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The Oncology Centre service sits within the Medical Directorate of the Trust. The Directorate manager is Mrs Diane Ody
The Centre comprises an Outpatient clinic area, Radiotherapy pre-treatment and treatment delivery services and an administrative and clerical section. Housed within the same template is the Radiotherapy Physics department and there is a close working relationship between the radiotherapy and physics teams.
There is also a library with IT facilities to support staff training and development.
Exeter was the first radiotherapy department in the UK to provide both medium dose rate and high dose rate afterloading brachytherapy,and we have built up many years of experience and expertise in planning and delivering this treatment modality. We have recently introduced high dose rate brachytherapy prostate implantation as a boost to external beam conformal radiotherapy and are only the third centre in the UK and the first in the South west to provide this service.
External Radiotherapy planning is carried out by a dosimetry team comprising 5 radiographers and a medical physicist .
Site specilist radiographers carry out head and neck, gynae and colorectal patient pathway activities and provide support to patients and specialist teams.
We offer clinical placements to students studying at the University of the West of England and staff are encouraged to undertake teaching and appraising of clinical competence.
Where required staff training is supported within post graduate education programmes.
Radiotherapy Equipment
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One Varian dual modality and dual energy 2100c with EPI
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One Varian single energy 600c with EPI
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One Pantak Superficial 100 KV unit
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Varian simulator with Cone beam CT
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Osiris laser outlining in simulator
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Nucletron HDR Micro selectron
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Plato brachytherapy planning system
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Eclipse external beam planning system
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3rd 2100c Varian linac in planning phase
The Oncology Centre works in close relationship with Cherrybrook Day case Chemotherapy Unit, the Oncology ward YEO, Pharmacy, FORCE Cancer support and information teams and the Clinical research unit located in Cherrybrook. The Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital is currently the leading contributor in the Peninsula to cancer Clinical Trials. The research activity takes place under the guidance of Dr Anne Hong as lead clinician for Oncology research. The unit participates in a wide range of national clinical trials, expanded research programmes and some commercial studies.
The Oncology centre itself is a self -contained area with a lockable door from the main hospital street and a separate entrance from outside the hospital through automatic doors.
There are a few reserved car parking places in the car park opposite the Oncology Centre entrance. Patients attending for daily radiotherapy treatment are provided with a dated permit. We ask for a contribution to the Oncology trust fund at the nominal rate of 20p per day, which is then used to buy newspapers and magazines for the waiting areas.
Quality Assurance
The Oncology centre, Clinical Trials unit, Cherrybrook and Medical Physics have all been awarded Quality Assurance certification by Lloyds of London. This means that all of our procedures, standards and objectives have been set down in a series of Quality manuals and our performance against them is measured continually both by Internal and External audit processes.
Geraldine Jenner, Radiotherapy services and Oncology Centre manager
Introduction