11 inspiring projects spearheaded by allied health professionals

1

Impact productivity project (AHP Rise), Dr Ione de Brito-Ashurst

Implemented at the Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH), Dr Ione de Brito-Ashurst told attendees about her project to empower AHPs by developing a new strategic model aligned with NHS England. By mapping out the education and training available to AHPs in the trust, holding workshops on the types of training AHPs would like to receive and running data synthesis and gap analysis on what training was needed, she was able to run an impact productivity project.

This project focused on job planning, skills and competency mapping, and careful tracking of capacity against demand. The results were integrated into a ‘rehabilitation dashboard’ for physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians and speech and language therapists, which demonstrated the impact of this kind of intervention on their productivity.

2

NIHR pre-doctorate pathway development: new developments in MRI safety into workplace, Hannah Barnsley

Radiographer Hannah Barnsley shared details of her project, part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) pre-doctorate pathway, which focused on implementing new developments in MRI safety into the workplace. 

Her work emphasised the importance of future-proofing the profession beyond the clinical, and was supported by the SoR’s Formal Radiography Researching Mentorship. 

She explained that while it is easy to focus on service delivery alone, there are gaps in the UK’s MRI safety training. These include training for screening patients for MRI and training to identify implanted medical devices. Her project has now established three modules through elearning for healthcare, helping to enhance safety skills and reduce delays. Already, almost all (99 per cent) of those who went through these modules confirmed they were more confident in identifying medical implants using X-ray.

This was only possible, she said, because her NIHR pre-doctoral fellowship gave her protected time, academic training and supervised research experience. “It shows what’s possible when radiographers are given the time, resources and opportunity to do so [commit to research],” Hannah added.

3

Patient optimisation across cancer continuum, Siobhan Cowan-Dickie

Siobhan Cowan-Dickie, professional lead of physiotherapy at the RMH, demonstrated her experience with patient optimisation across the cancer continuum. Siobhan collected data from multiple cancer pathways to create an evaluation framework that would improve early intervention and multidisciplinary support.

She began with screening questionnaires that would find complex holistic needs in patients, tied to a digital triage tool for staff. This tool helped to identify early, modifiable risks and tackle comorbidities. 

This project did take a long time to develop a business case, as there was additional cost to the trust. Ultimately, however, Siobhan was able to prove that it reduced patients’ length of stay, and sharing data across the trusts means it could allow for fewer GP visits to address concurrent issues in future.

4

Radiographer-led tumour measurement service, Georgina Hopkinson

A radiographer-led tumour measurement service addressed one serious issue in cancer care – standardisation of tumour size assessment. 

Measurements are usually carried out by radiologists, but this trial sought to discover whether radiographers could complete the same task. They have proven expertise in role extension, and studies have shown that it improves job satisfaction. 

Radiographers at the RMH developed their own training model, including self assessment, interviews, reading lists and records of study, to understand how often radiologists changed a radiographer’s assessment of tumour measurements.

They found that in 19 out of 20 cases (95 per cent), there was agreement. The research board has now approved the independent service, and Georgina is undertaking a professional doctorate on the subject.

5

Transforming cancer care in radiotherapy, Helen McNair

Helen McNair, lead clinical academic radiographer at the RMH, took to the stage to explain her efforts to transform cancer care in radiotherapy. She explained that radiographer research is uniquely positioned in the UK. Although around 60 per cent of radiographers are not involved in any kind of research, the NIHR has established an ‘incubator’ to provide funding for research, particularly for clinical roles.

She demonstrated various ongoing projects in the area making use of the incubator; for example, that of Sophie Alexander, who is seeking to understand whether it can be predicted which patients are going to move during treatment, and use this information to make adaptive radiotherapy possible. Her research has helped save clinical time, increase linear accelerator capacity and improve the flexibility of patient appointments.

6

Speech and language therapy care for people diagnosed with head and neck cancer, Professor Justin Roe

Professor Justin Roe is a consultant speech and language therapist (SLT), caring for people diagnosed with head and neck cancer. He took an overview of the current state of SLT care, explaining that the profession is dealing with younger patients with more advanced disease, raised expectations, more late treatment effects and residual/recurrent cancers.

SLTs use complex rehabilitation, transformed over the last 10 years, to address communication and swallowing disorders, fill knowledge gaps and help patients adjust to the after effects of cancer. This has helped to improve quality of life, reduce weight loss and improve survival.

Integration with the radiotherapy pathway, starting and baseline and continuing through to late treatment effects, has helped SLTs get involved in practice-changing studies, and Professor Roe emphasised their role in helping medical and surgical colleagues to answer multidisciplinary questions.

7

Evolving role of research technologist in nuclear medicine, Hannah Sharman

Hannah Sharman’s project examined the use of radiopharmaceuticals in functional imaging, as well as advancing theranostics: the use of these radiopharmaceuticals to locate and treat disease. 

The role of nuclear medicine research technologists is vital in this realm, she explained, not only for regulatory compliance but also for supporting studies, providing staff training for imaging protocols and procedures, and creating imaging manuals.

She demonstrated the INSPIRE trial, which seeks to accurately measure the low radiation doses delivered to normal organs during radioiodine treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer. The trial focuses on how absorption dose affects treatment outcomes and non-target outcomes. There is a massive range in radiation absorption – every patient metabolises treatment differently. However, the role of dosimetry is key. By measuring absorption doses, nuclear medicine technologists can tailor cancer therapies to each patient.

8

Inclusive, improving and innovative diagnostic AHP workforce for London, Rebecca Steele

Rebecca Steel is the London Radiographic Community Diagnostic Imaging Programme lead. Her work focuses on advising on the regional imaging programme and strategy, including leading the London Imaging Workforce Group. Through her work, she has had the opportunity to look in detail at the inclusive, improving and innovative diagnostic AHP workforce for London.

She explained that there has been a 6-7 per cent increase in imaging demand for the 12 CDCs in London since summer 2022. At that time, turnover and leaver rates were at a five-year high. Since then, leaver rates have fallen, and are now at their lowest for three years.

9

Entry routes into diagnostic radiography, Andrew Wendruff

Andrew Wendruff’s project examined the different paths for those interested in becoming a radiographer, what was working and what innovative new ways had come about for incentivising entry into the profession.

Andrew invited apprentices from Exeter and UCLH to the stage to discuss their own unique journeys into the profession, what they had discovered along the way and where their passions lay.

James and Samantha, for example, found that the value in the apprenticeship came from the fact that they were able to participate despite not following traditional educational routes. The apprenticeships helped them with practical learning, and they got to see results directly from their training, while balancing other commitments.

Working directly in the trust, meanwhile, gave them the benefits of both the in-house support structures and practice education. The apprentices have created communities of practice, so they can support each other with peer study sessions and custom learning. That, Andrew said, was one of the key lessons of his project – the difference made by dedicated support.

10

Clinical simulation in education

The Imaging AHP Practice Educator Team in north west London presented the AHP-led journey for their project, which focused on clinical simulation in education.

This programme developed a network-wide clinical simulation programme at UCLH in 2018. Despite significant positive feedback, the pilot was unsustainable for the number of sessions that were needed in the long term. However, it did identify a training gap in medical emergencies and adverse reactions.

The programme was implemented with support from a multidisciplinary team, with faculty providing training, designing scenarios, creating framework standards, and developing feedback mechanisms and the audit process.

Radiographers in groups of five were given two-hour sessions in clinical simulations to recognise and safely care for patients who were having adverse reactions to contrast. Nearly all who went through this programme felt their confidence levels had risen, that the improved practice created a safer imaging environment, and that the simulations had fostered an environment of continuous improvement.

The programme netted the team an HSJ Patient Safety award, as well as the Excellence in Education award from UCLH and the AHP award.

11

Very Extended Scanning Project, David Tao and Philip Gregory

The Very Extended Scanning Project (VESP) was established in 2024 at CDCs in north west London to redesign the diagnostic workforce through virtual supervision tools.

Using remote support technology, the team duplicates mouse, video and keyboard use – allowing remote users to operate diagnostic scanners. Where normally CDCs operate on an ‘8 to 8’ schedule, the VESP allowed for a 16-hour operating schedule. Experts can work remotely to support a more junior team, staff stay in constant communication and can be based more than 60 miles away, using just their home laptop.

The project was established to reduce health inequalities for the local population. The most deprived populations are given more opportunities to receive proper healthcare – and 85 per cent of patients said they would use the extended service again. It has also meant that 81 per cent could be seen within three weeks of referral, and ‘did not attend’ rates stood at just 1 per cent.