Band 8a Principal Radiotherapy Physicist

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 61,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job description

Band 8a Principal Radiotherapy Physicist

A vacancy has arisen within the Radiotherapy Physics service at the Royal Free Hospital site for a Band 8A Radiotherapy Physicist. The successful candidate should ideally be an MPE; however, applicants in the process of applying or about to apply for certification will be considered. The applicant is required to participate in all the routine support for the radiotherapy physics service; however, they may subsequently be required to oversee and maintain a specific part of the physics service.

Main duties of the job

Please see attached job description for more information about this role and working at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

About us

The Royal Free Hospital's Radiotherapy service has 2 Varian Truebeam linear accelerators, an Xstrahl system, a Canon (Toshiba) large bore CT-scanner (expected to be replaced in the next 9 months), access to PET and MRI, and the Philips Pinnacle treatment planning system ver16.2 (confirmed replacement end 2025), along with a wide range of dosimetry and engineering support equipment. Varian's Aria ver 17 patient management system integrates the service with the accredited quality management system supported on 'Q-Pulse'. The service has a well-established VMAT/IMRT and SABR workload with the SABR service implementing or supporting all the tumour sites within the NHSE SABR expansion program.

Job responsibilities

The successful candidate is required to be able to demonstrate the Trust values and the responsibilities of the job description.

Person Specification

Skills

• Able to prioritise and manage own workload with effective time management skills. Flexible, able to adjust commitments when required and work to tight deadlines (checking complex treatment plans to a tight deadline for example).
• Able to deal with complex and unpredictable situations (providing advice during equipment failure for example).
• Able to project manage effectively, setting quality standards, timescales, performance targets and goals, monitoring progress, checking results, providing support to other team members when required and writing reports.
• Ability to teach and train others, including other staff groups, on highly specialist subjects.
• Able to perform independent applied research and development.
• Able to prepare and present scientific papers at local, national and international meetings and conferences.
• Able to develop systems and write software and scripts (Python for example) relevant to radiotherapy computer systems.

Personal Qualities & Attributes

• Able to communicate highly complex information to other healthcare professionals and equipment manufacturers.
• Able to exercise own initiative when dealing with issues within own specialist area of competence.
• High degree of physical accuracy and dexterity, for making precision measurements and equipment adjustments using fine tools.
• Ability to motivate a wide cross-section of healthcare professionals and lead a team approach to work.
• Able to maintain frequent periods of prolonged concentration, with often unpredictable work patterns (when collecting or analysing beam data and providing clinical advice for example).
• Able to deal with occasional distressing circumstances when working with terminally ill patients for example.
• Able to lift and move medium/heavy weights (beam data acquisition equipment and phantoms for example).

Royal Free World Class Values

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values.

Education & Professional Qualifications

• Honours first degree (1st or 2nd) in physics or containing a major physics component.
• Relevant MSc or higher degree or equivalent level of knowledge.
• HCPC registration as a Clinical Scientist.
• Certified Medical Physics Expert on national register or application in progress.
• Corporate Membership of IPEM (MIPEM) or eligible for membership.
• Chartered scientist (CSci) or eligible for the award.

Experience

• Highly developed specialist theoretical and practical knowledge of radiation dosimetry, treatment unit technology, treatment planning systems, and computer systems in radiotherapy, sufficient to act as a Medical Physics Expert in these areas.
• Specialist training and practical experience of a wide range of radiotherapy equipment and computing equipment, including linear accelerators, treatment planning systems and dosimetry equipment.
• Advanced knowledge of patient and machine dosimetry and quality assurance in radiotherapy.
• Highly developed knowledge of clinical issues and their implications for radiotherapy physics practice.
• Broad understanding of patient and staff risks arising from equipment failure and staff error.
• High level of understanding of patient and staff risks arising from treatment planning computer system errors, equipment failure, treatment errors and incorrect dosimetry.
• Broad knowledge of radiotherapy techniques and clinical applications.
• In depth knowledge of relevant legislation, national standards, professional and other guidelines, quality systems, local rules and safety practices (for example ISO 9001 2000, Health and Safety, COSHH).
• Understanding of hazards posed by, and precautions needed with: ionising radiation, non-ionising radiation and electrical hazards.
• Broad knowledge of applied radiation physics and associated areas within medical physics.
• Relevant clinical experience in radiotherapy physics post registration.

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.

£61,927 to £68,676 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS.