Radiographer - Mammography

at  Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

A Genuine Occupational Requirement under the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act Section 7(ii) applies to this post so we are only looking for female applicants.
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of London’s largest and busiest teaching hospitals, with a unique profile of strong local services and a focused set of specialist services.
In line with being at the forefront of many developments in Breast Screening and diagnosis, King’s has been one of the pilot sites for the age extension. We are fortunate in having several different mammography machines which provides an interesting remit. You will operate between our two static sites and six mobile units throughout the South East of London.
We are expanding our mammography workforce due to recent promotions within the department and are seeking an experienced mammographer. You should be a radiographer registered with the HCPC and will hold either a BSc in radiography or the Diploma of the College of Radiographers. You should hold the UK Postgraduate Award in Mammography. You will have excellent communication skills and a strong commitment to providing the best possible quality in both the technical and patient care aspects of your work. We are one of the five designated National Breast Screening Training Centres in England therefore an interest in clinical teaching is desirable. You will be flexible and adaptable and able to travel between our base, static and mobile sites in South East London.
The post holder will be an experienced mammographer, able to assess and treat own workload of patients/clients and to ensure provision of the highest standards of patient care. Including the legal documentation on the Radiology Information System (RIS) and Picture Archiving Communications System (PACS) associated with each completed patient episode.
You will be able to work autonomously within your specialist areas, consulting senior staff as and when necessary, and will be accountable for their own professional actions.
You will assess, manage and prioritise their caseload, giving advice and guidance to patients and other health care professionals.
The post holder will lead on the supervision and teaching of Radiographers, Assistant Practitioners and Student Radiographers as appropriate within Mammography.
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.
We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.
King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible
Service Delivery
Participate in multiple site rotations as and when necessary.
Act as an Operator under the IR(ME)R Radiation Regulations and assess the clinical justification of referrals to ensure that the benefit to the patient outweighs the radiation risk associated with the examination.
Act as patient and staff advocate minimising their exposure to radiation.
Provide timely, efficient and courteous provision of radiographic services to the agreed standards of the department taking account of the patient/clients clinical, physical and cultural needs.
Monitor and adjust work priorities in conjunction with other professionals to take into account changing demands on the diagnostic services due to emergencies, ensuring that the Trust targets are met.
Accountable for own professional actions and work within codes of Practice and professional guidelines
Apply in-depth knowledge of anatomy, pathology and equipment to determine appropriate imaging techniques for the individual patient condition.
Responsible for the safe use and maintenance of complex, high capital cost specialist imaging equipment
Be responsible for ensuring the legal documentation on the Radiology Information System (RIS) and Picture Archiving Communications System (PACS) associated with each completed patient episode. Ensure timely provision of images to referrers
Communication
Receive and welcome patients and staff to the Breast Radiology reception areas and Breast Screening clinics and deal with any enquiries in a kind and courteous manner.
Communicate with the referrer any changes to referrals after assessing the clinical justification for an x-ray examination against IR(ME)R and local protocols.
Deal sensitively with patients or carers under emotional stress, including the terminally ill and bereaved.
Deal with potentially aggressive patients
Communicate complex information relating to conditions and procedures to staff, patients and carers and ensure informed consent for examinations.
Communicates effectively on a daily basis with patients with communication difficulties and cognitive impairment
Anticipate and interpret customers’ needs, defining the level of customer care required on an individual basis
Communicate effectively with staff within and outside of the department to ensure the smooth operation of the service, including liaison with ward staff
Give factual information to patients, including children, regarding examinations and understand the necessary preparations
Work with other Radiographers, Consultant Radiologists, Health Care Professionals to assist them with breast imaging examinations and other procedures.
Ensure the safety and well being of patients, staff and visitors within the department
Ensure patients receive timely and accurate information about their examination, and ensure urgent findings are communicated in the appropriate way to referrers
Knowledge, Training and Experience
Position patients accurately for each examination, adapting techniques in accordance with the patient’s needs
Be competent in the utilisation of complex and specialised imaging equipment
Operate advanced software on specialised radiological equipment requiring in-depth anatomical, pathological and technical knowledge
Be able to decide on additional views when required in line with professional knowledge
Comply with the requirements of CNST
Demonstrate problem-solving approach to issues arising at a local level, evaluating the need to refer problems to the line manager
Be accountable for own professional actions and working within codes of practice and professional guidelines, consulting senior staff as and when necessary
Act as a source of knowledge to be consulted by other professionals
Be responsible for ensuring the legal documentation on the Radiology Information System (RIS) and Picture Archiving Communications System (PACS) associated with each completed patient episode. Ensure timely provision of images to referrers
Safely administer contrast media and other drugs in accordance with protocols as require
Physical Skills and Effort
Ensure the safe transferring of patients and equipment, following manual handling guidelines and using risk assessment
Assist with changing and personal care of patients as necessary including immobile and disabled
Operate a wide range of radiological equipment requiring excellent hand-eye co-ordination. e.g. post processing of images
Operate Modality and PACS equipment within a VDU environment
Physically position patients accurately for each examination, adapting techniques in accordance with the patient’s needs
Ensure appropriate infection control measures are utilised where necessary. Paying particular attention to personal protection as well as the management of equipment and linens contaminated by bodily fluids
Management Responsibility
Organise and manage an agreed workload with support from other health care professionals and senior staff as appropriate
Ensure that all Trust and local policies, protocols and procedures are adhered to by colleagues as appropriate
Work within and support the multi-disciplinary team
Maintain effective communication and professional relationships with all areas within Radiology and with associated clinical areas within the Trust
Share knowledge and skills developed with other members of the multi-disciplinary team
Supervise the work of training radiographers and assistant practitioners within the local area, training staff in the imaging required for Breast Radiology as appropriate
Observe personal responsibility for resource management
Responsible for daily resource management of the local area
Observe a general duty of care for the health, safety and well–being of self, work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital, in addition to any specific risk management associated with this post
Demonstrate a level of competency in line with King’s Radiography Competency Framework and is responsible for maintaining their own personal development with support
As part of individual professional responsibility actively lead and participate in the departmental Quality Assurance Programme including the completion of Equipment Competencies and reject analysis
Deal with complaints in accordance with Trust complaints procedure
Report any Adverse incidents and be familiar with the AI trigger list
Ensure Clinical Governance protocols are complied with and corrective actions taken where required
Aid the Head of Breast Radiography/Clinical Specialists with standard setting and policy formation for the service area
Contribute to service improvements and re-design in line with the NHS plan and local service strategies
Assess the needs of patients and plan the delivery of imaging and care around these needs within a specialist area
Co-ordinate services within each section, and liase with other wards and sections/departments, to provide a comprehensive and efficient Imaging service for King’s College Hospital
On a daily basis, in the absence of more senior staff, deputise for the clinical specialists/Head of Breast Radiography
In line with the Trust Appraisal process undertake the appraisals and Bar 1 link grade competency assessment of Staff Grade Radiographic staff
In line with the Trust Appraisal process undertake the appraisals of Radiographic Department Assistants and Assistant Practitioners
Assist with recruitment and selection of Staff Grade Radiographic staff, Assistant Practitioners and Radiographic Department Assistants as required
Contribute to data collection for statistics on capacity, demand & backlog and other management activity. In addition be responsible for the data production in the absence of the Head of Breast Radiography/Clinical Specialists
Aid the Head of Breast Radiography/Clinical Specialists in maintaining the level of stock and consumables within each area and to liase with equipment companies in case of equipment failure
Ensure compliance with Trust Health and Safety policies and procedures within the area, including ionising radiation and infection control to provide a safe and secure environment
Support new staff in inductio
Professional & Practice Development, Training & Education
Act both as role model and clinical expert to facilitate development of others through example and education
Demonstrate, maintain and update skills and knowledge of evolving practice and legislative requirements
Provide professional support to other radiographers
Actively lead in the training and development of Radiographers, Assistant Practitioners and Student Radiographers, assuming professional responsibility for their work
Train Radiographers and Assistant Practitioners where appropriate in the utilisation of highly complex, high capital cost specialist imaging equipment
Train Staff Grade Radiographers and Assistant Practitioners where appropriate, in how to position patients accurately for each examination, adapting techniques in accordance with the patient’s need
Review, develop and write protocols with a view to improving service planning with Head of Breast Radiography/Clinical Specialists. Contribute to service improvements and re-design in line with the NHS plan and local service strategies
Demonstrate, maintain and update skills and knowledge of evolving practice and legislative requirement
Research & Audit
Initiate and participate in audit including contribution to imaging data collection
Contribute to practice development in reaction to the findings of audit and recent evidence, implement recommendations, and monitor their effectiveness
Participate in clinical research within the department
Work with others in the development of research protocols
Adhere to research standards, protocols and documentation

Please refer the Job description for details