Policy & Guidance Document Library

This medicines practice guidance provides good practice information. This should underpin the decision-making and actions of radiographers who are annotated with the Health Professions Council (HPC) as supplementary prescribers.

This medicines practice guidance provides good practice information. This should underpin the decision-making and actions of radiographers who are annotated with the Health Professions Council (HPC) as supplementary prescribers.

Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common work-related illness in Britain. Therapeutic radiographers and assistant practitioners work in demanding environments, within Radiotherapy centres. This document presents an analysis of an online survey conducted during July and August 2011, of Therapeutic Radiographers and Assistant Practitioners, within the United Kingdom.Respondents were asked a series of questions regarding their age, health, duration of working day, positionsadopted whilst carrying out their duties including any health issues which they are suffering from. The survey was anonymous and covered all Therapeutic Radiographers and Assistant Practitioners within the UK.

This is a summary of the main findings from recent  literature and  clinical guideline for acute radiotherapy induced skin reactions in cancer patients.  See also A UK Survey of Radiotherapy Skin Care by SCoR  available on the document library and article published in Radiography: Harris R, et al., Radiotherapy skin care: A survey of practice in the UK, Radiography (2011), doi:10.1016/j.radi.2011.10.040

This survey was carried out to evaluate clinical skin care practice at radiotherapy departments across the United Kingdom. The results have been  used to produce new guidelines, see Summary of Interventions for Acute Radiotherapy – Induced Skin reactions in cancer patients: A clinical guideline and also article published in Radiography Harris R, et al., Radiotherapy skin care: A survey of practice in the UK, Radiography (2011), doi:10.1016/j.radi.2011.10.040

This policy applies to the imaging and radiotherapy workforce and includes students. It applies equally to both male and female patients and staff and encompasses all forms of diagnostic imaging, radiotherapy planning and treatment. It is designed to be used in conjunction with local Trust, Health Board, Independent Provider or other employing authority policies on intimate examinations and the use of chaperones. These policies should deal equally with the intimate examination of women by men and men by women as well as intimate examinations where the practitioner and patient are the same sex: they should not contain arbitrary exclusions on the basis of sex alone. There should also be an accompanying chaperone policy that applies equally to both male and female members of the imaging and radiotherapy workforce.

The Society of Radiographers has updated this advice and guidance document on the subject of health, safety and pregnancy in response to questions and concerns raised by our members, representatives and managers. This guidance also gives advice on current health and safety legislation relating to pregnancy. Finally there is a section on legal rights of pregnant employees including benefits and extracts from the Agenda for Change staff terms and conditions handbook

The 2011, Annual Delegates Conference (ADC) passed a motion which "ensured members are aware of the issues surrounding domestic violence abuse, and to encourage SoR representatives to seek and review trust/board absenteeism policies and develop separate policies on domestic abuse". The SoR understands that the workplace can be a place of safety for the victims of domestic violence, it is also a place that colleagues, friends notice what is going on, a place where the victim may confide in their colleagues about their experiences. But more importantly it can be a place, where victims can access support they so desperately need. This document will address this motion and provide much needed guidance and support for members, SoR representatives and employers.

The SCoR supports the role of the independent practitioner and recognises the need for policies to enable them to provide high professional standards of care. This document provides guidelines for professional practice for members who are working as independent practitioners; it does not directly apply to employees of independent providers.

Health promotion is a difficult service to deliver effectively and there are pitfalls and challenges for the radiography workforce.

However, members of the imaging and radiotherapy workforces are often well placed to influence the choices made by their patients and users with regard to health and well-being and the Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR) publishes this guidance and advice to support the radiography workforce in this important role. In particular, radiation protection is a vital role for the radiography workforce and this is an area of health promotion and protection in which radiographers undoubtedly have acknowledged expertise.