Therapy Radiographer

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust; Macclesfield; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Macclesfield seeks an enthusiastic Therapy Radiographer (Band 5) to join the cancer centre. You will work across the Macclesfield site and other Christie locations, in a rotational post across treatment and pre-treatment areas, delivering safe radiotherapy while adhering to IR(ME)R and local protocols, with opportunities to develop specialist skills.

Applicants must be HCPC registered and hold a Therapy Radiographer qualification, with a commitment to

Qualifications

• Must be registered as a Therapy Radiographer with HCPC.
• Demonstrates the Therapy Radiographer qualification and clinical competence.

Responsibilities

• Deliver safe, accurate radiotherapy treatment per prescribed plans and protocols.
• Work across treatment and pre-treatment areas as part of a rotational service.
• Operate radiotherapy and imaging equipment safely, reporting faults as needed.
• Perform complex dose calculations, interpret prescriptions, and verify delivery.
• Position patients accurately and maintain comprehensive treatment records.
• Provide compassionate, patient-centred support to patients and families.
• Participate in shift work, weekends, and on-call duties.
• Engage in continuous professional development and quality assurance.

Skills

HCPC registered

Education

Therapy Radiographer qualification

HCPC registration

Job description

An opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, motivated, and dynamic Therapy Radiographer (Band 5) to join the team at our cancer centre in Macclesfield. The Macclesfield unit is the first Christie satellite centre with radiotherapy and chemotherapy departments and is therefore able to offer concurrent chemo-radiotherapy treatments. The department also delivers complex radiotherapy techniques (e.g. SABR and SGRT) using state of the art equipment. Consequently, we can offer a wide range of treatments to local patients, as well as varied development opportunities to radiographers. The post holder will be based at the Macclesfield site in East Cheshire but, will be expected to work across all Christie sites as required. This is a rotational post and you will have the opportunity to work across treatment and pre-treatment sections of the department. All candidates must be already registered with the HCPC and possess a Therapy Radiographer qualification (or evidence they are due to qualify this year).

• Deliver safe, accurate, and high-quality radiotherapy treatment in accordance with prescribed treatment plans, departmental protocols, the Quality Management System, and relevant legislation.
• Work across treatment delivery and pre-treatment areas as part of a rotational service supporting patients throughout the radiotherapy pathway across Christie sites.
• Operate and perform safety checks on highly specialised radiotherapy and imaging equipment, reporting faults, variances, or malfunctions as required.
• Undertake and assess complex radiation dose calculations, interpret treatment prescriptions, and apply verification procedures to ensure accurate and reproducible treatment delivery.
• Position patients accurately, maintain comprehensive treatment records, and comply with all local, professional, and regulatory requirements, including Ionising Radiation Regulations and IR(ME)R.
• Contribute to the safe and efficient achievement of service workload targets while maintaining the highest standards of patient care.
• Provide compassionate, patient-centred support to individuals with cancer and their families, including communicating sensitive and confidential information, explaining treatment procedures and potential side effects, and offering emotional support where required.
• Monitor patients throughout treatment, identify treatment-related side effects, provide appropriate advice, and refer to other healthcare professionals when necessary., To ensure that the highly complex radiotherapy and imaging equipment is safe and accurate to operate, both for staff and patients; undertaking the appropriate machine checks, reporting any variances, faults and malfunctions as necessary. This may include run up of equipment alongside the engineers at some sites.
• Undertake and evaluate radiation dose delivery complex calculations, involving a range of radiation types and energies.
• Interpret, monitor and evaluate the treatment prescription to ensure that radiotherapy is delivered accurately and reproducibly.
• Evaluate delivery of radiotherapy through application and interpretation of treatment verification procedures.
• Follow appropriate systems and working methods to achieve the safe, timely achievement of workload targets.
• Be able to accurately position patient and operate highly complex radiotherapy and imaging equipment along the radiotherapy pathway.Keep accurate records and comply with necessary policies and procedures.
• Analyse systematically and evaluate all data and information relevant to patients' diagnosis, ensuring the patient and their relatives are treated with dignity and respect at all times.
• Communicate confidential sensitive information in line with information governance, and provide emotional support, to patients and their carers/relatives including children and the terminally ill. Provide information to patients and their carers about the radiotherapy pathway and expected side effects.
• To communicate accurate and timely information with all other disciplines involved along the patients pathway.
• Anticipate and identify common and complex treatment related side effects, offering advice and where necessary refer to other relevant health care professionals. Apply safe and effective moving and handling skills in order to protect patients and staff and abide by Health and safety legislation in the work place.
• Minimise risk of and cross infection through contamination by bodily fluids/matter. In accordance of the infection control policy.
• Apply safe and effective moving and handling skills in order to protect patients and staff and abide by Health and safety legislation in the work place.
• To implement the procedures and work instructions described for the department in the accredited Quality Management System, and report any variances.
• Ensure all work and actions comply with local rules and current UK Ionising Radiation Regulations 2017 and IR(ME)R 2017.
• Be aware of and participate in the audit and research within the department and the implementation of new processes and techniques.
• Undertake training and competency to dispense medication under Patient Group Directive (PGD).
• Participate in the shift system, bank holidays, weekend working and on-call.
• Awareness of the process to report safeguarding issues and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.
• Any other duties negotiated with the post holder, to develop their role in the organisation.
• To achieve all the competencies as outlined by the radiotherapy education team within a time period as outlined by line manager.
• Apply and abide by trust principles and behaviours.
• Work collaboratively within the multidisciplinary team, ensuring timely and effective communication to support continuity of care. Adhere to infection prevention, moving and handling, safeguarding, health and safety, and information governance policies at all times.
• Participate in quality assurance, audit, research, service development, and the implementation of new techniques and technologies.
• Complete required competencies and ongoing professional development, including training to dispense medication under Patient Group Directions where appropriate.
• Contribute to departmental rota requirements, including shift work, weekends, bank holidays, and on-call duties.
• Demonstrate Trust values and behaviours, support continuous improvement, and undertake additional responsibilities appropriate to the role and service needs.

Teaching and training

• Participate in an annual Personal Development Review.
• Attend all essential training and clinical updates as required.
• Take personal responsibility for compliance with essential training.
• Be capable of assimilating new ideas and techniques.
• Assist in the supervision and training/teaching of pre-registration students, new members of staff and all learners.
• Highlight to line manager all issues of poor inadequate performance, including capability and poor professional standards, for students and employees.The Christie is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, looking after more than 64,000 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 25% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We are the largest radiotherapy provider in the NHS with one in 20 treatments delivered at The Christie. We have up to 15 linear accelerators operating across our network of sites. We operate the largest chemotherapy unit in the UK on our main site and treatments are also provided at 13 other networked sites, and in patients homes. And as a specialist tertiary surgical centre, we focus on rare cancers, complex procedures, and multidisciplinary approaches to cancer surgery, specialising in colorectal, peritoneal, gynaecological, urological and plastic surgery. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We have been named by the UK's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), as one of the best hospitals providing opportunities for patients to participate in clinical research studies, with more than 800 studies open at any time, caring for over 3,000 patients.