Job summary
The Northern Centre for Cancer Care (NCCC) is looking to appoint a Principal Dosimetrist as a replacement for its retiring post holder based in Newcastle. We're looking for a well-motivated and highly experienced dosimetrist to direct and manage the delivery of the radiotherapy external beam treatment planning service to the Cancer Centres in Newcastle (NCCC) and Carlisle (NCCC-NC).
This management position within NCCC/NCCC-NC involves the full range of management accountabilities including day-to-day operational management of the external beam treatment planning service for departments in both Newcastle and North Cumbria. The post holder is responsible for teams across both departments incorporating 25 Dosimetrists. The radiotherapy department benefits from state of the art equipment which includes dedicated planning MRI scanner facilities, 3 Siemens CT scanners with 4D capability, access to a PET/CT facility, 2 Tomotherapy treatment units, 2 Varian TrueBeam STx linacs with stereotactic capability, 7 Varian TrueBeam linacs, a high doserate Flexitron afterloader and SXT. Since the introduction of Raystation treatment planning system into clinical use the section is responsible for VMAT planning for the majority of disease sites. The Centre is committed to delivering a high quality service, maintaining the highest specification equipment and contributing to radiotherapy research and development.
Main duties of the job
- Interview Date: 24 January 2024
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37 hours 30 minutes/week
- You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.
- Directs, manages and ensures the delivery of the external beam treatment planning service to the Cancer Centres in Newcastle and Carlisle.
- Provides leadership and expert advice to other dosimetrists and members of the multidisciplinary team within radiotherapy at NCCC
- Develops and maintains high standards of service provision throughout the external beam treatment planning section for the Cancer Centres.
- Initiates, develops and delivers clinical development activities for the Cancer Centres, providing supervision and training for other staff.
- Provide treatment planning advice as appropriate, using expert knowledge, for the management and development of all external beam treatment planning activities required to support the Radiotherapy Department.
About us
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest, largest and most successful teaching NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 16.000 staff and an annual income of £1 billion.
We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.
We're also proud to be the second largest provider of specialised services in the country. This means we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.
Our staff oversee around 1.84 million patients 'contacts' each year, delivering high standards of healthcare.
Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people's race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Provides professional leadership in an area of expertise both locally and across NCCC at the Freeman hospital and Cumberland Infirmary.
- Maintains and develops high standards of service provision throughout their area of responsibility.
- Responsible for developing working practices to ensure that safety critical work is completed in an accurate and timely way.
- Initiates, develops and delivers research and development activities for healthcare advancement.
- Contributes to service and staff development throughout NCCC at the Freeman hospital and Cumberland Infirmary.
- The radiotherapy physics and technology group provides scientific, technical and specialist IT support for all the clinical activity delivered by NCCC. This includes infrastructure commissioning and maintenance and planning radiotherapy treatments for the patients attending the Northern Centre for Cancer Care.
- The dose planning service designs highly complex radiotherapy dose plans for each patient based on requirements specified by oncologists. Planned dose verification and safety checks are a key aspect of the work of the group.
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate.The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Provides professional leadership in an area of expertise both locally and across NCCC at the Freeman hospital and Cumberland Infirmary.
- Maintains and develops high standards of service provision throughout their area of responsibility.
- Responsible for developing working practices to ensure that safety critical work is completed in an accurate and timely way.
- Initiates, develops and delivers research and development activities for healthcare advancement.
- Contributes to service and staff development throughout NCCC at the Freeman hospital and Cumberland Infirmary.
- The radiotherapy physics and technology group provides scientific, technical and specialist IT support for all the clinical activity delivered by NCCC. This includes infrastructure commissioning and maintenance and planning radiotherapy treatments for the patients attending the Northern Centre for Cancer Care.
- The dose planning service designs highly complex radiotherapy dose plans for each patient based on requirements specified by oncologists. Planned dose verification and safety checks are a key aspect of the work of the group.
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate.The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- A First or Second Class Honours Degree in an appropriate physical science or radiotherapy, or diploma of the College of Radiographers, or equivalent.
- Appropriate post-graduate degree at master's level, or equivalent level of specialist knowledge.
- Significant and up to date knowledge of relevant areas of medical physics applied to treatment planning, radiotherapy physics, imaging and treatment
- Registration with the HCPC or RCT.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Significant current experience in treatment planning for radiotherapy for a wide range of disease sites employing advanced techniques
- Track record of formal on-going professional development as evidence of commitment to life-long learning.
Desirable
- Evidence of career progression demonstrating both breadth and depth of experience.
- Evidence of completed research and development projects.
- Experience in teaching and mentoring.
- In-depth knowledge and understanding of current legislation, regulations and safety standards pertinent to working area and the protection of staff, patients and members of the public.
- Evidence of attendance at conferences or training courses intended to extend the breadth and depth of knowledge
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Strong leadership and communication skills
- Ability to lead change and complete project work within a defined timescale
- Good communication skills with all staff groups.
- Good teaching and training skills.
- Ability to communicate scientific advice to all staff groups.
Desirable
- Good report writing and presentational skills
- Evidence of good organisational skills
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- A First or Second Class Honours Degree in an appropriate physical science or radiotherapy, or diploma of the College of Radiographers, or equivalent.
- Appropriate post-graduate degree at master's level, or equivalent level of specialist knowledge.
- Significant and up to date knowledge of relevant areas of medical physics applied to treatment planning, radiotherapy physics, imaging and treatment
- Registration with the HCPC or RCT.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Significant current experience in treatment planning for radiotherapy for a wide range of disease sites employing advanced techniques
- Track record of formal on-going professional development as evidence of commitment to life-long learning.
Desirable
- Evidence of career progression demonstrating both breadth and depth of experience.
- Evidence of completed research and development projects.
- Experience in teaching and mentoring.
- In-depth knowledge and understanding of current legislation, regulations and safety standards pertinent to working area and the protection of staff, patients and members of the public.
- Evidence of attendance at conferences or training courses intended to extend the breadth and depth of knowledge
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Strong leadership and communication skills
- Ability to lead change and complete project work within a defined timescale
- Good communication skills with all staff groups.
- Good teaching and training skills.
- Ability to communicate scientific advice to all staff groups.
Desirable
- Good report writing and presentational skills
- Evidence of good organisational skills
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
