Medical Physics

  • Providing clinical, scientific, technical and engineering services.

  • Address: Maidstone Hospital and Kent and Canterbury Hospital,

What we do

Medical Physics provides clinical, scientific, technical and engineering services to the Kent Oncology Centre at Maidstone Hospital and Kent and Canterbury Hospital, other departments at Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone hospitals, and to other trusts and organisations.

The department includes the Health Physics and Imaging Group (including Nuclear Medicine Physics), Radiotherapy Physics, Medical Physics Engineering and Computer Sciences, and is part of the Kent-wide Medical Physics Network working in close partnership with the Medical Physics Department at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.

We also advise on the application of legislation involving ionising and non-ionising radiations and develop processes and procedures to ensure trust compliance with legislation.

The department are proactive in carrying out research and development into new devices and techniques to improve patient treatments, and participate in teaching and training of staff.

Get in touch

  • Stephen Duck, Director of Medical Physics: 01622 227051
  • Sue Wilkins, PA to Director and Department Administrator: 01622 227051

Nuclear Medicine Physics

  • Claire Hooker, Head of Nuclear Medicine Physics: 01622 222059

Radiation Physics

  • Katy Fleckney, Head of Radiation Physics, RPA and MPE: 01622 226151

Radiotherapy Physics

  • Mark Fleckney, Head of Radiotherapy Physics: 01622 227023

Computer sciences

Computer sciences ensures the safety of all patients whose treatment involves the use of computer controlled and networked therapy and diagnostic equipment in the Kent Oncology Centre.

We are responsible for the maintenance and development of the patient management system, KOMS, used at Maidstone Hospital and Kent and Canterbury Hospital for scheduling clinics and patient treatments, and we work closely with the Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance on the maintenance of the Kent-wide chemotherapy prescribing system, Clynisys.

We also support and maintain the safety critical clinical network linking the Kent Oncology Centre verification, three-dimensional treatment planning and treatment machines (linear accelerators) and the general networked systems (hardware and software) for the Kent Oncology Centre.

Our staff also provide and support a range of scientific applications including highly complex mathematical modelling systems (Monte-Carlo techniques) using computer clusters and image transfer and analysis for patient treatment planning.

We are also responsible for developing quality assurance methodologies for these processes, and support the collection and analysis of cancer patient data.

Nuclear medicine physics

Nuclear medicine physics provides a clinical, scientific and technical service to diagnostic services and to the Kent Oncology Centre at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals and to other departments as required.

Staff administer radioactive substances to patients for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. They are also trained to take blood and other samples from patients for measurement of radioactivity.

We are responsible for the data-acquisition and processing of radioactive assays of patient samples as well as for monitoring for radioactive contamination, the safe processing of radioactive waste in accordance with the appropriate legislation and licences, and for staff and patient safety in the use of radioactive materials.

We also provide quality assurance measurements on complex imaging equipment e.g. gamma cameras (used to take diagnostic scans with radiopharmaceuticals) and associated measuring equipment.

 

Physics engineering

Medical physics engineering carries out essential maintenance and development work on highly complex and vital x-ray equipment used for patient diagnosis and radiotherapy.

We provide a service to the Kent Oncology Centre and other departments as well as other NHS trusts.

Our instrument workshop also produces non-standard devices and prototypes for a variety of clinical users, both for patients and research and development projects.

 

Radiation physics

Radiation Physics includes Diagnostic Radiology Physics, Nuclear Medicine Physics and Radiation Safety.

A large team of healthcare scientists provide scientific support to users of medical imaging and provide advice for ionising and non-ionising radiation safety across the trust.

Nuclear Medicine Physics deliver the molecular radiotherapy service, the non-imaging GFR service and provide scientific support to the Nuclear Medicine Radiology team. The group works closely with staff across the trust including Radiology, Oncology and Estates.

The group covers a range of specialties to ensure the safety of all patients, visitors and staff who come into contact with sources of ionising radiation and non-ionising radiation.

Activities

  • Equipment checks and quality assurance programmes for:
    • All X-ray equipment (including dental)
    • Ultrasound equipment
    • Nuclear medicine equipment
    • Radiation monitoring equipment calibration (e.g. contamination monitors and dose rate meters)
  • Radiation protection and medical physics expert advice, through our certificated RPAs and MPEs for the trust and other clients. These include NHS trusts, private healthcare providers and dentists. Our advice includes local rules, risk assessments, shielding assessments and integrity testing and critical examinations.
  • Laser protection (LPA) advice for the trust and external clients.
  • Radioactive waste advice, through our certificated RWAs.
  • A comprehensive personal dosimetry service through our contracted ADS for the trust and many of our customer organisations. This includes management of classified workers.
  • A programme of taught courses throughout the year covering IRR, EPR and IR(ME)R. Our popular RPS course is run annually, we offer IR(ME)R training for referrers regularly throughout the year.

Emergency advice can be obtained via Maidstone Hospital Switchboard: 01622 729000

Radiotherapy physics

Radiotherapy physics provides a full clinical science service to the Kent Oncology Centre and ensures radiotherapy treatments are planned accurately using both external beams and radioactive sources (brachytherapy).

Using complex three dimensional computer planning systems, patients are correctly immobilised using custom-made devices and treatments are simulated to confirm the correct direction of radiotherapy beams.

Our physicists and technical staff provide a range of measurement, safety and quality assurance activities. These include:

  • the calibration and quality control of radiotherapy treatment machines and highly radioactive sources, so the prescribed radiation dose is delivered to the patient correctly and accurately
  • the calibration of devices used to confirm the dose delivered to the patient
  • the measurement of radiation beam data for very complex three dimensional treatment planning systems
  • procurement and commissioning of radiotherapy treatment machines, using radioactive sources and high energy x-ray beams and associated equipment.

We advise on the application of relevant legislation and develop processes and procedures to ensure compliance.

We are also proactive in carrying out research and development into new devices and techniques to improve patient treatments and participate in teaching and training of various staff groups.

Training courses

We provide radiation training courses in collaboration with East Kent Hospitals Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, allowing us offer a wider selection of courses to MTW, EKHUFT and external delegates.

All courses are run by our radiation protection advisers or medical physicists.

Our IR(ME)R course for practitioners and operators is accredited by the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) and is also awarded category I CPD credits by the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR).

  • IRMER referrer courses are suitable for staff requesting X-ray examinations. The course is intended to provide radiation safety and legislative training for nurses and other extended‐scope health professionals who wish to refer patients for X‐rays under the Ionising Radiations (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017.
  • IRMER practitioner and operator courses  are designed for clinical staff who have been identified by their employer as a practitioner (those who justify exposures) and/or an operator (those who carry out practical aspects). Our courses include a variety of case studies, clinical speakers, and talks are regularly updated to ensure content is relevant and interesting. The full day course is accredited by IPEM for IR(ME)R Operators and RCR CPD credits are available.
  • RPS update courses are suitable for staff acting as RPSs in a variety of health care settings. Taught by RPAs and clinical scientists, we cover three separate streams depending on your speciality - X-ray, Nuclear Medicine (including SPECT-CT), and Radiotherapy (including Brachy) - they are ideal for staff who have already attended a full course, but now require a refresher to their knowledge. Afternoon sessions include practical simulations and case studies.
  • Combined RPS and IR(ME)R course for dental practitioners meet the GDC's development outcome C, and counts for 6.5 hours of verifiable CPD.