Job overview
We are recruiting for a Lead Clinical Scientist who shares our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients.
The radiation protection department is part of the wider radiation services team including nuclear medicine and radiotherapy physics at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre. We are looking for a lead clinical scientist to provide RPA and MPE support for the Trust and to support a number of external Trusts under service level agreements, specifically for nuclear medicine imaging.
The radiation protection department provides specialist scientific advice and technical support to radiology, and other users of x-ray imaging including radiotherapy, nuclear medicine and breast screening services. The department supports optimisation of a wide range of imaging equipment and is playing an active role in new imaging network activity.
At the heart of everything we do are our core values: Include, Respect, and Improve. We encourage you to embrace these values throughout the recruitment process and in your role with us.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will be a HCPC registered Clinical Scientist, qualified to act as an RPA and MPE in nuclear medicine imaging.
You will have excellent communication skills as you will lead on the provision of radiation protection and scientific support to several hospitals. Working closely with the head of radiation protection you will be part of the leadership team delivering serves to a number of Trusts.
You will be required to work alongside local service leads to ensure organisations deliver statutory obligations with respect to the safe use of ionising radiation.
The post holder will line manage clinical scientists and technologists and contribute to staff development and assist in the supervision of trainees undertaking the STP programme or equivalent.
Ideally, we are looking for someone who already has MPE/RPA certification, but if you have begun to work towards this and expect to be able to submit a portfolio within twelve months of appointment, we would still like to hear from you.
Working for our organisation
At East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general and specialist services we provide and our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible and innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.
We run the following hospitals:
* The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
* New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
* Hertford County, Hertford
* Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood
We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation and our staff and patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.
We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. This means that any employee is entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns and we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made and considered formally, and will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
ENHT is seeking to maintain and expand the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre staff as we move to an exciting new future.
We welcome applications from those who would relish the opportunity to be part of new and developing cancer service, building on the excellent reputation, research and patient experience the Cancer Centre already delivers.
In addition, you will receive a High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of your basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £4,552 and a maximum payment of £5,735 per annum pro rata.
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.
Person specification
Qualifications / Training
Essential criteria
* Good (1st or 2nd Class) Honours degree in a relevant subject (physics or engineering).
* Postgraduate qualification in a relevant branch of physics or medical physics to the level of at least a Master’s degree (MSc).
* State registration with the Health & Care Professions Council, as a Clinical Scientist.
* At least 5 years relevant experience as a clinical scientist.
* At least one out of two RPA and MPE qualifications
* RPA accreditation by RPA 2000 (certificate of core competence).
* Current recognition as an MPE and on the IR(ME)R 2000 MPE list as maintained by RPA 2000.
Desirable criteria
* Qualification as RPA and MPE
Previous Experience
Essential criteria
* Highly specialised training and practical experience in Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Protection.
* Highly specialised training and practical experience in the use and quality assurance testing of a range of highly technical equipment, including SPECT/CT, PET/CT
* Experience in the application of relevant legislation, national standards, professional and other guidelines and be able to communicate their application to other health professionals including senior management
* Specification, procurement and commissioning of imaging systems
* Significant experience of delivering teaching and training
Desirable criteria
* Operational management in a healthcare service / team
* Previous appointment as an MPE for CT
* Experience of CT quality assurance testing
Skills
Essential criteria
* Good communicator of complex and sensitive information to patients and members of the public. Able to communicate highly complex scientific data to multi-disciplinary staff.
* To be able to communicate effectively with Government agencies and regulatory bodies (e.g. CQC, HSE, EA, ONR etc.) on behalf of Trusts or other organisations.
* Ability to use own judgement involving complex facts that require analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options as, for example, in analysing the results of scientific measurements or processes, which may conflict, and deciding upon an appropriate course of action.
* Able to use Excel, Word etc. to set up documents and spreadsheets and extract information.
* Highly developed physical accuracy, manual dexterity skills and good eye -sight to achieve precision and speed in the use of sophisticated scientific and technical equipment.
* Ability to teach, train and supervise students and other members of staff within their areas of competence.
* Good public speaking and presentation skills (able to present scientific papers at meetings).
* Ability to apply knowledge and experience of practical nuclear medicine and radiation protection in order to implement new procedures and suggest developments to existing ones.
* Ability to manage and prioritise own work and respond flexibly to changing requirements.
* Able to act independently, without supervision, within professional guidelines
* Occasional requirement to exert moderate physical effort for several short periods during a shift e.g. during QA testing
* Frequent requirement for prolonged concentration
* Understanding of hazards posed by, and precautions needed with: Ionising radiation including X -rays, gamma rays, alpha and beta particles Electrical & mechanical hazards
Knowledge
Essential criteria
* Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge and deep understanding of the nature, use, risks and radiation protection of ionising radiations including X -rays, gamma rays, electrons & neutrons
* Specialist knowledge and full understanding of all the areas of legislation, approved codes and good guidance, applicable to the use of sealed and unsealed sources of ionising radiation in the field of medical, dental, veterinary and industry where appropriate.
* Theoretical and practical knowledge to act as a Medical Physics Expert regarding the safety of the patient under IRMER within nuclear medicine.
* Specialist experience (at least 5 years nuclear medicine experience since registration) in medical physics and radiation protection.
* Analysi s and interpretation of highly complex and highly varied situations, judging theoretical and practical measures and giving expert advice on performance, risk and benefit to ensure comparison with relevant legislation, approved codes, guidance and standards.
* Experience in teaching and training varied groups of staff across a range of medical physics nuclear medicine and radiation protection subject areas at local and national level.
* Specialist knowledge of imaging and therapy techniques and procedures used in nuclear medicine.
* Knowledge and understanding of patient and staff risks arising from use of ionising radiation with unsealed radionuclides, including equipment failure, procedural defects and human error.
Other requirements
Essential criteria
* Able to work as part of a team.
* Able to inspire confidence in healthcare staff and clinical scientist and other trainees.
* Able to communicate calmly and firmly in the face of challenging behavior.
* Able to work calmly in a safety critical environment.
* Conscientious, with a responsible attitude to all aspects of the job.
* Experience and evidence of engagement around the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda.
* Able to actively support the development of a culture that recognises and promotes equality, values diversity, and actively leads by example in deploying these qualities.
* Understands the impact on equality, diversity and inclusion issues in all aspects of service delivery and planning.
* Role model our Trust values every day
Our values
We want our staff to believe in, demonstrate and live our values in everything we do.
Include
We value the diversity and experience of our community colleagues and partners, creating relationships and climates that provide an opportunity to share, collaborate and grow together.
Respect
We create a safe environment where we are curious of the lived experience of others, seek out best practice and are open to listening and hearing new ideas.
Improve
We are committed to consistently delivering excellent services and continuously looking to improve through a creative workforce that feels empowered to act in service of our shared purpose.
Committed to our Community
East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion for all job applicants, staff, patients and the wider community. We want to create a workforce which represents the communities we serve. We are on a journey to become a more inclusive organisation and we welcome applications from everyone regardless of their background. In particular we encourage applications from candidates with disabilities, and candidates from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds who are currently under-represented in various parts of our workforce .
We understand the importance of balancing work and home life. We are committed to support flexible working for our staff wherever possible and all our employees are given the opportunity to discuss potential for flexible working.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and achieved our status in 2019.
We will remove barriers that prospective candidates might face at any stage of our recruitment process. If you have a disability and would like the advert in an alternative format, or would like to talk about how we can adjust the interview process to best support you, please contact us by emailing resourcing.enh-tr@nhs.net
We are also proud to support our UK armed forces by supporting Reservists, Cadet Instructors, Veterans and military spouses/partners into employment and offering supportive policies that value their contribution to the community and to our Trust.
We are committed to being a carer-friendly environment, addressing the complex needs of families with caring responsibilities. In partnership with Carers in Hertfordshire, all our working carers have access to support from recruitment. We are also a member of Carers UK, providing resources to make balancing work and caring easier. Our approach is inclusive, recognizing diverse challenges and creating a supportive environment where carers feel valued.