Consultant Radiographer

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Band 8A Lead Radiographer will be required to:

• Lead and take overall responsibility for the pre-treatment team, managing day to day workload across both Reading and Bracknell sites as required. This will include working clinically undertaking CT imaging, Treatment planning and other clinical duties associated with the pre-treatment section.
• Act as an expert practitioner within the Pre-treatment section of the Radiotherapy Department.
• Provide expert advice on all new developments to the wider MDT.
• Initiate strategic technical developments within the pre-treatment section, working with the wider MDT to maintain continuous service improvement in line with best practice, the departmental plan via RTIG and strategic objectives.
• Work alongside the Technical lead staff to ensure that local Radiotherapy technical strategy reflects national recommendations and best practice.
• Write, review and develop written protocols for any new service developments.
• Lead the education and training of other healthcare professionals in relation to new technologies within radiotherapy.
• Work in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team.
• Carry out audit and research in radiotherapy and contribute to related areas to ensure best practice is followed and implemented within the department.
• Promote the role by publishing innovations and research in journals, and by presenting findings and developments at conferences.
• Be qualified to act as an operator in Radiotherapy as defined by IRMER.
• Participate in on call services where required.
• Work flexible hours to meet the needs of the service including weekends as required.
• Participate in the band 8 early and late cover rota as required.
• Work according to Macmillan patient outcomes, and the latest guidance and framework developed for Macmillan Allied Healthcare Professionals.

Expert Clinical Practice

• Practice at an expert level providing expert care for patients undergoing radiotherapy focusing on the planning phase of the patients journey/pathway.
• Maintain the highest professional and technical standards of radiotherapy by working clinically within the pre-treatment section.
• Maintain clinical competencies for all tasks associated with the Pre-treatment area.
• Provide expert clinical advice to the MDT where required.
• Act as an expert resource by applying a critical and analytical approach to all pre-treatment procedures. To evaluate the options and take appropriate action to ensure the patient receives accurate and reproducible treatment.
• Liaise and work alongside medical staff, medical physicists and other healthcare professionals to develop and implement new techniques, technologies and other evidence based approaches to care ensuring that national recommendations and guidelines are incorporated.
• Provide expert advice and support to the radiotherapy department including supporting and resolving problems and concerns associated with Radiotherapy treatment.
• Continually monitor, audit and evaluate clinical practice of self and others.
• Take individual professional responsibility for the accurate, highly complex planning of radiation treatments to radiotherapy patients ensuring that the requirements of IR(ME)R and Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999 (IRR99) are met.
• Responsible and accountable for own actions in accordance with the Radiographers Professional Code of Conduct. To have knowledge and adherence to Health & Safety Regulations. Use professional knowledge and experience to support the safe and efficient operation of the working area.

Communication

• Communicate regularly and appropriately with staff across radiotherapy to ensure that day to day service delivery across the pre-treatment section is efficient and consistent.
• Communicate with the Radiotherapy Service Manager, Operational Manager, & Treatment Leads to ensure that the service delivery and strategic elements of the service are seamless.
• Communicate with patients and carers concerning the planning for their treatment and care especially in own specialist area, addressing any concerns in a sensitive manner.
• Communicate with other stakeholders across the Trust including nursing staff, and chemotherapy staff to ensure that the patient pathway is seamless.
• Communicate with medical staff to manage operational issues across the pre-treatment section and to have advanced communication skills.
• Ensure effective communication with Radiotherapy staff and other stakeholders in other departments within the external Cancer network is maintained, as required, to enable effective coordination of patient care across the pathway.

Analytical and Judgement Skills

• Use analytical skills to plan the day to day activity levels for any new service implementations.
• Use knowledge and skills to propose, develop and implement service developments across the service, especially within own specialist area.
• Provide expert technical advice utilising skills and experience across the pre-treatment service.
• Use clinical judgement to assess any patient co-morbidities/physical challenges that may affect their pre-treatment planning and their management.
• Undertake the daily quality assurance checks for the CT scanner, as required and interpret the results. Escalate any issues to the engineering team.
• Regularly audit and assess CT imaging doses to ensure they are in line with the ALARA principles.

Planning and Organisational Skills

• Suggest, plan and implement service developments across the service, especially in own specialist area liaising with the lead treatment Radiographer and the wider MDT.
• Organise an efficient pathway for new service developments across the treatment and pre-treatment service, liaising with the treatment lead and ensuring that patients are planned and treated in a timely manner.
• Contribute to business planning within the BCC.
• Liaise with the Radiotherapy Engineers and Radiotherapy Physicists to schedule the CT scanner planned maintenance and quality assurance checks.

Physical Skills

• Keyboard skills required to operate treatment systems and other software programmes.
• Venepuncture competencies to administer contrast to patients as required for optimising CT scan images.

Responsibility for Patient and Client Care

• Responsible for the provision of high standards of patient care within Radiotherapy pre-treatment area.
• Ensure that all staff are correctly trained to provide high standards of patient care across the service.
• With the senior radiotherapy team, address any PALS issues raised across the radiotherapy service, investigating and resolving where possible.
• Provide direct patient care in Radiotherapy pre-treatment specialist area.

Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources

• Responsible for ensuring that equipment used across the service is maintained and that any faults are reported.

Responsibility for Human Resources

• Develop and support staff to ensure that development and support is in place across the staff groups within specialist area.
• Provide leadership and technical advice for all staff within radiotherapy and wider MDT.
• Participate in the recruitment of staff and annual appraisal for direct reports.
• Investigate and act on any issues, taking appropriate management action for direct reports in line with the relevant policy, escalating to the Radiotherapy Operational Manager and RTSM as appropriate.

Responsibility for Information Resources

• Keep own records according to Trust policies.
• Utilise IT systems to ensure the management of radiotherapy patients bookings across the service meets both local and national treatment targets.
• Undertake patient treatment planning using Radiotherapy planning software.

Responsibility for Research and Development

• Promote evidence based practice at all times.
• Lead and implement research activities in technique development, as required, within the radiotherapy setting to ensure continued practice development and the needs of the service are met.
• Disseminate research findings in the form of publications, posters and presentations.
• To agree and co-ordinate relevant audit programmes with key health care professionals and lead on their implementation.
• To be involved in the development of the Pre-treatment services including the scoping of future techniques which may include involvement in the writing of business cases.
• Work in conjunction with the Clinical Oncologists in providing a seamless service to Patients with cancer.

The above indicates the main duties of the post, which may be revised and amended in the light of experience and development within the organisation. Any review will be undertaken in conjunction with the post-holder.

Please refer to the attached Job Description & Person Specification for further details.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to Masters level in Advanced Clinical Practice or equivalent Radiotherapy Level 7 study/ modules
• HCPC registration as a Therapy Radiographer
• Evidence of experience in service development

Desirable

• Full MSC in advanced clinical practise or PhD in Radiotherapy
• Evidence of project management
• Experience of budget management

Experience

Essential

• Significant clinical oncology experience
• Experience in teaching and facilitating the learning and development of others
• To adhere to Trust Vision and CARE values

Desirable

• Experience of advanced oncology

Skills

Essential

• Research Multidisciplinary team working experience
• Clinical skills appropriate to service development
• Evidence of experience in leadership and an ability to manage all staff groups effectively
• Good management and communication skills

Desirable

• Research skills including scientific report writing/track record of publications in scientific journals and conferences

Knowledge

Essential

• Extensive knowledge of oncology practice
• Advanced understanding of the clinical role of radiotherapy and the values of service development
• Understanding of the hazards posed by the clinical use of radiation (both man-made and sealed source) and MR
• Evidence of CPD
• Evidence of clinical standard setting and audit

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Royal Berkshire Hospital

London Road

Reading and Bracknell

RG1 5AN

Employer's website

https://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)