and ARIA

Cannulation and contrast agent delivery

Education

Degree in Therapeutic Radiography or equivalent

HCPC Registration Radiographer

Tools

Computer systems and VDU equipment

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Job description

The post holder will be required to manage all aspects of the workload in the absence of a Band 7 Team lead and will be directly responsible, under their duty of care, for the planning, treatment and care of patients undergoing Radiotherapy.

Provide daily supervision and training to junior staff, students and visitors

Additionally the post holder works closely with Radiotherapy Physicists, Technicians, Oncologists, Dieticians, Speech Therapists, Nurses, Admin staff, other Radiographers and other professional groups to provide a thorough, efficient service encompassing all aspects of accurate Radiotherapy treatment delivery and patient care.

At interview, applicants who do not fully meet Band 6 requirements but demonstrate clear potential may be appointed at Band 5 on a developmental basis. The suitable candidates will enter a structured senior training programme for an agreed, time-limited period and will be responsible for completing all required competencies, with support from the departmental training and education lead. On completion of the programme and mandatory training, the post holder will progress to Band 6. If the programme is not completed within the agreed timeframe, the post holder will remain on the Band 5 pay scale until senior competency is achieved.

Candidates who have applied in the last 6 months need not apply.

Main duties of the job

The post holder is part of a specialist team rotating through the pre-treatment and treatment areas of Radiotherapy. The post holder will work in a senior capacity, to support the team leader of the highly complex treatment unit, Brachytherapy unit, CT planning unit or pre-treatment liaison area.

Provide support to Treatment and Pre-Treatment team lead radiographers and manage all aspects of the service in their absence to ensure smooth and effective service and will be directly responsible, under their individual duty of care, for CT scanning, simple planning, treatment, time management and care of patients undergoing Radiotherapy procedures.

Provide daily supervision, education and training to junior staff, students and visitors.

Work closely with all MDT parties to provide a thorough, efficient service encompassing all aspects of accurate Radiotherapy planning, treatment delivery and patient care.

Adhere to all National and Local policies and procedures and be fully conversant in the IR(ME)R and IRR requirements for their clinical area and able to act as a point of reference for the department.

Will actively participate in service improvement, national and local clinical trials.

***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as 'Priority' and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***

About us

We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment manager for this post who will put you in touch with the recruitment team. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Job responsibilities

1. To provide safe and accurate specialist technical service delivering therapeutic ionising radiation, while maintaining a high duty of care to all patients undergoing Radiotherapy

2. To demonstrate effective patient management encompassing all patients needs, using specialist knowledge of treatment side effects, skin reactions and their management. Taking responsibility for referring patients for clinical assessment by a consultant or deputy, prior to commencement of treatment when symptoms become acute.

3. Demonstrate ability to resolve complex treatment and planning issues with problem solving skills and effective autonomous decision-making.

4. Compute and check specialised calculations and complex planning data relating to patients treatment delivery.

5. To maintain specialist knowledge of ARIA to enable autonomous registration, review and decision making on patients Electronic Portal Images used to verify the patient position.

6. To maintain a specialist knowledge of ARIA requiring the individual to input, and be a final check for patient data and plan parameters to be used for Radiotherapy treatment.

7. To communicate effectively with Oncology Consultants & Registrars regarding highly complex planning or treatment information to ensure safe and accurate delivery of treatment in accordance with trust and national legislation.

8. To demonstrate effective critical thinking to determine efficacy of treatment prescription, planned and non- planned treatments and departmental procedures.

9. To communicate and participate with the multi-disciplinary team involved in patient care and service delivery.

10. To ensure all new patients receive departmental information and documentation on radiotherapy prior to treatment e.g. consent and pre-treatment review.

For further details please see the attached JD & PS

Person Specification

Knowledge and Experience

• Specialist proven knowledge of treatment delivery techniques including IMRT and IGRT.
• Demonstrable experience of CT procedures within Radiotherapy and virtual simulation.
• Proven evidence and understanding of working under IR(ME)R 2017 and IRR 2017
• Demonstrable experience with Varian Equipment and ARIA.
• Cannulation and contrast agent delivery (or willingness to undergo training).

Qualifications

• Degree in Therapeutic Radiography or equivalent. DCR (T) or BSc (Hons)
• HCPC Registration Radiographer
• Robust C.P.D. Profile

Aptitude and ability

• Ability to communicate complex information across professional boundaries (i.e. when resolving complex treatment issues concerning patient set-up, patient reactions, patient documentation, patient radiation dose prescription or changes required to achieve accurate patient treatment.)
• Ability to teach and educate other professional staff.
• High level of concentration needed, must be able to concentrate when subject to unpredictable working patterns, whilst delivering highly complex and potentially damaging radiation treatment.
• Required to use computer systems and VDU equipment, use excel, word etc. to produce documents and spreadsheets for audit. Be able to extract the information and produce a post audit report.
• Able to enter data into and extract data from specialist databases.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.