Principal Clinical Scientist MRI (XR08)

Thesuccessful candidate will be part of a team of 7 MR clinical scientistsdelivering a range of scientific services to providers of clinical and researchMRI services within Leeds and surrounding region. The 14 systems supportedacross Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and the University of Leeds are a mixtureof 1.5T and 3T including a dedicated radiotherapy MRI planning scanner and anintraoperative system. Further systems are in other Trusts and support is alsoprovided to other academic institutions and CDCs.

Theclinical work of the group is wide ranging and the group also has strongacademic links with the University of Leeds providing research support tosystems including musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and radiotherapy scanners.There will be opportunities to participate in research for interestedcandidates.

Theremay be opportunities to participate in the ultrasound physics service forcandidates with relevant experience.

HCPC registration as a clinical scientist is essentialfor this role.

Main duties of the job

Thesuccessful candidate will provide technical and scientific MRI support to theTrust and to external customers. They will be involved in and developmultiple aspects of the MR physics service including MR safety advice (e.g.providing advice and support for patients with passive and active implants,development of local procedures), site planning, procurement, protocoldevelopment, acceptance testing, QA, complex clinical scan support, teachingand training. There will be opportunities to develop more focussed expertisein specific clinical areas and to be involved in research. The role willinvolve rewarding work with multi-disciplinary teams (e.g. radiographer,radiologists, clinicians, cardiac physiologists, cardiologists) whereeverybodys contribution is valued.

About us

LeedsTeaching Hospitals NHS Trust provides secondary and tertiary care to Leedsand surrounding regions with 20,000 staff, 2,000 hospitals beds and 1.6million patients every year. There are 3 hospitals (Leeds General Infirmary,St Jamess University Hospital and Chapel Allerton hospital) within the Trustthat have static MRI scanners. The MR physics group is within the MedicalPhysics and Engineering department (275 staff) and promotes an inclusive andfriendly environment where staff are supported to develop and feel part of ateam with a strong identity that cares.

LeedsTeaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk'members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job advertsare subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or removeadverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in theshortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while thisprocess is completed, and contact the named contact if you have anyquestions.

Job responsibilities

Toprovide expert scientific advice and support for the MRI services at LeedsTeaching Hospitals NHS Trust. A high level of expertise in safety aspects ofMRI is essential. Specific additional areas of expertise will include one ormore of the following: neuroradiology, oncology, musculoskeletal, cardiac,radiotherapy MR, site planning, quality assurance, magnetic resonanceresearch and innovation. Duties to include equipment installation,acceptance, quality assurance and quality control, protocol development andimplementation within their area of expertise..

Todeputise for the head of MR physics and deputise for the Trust MR SafetyExpert.

Totake responsibility for the work of other physicists and related staff fromthe group, or those seconded to it and to direct their work as required. Todevelop effective working relationships with senior clinical staff in theTrust and other staff within the department.

Tolead, develop, and plan selected technical and scientific services relatingto the MRI equipment at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Toactively participate in the initiation, development, planning and directionof appropriate Research and Development activity within the group.

Toparticipate in the teaching and training of NHS staff in basic and advancedMRI physics, techniques, applications and safety.

PRINCIPALDUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Asa principal MRI scientist for the Trust, to provide highly specialist expertmedical physics advice and support to the provision of MRI within the Trust.

Toprovide highly specialist expert medical physics advice to MRI services toother healthcare organisations (NHS and private) and academic institutions ascontracted by those organisations.

Totake responsibility for, and participate in, the delivery of a broad range ofboth routine and non-routine, highly specialised scientific and technicalservices in Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Toparticipate in the provision of similar services at other Trust sites or ascontracted by other healthcare organisations.

Todeliver a broad range of specialized, complex non-routine MR scientificservices

Toanalyse highly complex situations where conflicting demands on limitedresources have to be reconciled, for example advise clinicians, managers andcapital planners on decisions concerning the purchase or replacement ofmagnetic resonance imaging equipment and the design and provision of adequateaccommodation for the safe use of that equipment.

Devisesafe, legal and effective solutions to complex science based clinicalproblems, based on risk assessment and knowledge of current methodologies inMRI, determining the best practicable solution given the constraints onavailable resources.

Toproduce regular reports at the request of others and data analysis.

Toprovide high level, highly specialist scientific input to strategic servicedevelopments relating to the clinical MRI service.

Toplan and participate in the development of appropriate quality systems forMRI ensuring that the services provided by the MR group are of the highestquality.

Procurement

Providesspecialist advice to, and acts as representative in meetings with externalagencies for, the Trust, relating to major new capital projects that includethe provision of MRI services.

Toplan the procurement of major capital items and the routine testing of MRequipment.

Tobe responsible for the provision of specialist scientific and technicalsupport within the Trust for the specification, evaluation, selection,installation and acceptance testing of new MRI systems and associatedequipment as directed by the post holders line manager.

Equipment

Tomanage the technical aspects of selected items of highly complex, expensiveequipment across the trust or as contracted by the University of Leeds. Thesesystems will be as directed from a Trustequipment base of 9 NHS-based MRIsystems, (4 at the General Infirmary, 4 at at St Jamess and 1 at ChapelAllerton Hosptial), 4 University of Leeds systems and associated workstationsand test equipment, with a total replacement value of over £11,000,000.

Toset up, calibrate and operate highly complex equipment including MRI systemsand associated test equipment.

Toplan and implement measures, e.g. QA, to monitor MRI equipment performancewithin the Trust.

Toensure optimum performance of selected systems from the installed base of MRsystems within the Trust and to perform first line support in close liaisonwith the manufacturers.

Todevise and construct test objects that mimic clinical scenarios and are to beused in the MRI system involving pipetting precise dilutions of differentsolutions.

Safety

Assistwith the provision of MRI safety frameworks to the Trust.

Assistwith the provision of MRI safety frameworks to other healthcare organisations(NHS and private) and academic institutions.

Assistwith the provision of safety frameworks as directed, to threeUniversity-based MRI systems located within the General Infirmary, two 3Tsystems and a 1.5T system with a combined replacement value of approximately£4 million. Assist with the provisionof safety framework to a joint University of Leeds / Trust 3T MRI scanner atChapel Allerton Hospital.

Makeevidence-based assessments of risk seeking advice where appropriate, wherethe outcome may be in conflict with national or other published guidelines,for example, in advising senior clinicians on the use of MRI procedures orpractices that would normally be contra-indicated, where it may be in thebest interests of an individual patient.

Toadvise and propose changes for the Trust and other organisations ascontracted on the implementation of national and international MR guidelinesand legislation to ensure the safety of patients, staff and members of thepublic including for site planning and installation, equipment operation,local rules and operating procedures and maintenance of adequate records.

Todeputise, as required for the MR Safety Expert to the Trust on all aspects ofMRI safety and sits on the multidisciplinary trust MR safety group.

Toprovide specialist advice to the Trust and other organisations on MR localrules and standard operating procedures to ensure the safety of staff,visitors and patients including reviewing and proposing changes to essentialdocuments.

Tofurther develop existing techniques in Magnetic Resonance Imaging and toidentify and implement new and advanced techniques for routine clinicaland/or research use where these will often involve highly complex MRIprotocol, pulse sequence and software development.

Toplan the development and implementation of new MR procedures.

Towrite bespoke computer software to provide solutions including advanced imageprocessing to particular imaging problems to meet the specifications of othercolleagues.

Patientspecific activity

Todevelop and advise on the correct and safe use of highly specialised,non-routine MR procedures for individual patients examinations or specificpatient groups, often including very ill patients.

Toperform non-routine, highly specialised analysis and interpretation of MRIimages from individual patients, particularly those requiring advancedpost-processing and/or image analysis. In conjunction with other Healthcareprofessionals, ensure that the interpretation of the results of the analysisthat are essential for clinical decision making are accurate and reliable.

Tomonitor, analyse and interpret MRI images and/or resulting data, to identifyand determine the reason for erroneous results and identify and determine thecause of subtle or non-reproducible MR system faults.

Toadvise on the safe and effective use of MRI in patients who present withimplanted medical devices or foreign bodies.

Managerial

Toplan programmes for the work of other physicists including traineephysicists.

Tosupervise and be responsible for the work of other physicists includingtrainee physicists as required.

Toprovide line management for staff within the MR physics section as directedby the post holders line manager.

Researchand Development

Toplan and participate in research and development programmes within the MRIgroup and in collaboration with other Trust and University departments whichare of high quality and consistent with the joint Trust and University ofLeeds research strategy.

Toprovide a focus for scientific and clinical applications and R&D supportfrom the manufacturers within the Trust and to implement new techniquessupplied.

Tomaintain high standards of scientific rigour in scientific and clinicalresearch performed within the Trust and University relating to MagneticResonance Imaging.

Teachingand Training

Topromote a high level of competency of Medical, Scientific and Technical NHSstaff working in the field of Magnetic Resonance Imaging through the regularprovision of high quality teaching and training.

Toprovide supervision and training of NHS clinical scientists and techniciansparticipating in the NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP) and otherprofessional training schemes.

Toprovide basic and advanced teaching and training, usually at postgraduatelevel, of other NHS staff (including Radiographers and Radiologists) in MRphysics, safety, techniques and applications.

Toteach on both internal and external postgraduate courses in medical physics,MRI and medical imaging where this falls within the remit of the NHSdepartment.

Tosupervise and train undergraduate and postgraduate students working on MRprojects where appropriate.

Person Specification

Skills & behaviours

• Team player
• Interactions with MDT
• Critical reflection
• Demonstration of Leeds Way Values

Qualifications

• Good (1st or 2nd class) honours degree in physical sciences.
• HCPC clinical scientist registration
• MSc in medical physics or equivalent

Experience

• MR Safety.
• Research and development.

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.