Consultant Radiographer in Breast Imaging inBury St Edmunds inBury St Edmunds PUBLISHED THU 23 JAN 2025

To undertake skilled clinical practice in all aspects of Breast Imaging techniques, working as part of the breast consultant radiology team to ensure that the symptomatic and breast screening clinics are covered at all times.

To provide a consultant service offering a specialist opinion for breast imaging. This includes mammography interpretation, performing and interpreting breast ultrasound, performing biopsy and localisation procedures under x-ray and ultrasound guidance and recommending further action where necessary.

Provide expert professional advice to other professionals, multidisciplinary groups, patients and carers.

Play a pivotal role in the integration of research evidence into practice by delivering enhanced quality in the areas of assessment, diagnosis and management to improve outcomes for patients.

Undertake research, audit and education activities.

Contribute to the operational and strategic development of breast imaging services whilst ensuring delivery of the clinical governance agenda of the West Suffolk Hospital Trust.

Undertake and independently report on breast ultrasound, issue reports and further recommendations as appropriate. Perform image guided intervention using ultrasound and x-ray. To assess critically any change in ultrasound practice within the unit, interpreting conflicting information and instigate any resulting change in practice. Provide highly specialist advice on service.

Report mammography images originating from the screening programme, symptomatic and breast screening cancer follow-up programmes.

To be a source of information and advice for colleagues with regard to abnormal image recognition. To assess critically any change in reading practice within the unit, interpreting conflicting information and instigate any resulting change in practice. Provide highly specialist advice on service.

To be able to work autonomously within the breast team and exercise clinical judgement using skill and professional knowledge to ensure clinical practice is carried out correctly, professionally and within the legal framework.

If you are a professional, positive-thinking individual with demonstrable relevant experience, who is well organised and motivated looking for a rewarding and varied role in which you can use and develop your skills, then we are looking for you to join us. You will be required to work with all colleagues, peers, and external parties to ensure successful delivery of the service.

About us

Job responsibilities:

1. Communication:

Be an excellent communicator with staff and patients.

Have great skill in relaying information that at times may be sensitive or complex.

Contribute to debates and be able to communicate professional views to colleagues.

Play a part in the in the wider radiography team and motivate other staff members.

Be confident to give presentations, relay audits, chair meetings.

2. Analytical and judgemental:

Good problem-solving skills.

Be able to exercise own judgment in clinical situations.

Undertake research in collaboration with others in order to contribute to the existing evidence base in relation to breast imaging.

Promote radiographer involvement in audit and research and actively encourage and support those involved.

3. Planning and organisational Skills:

Facilitate service improvement by developing and promoting greater multi professional working and integrating four tier skill mix.

Maintain personal development by attending local and national conference.

4. Clinical Duties:

Be highly skilled in all aspects of breast practice - ultrasound, biopsy, film reading, x-ray guided procedures.

To be a core member of the breast Multidisciplinary Team working in collaboration with the team to influence the patient pathway.

To be recognised as an expert within their speciality and have an impact on breast care services locally and nationally.

To be responsible for, and manage an advanced practice caseload of mammographic reporting, ultrasound performance and reporting, image guided biopsies, localisation procedures and other advanced duties appropriate to this role.

Reading of tomosynthesis and CESM images and clinical action of findings.

To be responsible for recommending patients for further related investigations in line with best practice, according to findings during advanced practice duties.

To exercise a high level of clinical judgement.

To be professionally accountable and legally liable for their acts and omissions as an independent clinical practitioner.

To identify, develop and introduce innovative practice and service delivery models to enhance service to patients and clinicians with the aim of providing examples of best practice and therefore setting standards locally and/or nationally.

To be a role model for radiographer advanced practice and promote a learning culture enabling others within the department to develop their potential.

Contribute to debates in the multi-disciplinary arena and challenge current structures/traditional ways of working.

5. Governance:

Design perform and evaluate audit to facilitate quality service improvement.

Review imaging protocols and collaborate on their revision to ensure continued best practice.

Participate in service development.

6. Leadership and management:

Provide effective clinical leadership, motivating and inspiring radiographic staff, providing direct support and supervision for assistant, specialist and advanced radiographer roles undertaken in breast imaging, regularly reviewing these roles in conjunction with the superintendent radiographer in order to develop the staffing structure to meet service needs.

Promote and develop a learning environment within the unit which will enable others to reach their potential so that the service is demonstrably one which continues to improve and develop.

Provide a source of expertise and to contribute to the strategic planning process for radiology service developments.

Lead, develop and participate in research and development which will include clinical trials, audit and accreditation.

Develop and maintain links and networks both locally and nationally within breast imaging.

7. Information Resources

Staff are expected to develop the IT skills necessary to support the tasks included in their post. They will, therefore, be required to undertake any necessary training to support this.

Accurate data entry is vital to ensure patient records are up to date.

8. Research & Development:

Share skills and knowledge, both within and out of the West Suffolk Breast Unit through attendance and facilitation of forums such as study days, conferences and teaching sessions using a variety of delivery methods.

Support the education of all staff within the radiographers career progression framework including student radiographers, by devising and undertaking specialist teaching, training and mentoring appropriate to their professional and personal development.

Take a role in the clinical education of multidisciplinary staff including medical students and specialist registrars.

To recommend further specific views or procedures in order to assess abnormal imaging, including tomosynthesis.

To participate and present in multidisciplinary meetings.

To run the imaging side of breast clinics autonomously, issuing reports and giving advice to other clinicians.