Job summary
- Main area
- Brachytherapy Physics
- Grade
- Band 8b
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 359-6966980-T1
- Employer
- Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Maidstone Hospital
- Town
- Maidstone
- Salary
- £62,215 - £72,293 per annum pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 14/03/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Lead Physicist for Brachytherapy
Band 8b
Job overview
Are you an experienced, enthusiastic, and motivated Clinical Scientist with a special interest in brachytherapy looking for a new challenge? If so, we want to hear from you!
The Kent Oncology Centre is a leading radiotherapy service equipped with nine Varian linear accelerators across our Canterbury and Maidstone sites, each featuring dedicated CT-Simulators. We utilise Eclipse for treatment planning, employing RapidArc VMAT, IGRT, DIBH, and SABR Lung techniques in routine practice.
Brachytherapy is delivered at our Maidstone through a gynaecological HDR service, utilising Varian GammMedPlus iX; prostate seed implants; and an expanding HDR prostate service. Brachytherapy planning is performed on Varian Eclipse, VariSeed and Vitesse.
What We Offer:
Flexible Working: We are open to flexible working arrangements to support the service's operational hours.
Leadership Development: We encourage and support your professional growth through postgraduate training and role extension opportunities, including access to Trust-established leadership development programs.
Innovative Environment: Be part of exciting changes within Radiotherapy at the Kent Oncology Centre, including the procurement of AI technologies for organ contouring to improve efficiency across the patient pathway, expansion of the prostate HDR service and the introduction of interstitial needles for cervix treatment.
Main duties of the job
As the Lead Physicist for Brachytherapy, you will lead Brachytherapy section of the Radiotherapy Physics Department. This will involve both running the routine service and leading future developments such as the commissioning of new and replacement equipment, introducing new technique and ensuring legislative compliance. You will also be expected to act as a Medical Physics Expert for brachytherapy physics.
Your responsibilities will include:
Managing the brachytherapy physics service
Participating in all aspects of the brachytherapy physics service
Leading the on the physics aspects of brachytherapy service development
Ensuring legislative compliance of the brachytherapy service
Qualifications:
Proven experience as a Clinical Scientist specialising in brachytherapy
Ability to be appointed as a Medical Physics Expert
Experience of managing teams and workflows
A commitment to personal and professional development.
Join us in shaping the future of radiotherapy at one of the largest centres in the region. If you are ready to take on a new challenge and grow with us, we would love to hear from you!
Working for our organisation
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust ranks among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and was named the second-best Trust to work for in the South East in the 2023 NHS Staff Survey.
We are a large acute hospital trust in south-east England, providing general hospital services and specialist care to around 600,000 residents in West Kent and East Sussex. With a dedicated and diverse team of over 8,000 staff we are proud to offer specialised cancer services to over two million people through the Kent Oncology Centre.
Fordcombe Hospital, near Tunbridge Wells, became part of the Trust in October 2024. Specialising in planned care, it offers two operating theatres, 28 inpatient and day-care beds, diagnostic services (X-ray, MRI, CT, and endoscopy), and consultation/treatment rooms.
Looking for flexible working?
We are a flexible working-friendly organisation. Whether it’s adjusting your hours or exploring other flexible arrangements, we want to work with you to find the best solution for you, our patients, and the Trust. Talk to us about how we can accommodate your working needs.
Joining us includes a comprehensive benefits package:
At least 27 days of annual leave plus public/bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time staff).
Membership in the NHS Pension Scheme, with a 20.6% employer contribution and life assurance benefits
Blue Light card eligibility
And more, additional benefits can be found in the benefits documents below
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We’ve provided all the details you need about this role in the job description and person specification. Please take a moment to review the criteria in the person specification and share specific examples in your application that demonstrate how you meet these requirements. Please also check your application for errors/omissions prior to submission.
Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check at Standard Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children)
All successful applicants will be required to complete our corporate trust induction once a start date had been agreed.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Good (1st or 2nd class) Honours degree in physics or relevant subject
- Accredited MSc or relevant higher degree
- Certificate of completion of NSHCS Scientist Training Program / IPEM Certificate of post qualification higher training / equivalent
- HCPC Registration as a Clinical Scientist
Experience / Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Able to act as a Medical Physics Expert with recognition from RPA2000
- Highly developed specialist knowledge in the field of radiotherapy physics including dosimetry, treatment planning and brachytherapy
- A high level understanding of treatment planning and patient immobilisation with particular emphasis on brachytherapy
- A high level understanding of the risks to patients and staff arising from equipment failure, treatment planning errors and radioactive sources
- In depth understanding of relevant legislation, national standards, professional and other guidelines [e.g. IRR, IR(ME)R, ISO 9001 NAIR, EPR]
- In depth understanding of hazards posed by, and precautions needed with ionising radiation, non-ionising radiation, radioactive sources, electricity and high voltage, biological contamination
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of employment procedures and practices
- Knowledge of ionising radiations regulations sufficient to act as the Radiation Protection Supervisor for, and Custodian of, Sealed Sources.
Skills
Essential criteria
- Able to write scientific reports
- Able to train groups of other professional staff, clinicians, radiographers, physicists and technicians
- Able to act as a Trust expert in areas of specialist expertise (physics of brachytherapy)
Desirable criteria
- Able to chair technical meetings
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Mark Fleckney
- Job title
- Head of Radiotherapy Physics
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01622227023
- Additional information
Roxanne Potts
Deputy Head of Radiotherapy Physics
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