Senior Dosimetrist

NHS; Taunton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking an experienced senior dosimetrist to join their Treatment Planning team in Taunton. The ideal candidate will have expertise in treatment planning, excellent communication skills, and a commitment to innovative healthcare. This role includes responsibilities such as contouring and planning treatment sites, leading in research, and training staff. A degree in a relevant subject and registration as a Therapy Radiographer or Clinical Technologist is required.

Benefits

Flexible working options

NHS pension scheme

Generous annual leave allowance

Career development focus

Access to Blue Light Card discounts

Qualifications

• Experience working as a treatment planning and mould room technologist.
• Production and checking of clinical radiotherapy treatment plans.
• Developing new procedures/processes and producing documentation.

Responsibilities

• Contour, plan, and check a wide range of treatment sites.
• Lead in research and development work including clinical trials.
• Manage workload and provide staff and student training.

Skills

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Planning & Organising skills

Manual dexterity

Education

Degree in Radiotherapy, Radiography, Physics, or Clinical Technology

Registration as Therapy Radiographer (HCPC) or Clinical Technologist (RCT)

Facilitating Learning and Assessment in Practice (FLAP) Certificate

Tools

Raystation

Pinnacle

Excel

Word

Job description

We are seeking an experienced radiographer or clinical technologist to join our team at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, to work as a senior dosimetrist in our Treatment Planning team. You will be joining our MDT of Clinical Oncologists, Radiographers and Physics staff. The team boasts a culture which is passionately committed to innovative, high-quality care. The Beacon Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital provides a cutting-edge radiotherapy service for Taunton and the surrounding area, including an established and expanding SABR programme. We operate a modern fleet of three Elekta Versa HD linear accelerators with SGRT (Align RT), a Canon Aquilion LB CT simulator (also with Align RT), Raystation and Pinnacle treatment planning systems with MVision AI contouring and an Xstrahl 200 superficial therapy unit. As part of the team, you will contribute to the implementation of new technologies and treatment techniques as we clinically commission Raystation and participate in our programme of clinical research.

Main duties of the job

The applicant should demonstrate good knowledge and experience of treatment planning. They should work well and flexibly within a team, and demonstrate excellent communication skills with all staff groups.

The post holder will

be contouring, planning and checking a wide range of treatment sites using a range of radiotherapy techniques

lead and participate in research and development work, including clinical trials and audit

lead on treatment planning aspects in the implementation of new techniques and technologies, with a key role in Raystation TPS commissioning

lead in the clinical work of the Mould Room, ensuring timely production of devices and accessories required for patient immobilisation and normal tissue shielding

be responsible for aspects of workload management and staff and student training.

About us

At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:

Flexible working options to help you balance work and life

NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security

Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax

A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential

Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.

We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.

The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.

Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.

Job responsibilities

Please see attached full job description.

Maintains good communication, liaison and working arrangements with other Trust teams, Trusts and external agencies

To use communication tools (verbal and non verbal) to gain valid informed consent with patients where there will often be barriers to effective communication e.g. loss of hearing, altered perception, expressive and receptive dysphasia, pain, fear. To have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment e.g. those with cognitive or speech difficulties.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registration as Therapy Radiographer (HCPC) or Clinical Technologist (RCT)
• Degree or equivalent in relevant subject e.g. Radiotherapy, Radiography, Physics, Clinical Technology.
• Facilitating Learning and Assessment in Practice (FLAP) Certificate.

Experience

• Experience working as a treatment planning and mould room technologist, to include:
• Production and checking of a wide range of clinical radiotherapy treatment plans in a modern treatment planning system
• Production and checking of patient immobilisation and shielding accessories in Mould Room environment
• Developing new procedures/processes and producing appropriate associated documentation
• Completion of patient specific QC checks
• Implementation of new radiotherapy techniques
• Problem solving in the context of a multi-disciplinary radiotherapy team
• Using Pinnacle and Raystation TPS

Additional Criteria

• COMMUNICATION SKILLS
• Able to demonstrate a good standard of English language
• Must be able to communicate effectively when relating complex, technical concepts and advice.
• Show good interpersonal skills when dealing with patients or carers, leaving a positive impression.
• Proven ability to train groups of other professional staff in treatment planning
• Proven communication skills relating to:
• diplomacy with patients and relatives
• issues either within own staff group or between groups of staff.
• patients who have difficulty hearing/speaking or speak another language.
• ANALYTICAL AND JUDGMENT SKILLS
• Able to use Excel, Word etc to set up documents and spreadsheets.
• Ability to make accurate measurements with highly complex electronic equipment.
• Ability to concentrate for frequent and prolonged periods in all aspects of work.
• Ability to deal effectively with unpredictable situations.
• PLANNING & ORGANISING SKILLS
• Interpersonal skills; ability to make rapid assessments under pressure in a clinical environment, informing other team members/disciplines of appropriate courses of action.
• Adaptability, judgement and decisiveness
• Prioritisation and organisational abilities for own workload and awareness within the team
• PHYSICAL AND MENTAL SKILLS
• Manual dexterity and accurate hand-eye co-ordination for precision work with submillimetre precision (mould room or QA work)
• Ability to carry out radiotherapy quality assurance and other detailed experimental work associated with radiotherapy physics
• EMOTIONAL SKILLS
• Ability to deal with:
• distressing circumstances when working with patients in clinical areas (e.g. patient set up in virtual simulator and overseeing patient plan set-up in radiotherapy treatment rooms);
• issues either within own staff group or between groups of staff;
• terminally ill and disfigured patients.

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.