Information for health professionals

Medical Physics

Our Medical Physics department provides key support services to the Trust, applying physics and engineering to medicine.

What we do

Medical Physics provides key support services to the Trust, across clinical physics and clinical engineering. This includes the nationally mandated roles of:

Medical Devices Safety Officer (MDSO)
Radiation Protection Advisor (RPA)
Medical Physics Expert (MPE).

Our services are provided by a team of experts from Clinical Scientists to Occupational Therapists. We cover:

Clinical physics

Radiology Physics makes sure diagnostic imaging equipment, like X-Ray, CT, and ultrasound, is safe and effective. We support East Kent Hospitals, local universities, and national screening programmes by:
- Meeting legal safety requirements for patients and staff
- Testing equipment and ensuring quality
- Assessing risks and investigating radiation-related incidents
- Driving research and development
- Providing education and training across the Trust.
Nuclear Medicine Physics supports safe and, effective delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures within the Nuclear Medicine department. The team:
- Keep imaging equipment performing at its best, through regular checks
- Evaluates new radiopharmaceuticals and imaging techniques
- Protect staff, patients, and the environment from radiation
- Train staff to work safely and effectively.

Clinical engineering

The Medical Devices Governance Team makes sure hospital’s medical devices are safe to use, well maintained, and used correctly. We:
- Oversee compliance with regulations
- Manage specifications, configuration, training records, and maintenance
- Investigate incidents and ensure accurate record keeping
- Support repair, disposal, research, and manufacturing.
We work closely with engineers, clinicians, procurement, managers, subsidiary services, and other NHS Trusts.
Adult Kent and Medway Communication and Assistive Technology service (KM CAT) is a specialist Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) service. We assess patients with complex disabilities across Kent and Medway for provision of assistive technology to support face-to-face communication.

Training and development

If you’re a health professional looking to learn more about the support and resources we can provide, see our information below.

Training sessions for health professionals

Our KM CAT team provide a range of training sessions for health professionals who would like to know more about Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). See our KM CAT health professionals training information.
Clinical Physics - IR(ME)R Referrer course (non-medical). Learn more and sign up using our IR(ME)R Referrer course (non-medical) EventBrite page.

Explore a career in Healthcare Science

Why not try a virtual work experience programme to see the pathways into working in healthcare science within the NHS? Visit NHSE Springpod.

Scientific training and registration opportunities

The department has a good track record of training staff in house through various routes leading to registration as a Clinical Technologist, and Clinical Scientists. We are an accredited centre for training both clinical scientists and technologists in house. We also provide support for in house training for other statutory and/or required roles such as RPA, MPE, RWA, LPA and chartered engineers.

For Clinical Scientists

IPEM's Clinical Scientist Guided Training Scheme provides a training framework which supports Pre-Registration Clinical Scientists in Medical Physics or Clinical Engineering to develop the appropriate knowledge and skills to practice competently in their chosen specialty.