Christie Medical Physics and Engineering Newsletter 70 May 2022

Over the past few years there have been less inspections due to COVID, but on-site inspections will continue now where possible.

Protection of staff in fluoroscopy procedures, when Seated

Procedural quality assurance should be carried out regularly:

Regulation 9(2) of IRR17 requires Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be adequate and suitable; PPE for radiation exposures must provide adequate to protect the wearer as well as be suitable for the practice and work of the wearer. Traditional lead gowns are designed to be worn by staff standing and mobile in a controlled area. Staying seated while wearing a traditional lead gown may crease, dislodge or break the lead protection, and may also reduce the protection afforded due to ‘line of sight’ between the sources of radiation, leakage or scattered, and the wearer’s upper legs and pelvis. Therefore, traditional lead gown designs may not be suitable for staff who would remain seated during procedures, such as in urology theatres. There are currently lead gowns on the market which aim to address this problem. Their main design features are a back which ends at the hips to avoid folding and creasing while seated, a sectioned front with a section to cover between the wearer’s legs and leg st raps to secure the leg section to the front/top of the legs. These aprons may also be more comfortable for seated wearers. Due to this design, they should only be worn by operators who will remain facing the sources of radiation for the entirety of the procedure.

Named person responsible for the QA

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• Multidisciplinary approach to development of policies and procedures – include document control with version number etc • Ensure policies/procedures are fit for purpose by review Additionally, the report outlines the recommended actions for employers involved in the management of Community Diagnostic Centres and the main intentions of the CQC for the year ahead are summarised at the end of the report . IRMER provides a framework to protect individuals from the harmful effects of ionising radiation. With consideration for the detrimental effects of accidental foetal radiation exposure, employers must put in place a procedure for establishing the pregnancy status of individuals of childbearing potential. This procedure must use inclusive language to ensure it reflects the gender diversity of the population (CQC, 2019; RCR, 2020). In this regard, the Society of Radiographers have published guidance on developing an inclusive pregnancy checking procedure, which includes an equitable process for obtaining information about childbearing potential. In light of this, CMPE recommend reviewing your organisation’s IRMER pregnancy checking procedure. Please contact your RP contact if you have any questions about regulatory compliance. Inclusive Pregnancy Guidelines

When introducing different PPE requirements for different staff groups, the following actions should be addressed:

- The specific requirements should be reflected in the Risk Assessments and Local Rules.

- Staff should be appropriately trained in the use and storage of the PPE.

- Steps should be taken to clearly identify each PPE type or style, to reduce the likelihood of interchanging types.

Procedures should be in place to identify that the correct PPE is being used. For more information, please contact

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