Christie Medical Physics and Engineering Newsletter 70 May 2022

careers highlighted the achievements of the healthcare science workforce in combining patient-centred innovation with clinical practice. It describes a highly motivated, scientifically trained, research literate clinical community that frequently embeds and creates innovation as part of their core practice. The healthcare science workforce is well-placed to support and lead the integration of future intelligence and technology adoption and provide insight in terms of how research fits into a clinical context, looking ahead to which technologies will be relevant in the future and considering the impact of these technologies on service providers and the health system as a whole. The following is an overview of the various roles of clinical scientists. Specialist legal adviser/expert roles undertaken are marked in bold. Total quality assurance and governance support including accreditation of service quality • Improved patient care by striving for the right test at the right time with no unnecessary/repeat imaging • Regulatory advice and compliance audit . Continually drawing attention to the latest guidance and advice on implementation • Specification, procurement and commissioning of equipment and services • Key to improving access to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, closer to the patients home • Uptake and validation of new equipment & technology • Preparing for new technology that will be Clinical scientists Specific competence •

Medical Physics Roles

Who are medical physics and what can we do for you?

This article is written with a focus on imaging and radiation protection physics within the diagnostic and interventional radiology specialism (x-ray). This covers physics support to modalities using x-rays., for example, planar x-ray, CT, fluoroscopy, mammography and dental imaging etc. Many of the roles and competencies can be extrapolated into other medical physics disciplines. Imaging and radiation protection physicists sit within the healthcare science NHS Employer profiles. They are a bridge between science and the clinical environment, fulfilling roles that facilitate and optimise medical imaging to improve patient outcomes while ensuring the radiation safety of patients, staff and members of the public. The profiles are split into healthcare science practitioner roles (often called clinical technologists) and healthcare scientist roles (associated with the protected title of registered ‘clinical scientist’ – regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council). Healthcare role regulation is designed to assure patients and the public, as well as employers, that professionals on a register are appropriately qualified and competent to practice. Where physics roles are required in a clinical environment, they should be performed by a clinical scientist or be overseen by one. Within this structure there is a career pathway for support roles from assistant to advanced practitioner and scientist progress to consultant status (with service manager options for both roles). These same employees undertake expert, legally defined roles, in both an accountable capacity and through advising employers on compliance with key regulations including The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR17) and The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 (IRMER17). Roles and added value Clinical scientists have general and specific competence that enables safe, timely, high quality, state of the art imaging activities. A recent review (cited within NHSE&I Science in Healthcare Strategy) on clinical academic

used within the clinical environment, validating efficacy, developing tests to ensure it is suitable for use and continues to be over its lifetime

• Equipment quality assurance programme development and performance testing • Identification of equipment issues and support to return to clinical service • Directly impacting on up time of equipment

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