The first day of the Annual Radiotherapy Conference has drawn to a close, with attendees having heard from experts in the field on their work to support the profession.
Following an introductory address by Tom Welton, president of the SoR, the conference heard from a series of professionals, Therapeutic Radiographers, clinical oncologists and radiotherapy service managers on the hot trends and themes.
From technological advancement and service improvement to questions of recruitment and retention, the conference explored how best Therapeutic Radiographers can support their colleagues and what work is being done to support them in turn.
Spencer Goodman, chair of ARC and professional officer for radiotherapy at the SoR, said: “It went really well. Person-centred care was the core, but we can’t do that without the workforce. Today achieved that.
“We covered the big picture, and the breakout sessions brought together the national pieces. Deep, professional, but warm and welcoming, with lots of excellent presentations.”
Person-centred care
Much of the day was themed around 'person-centred care', as opposed to just patient-centred care, and how this can improve the experience not just for patients but for Therapeutic Radiographers as well.
Mr Welton said: “If we work together as a team, the patients benefit. Hold on to that patient-centred care. To be truly person-centred, we need to be willing to improve. The only way to do that is to be true to yourselves and true as radiographers. Make a promise to be true to yourself and make a promise to learn. You’ll learn things over the next couple days that you can put into practice in your departments.”
After ARC’s opening address, audiences heard from Nicky Whilde, head of radiotherapy physics at the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Jo Penman, head of radiotherapy Services at the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, and Nicky Thorp, consultant clinical oncologist at the Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Ms Thorp emphasised: “Person-centred care takes into account the emotional, social, financial factors, and focuses on priorities of individual patients. It improves wellbeing, reduces visits, improves outcomes, and job satisfaction for professionals. It’s a virtuous circle.”
They spoke on the meaning and importance of person-centred care – how to move the concept forward, the challenges facing the profession in doing so, and the advantages that could arise from trying to implement it anyway, respectively.
Education, research and safety
Attendees broke for lunch and to visit the exhibition hall, where they were greeted by industry partners and technology firms, who gave demonstrations of the latest advances in machinery and software.
Returning to the conference hall, the conference resumed with presentations from Daniel Hutton, network manager for the North West Radiotherapy Network, on the first national Radiotherapy Patient Experience Survey since 2012.
Laura Charlesworth, professional officer for education and accreditation at the SoR, then covered the status of radiotherapy education in the UK, including the risks and challenges – such as the drop in successful applicants to education in 2023 – as well as strategies learning institutions can use to improve retention – for example the diversification of routes into the profession, and innovation in delivery of education.
Una Findlay, medical exposures group leader at the UK Health Security Agency, explained the ongoing work of Advancing Safe Radiotherapy and how Therapeutic Radiographers can implement its advice to improve patient safety. Following her, digital lead radiographer at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Zankhana Jani explained her experience of implementing a 'paperless' project at her trust, and her advice on professionals looking to do something similar.
Proffered papers
Finally, the conference closed with three separate panel presentations, with experts at the cutting edge of the profession explaining their perspective on significant topics within radiotherapy.
Expert panels of guest speakers gave their perspectives on a variety of issues before answering audience questions.
The first of these, 'The Rise of the Machines', covered big data, machine learning and AI, exploring the current research, future direction and knowledge needed to support both Therapeutic Radiographers and patients navigating radiotherapy services going forward.
Meanwhile, attendees at 'The Power of Clinical Governance in Healthcare' heard about how effective clinical governance contributes to the safety and quality of patient care, and the latest advancements.
'Atomic Marvels: Unleashing the Potential of Clinical Advancements' offered attendees the opportunity to get to grips with the latest clinical advancements.
This session highlighted the importance of “improving the quality of services and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which clinical excellence can flourish”.
ARC 2024
The Annual Radiotherapy Conference has been relaunched this year and will take place over the course of 4-5 October, exploring the latest advancements in the profession. Find out more information about the conference here.
(Image: Opening panel, by Eva Slusarek)