Trigger Warning: this episode discusses cancer.

Episode 189: Part of the Education and Workforce Development Series (Part 66)

Description: In this educational episode, Naman Julka-Anderson and Jo McNamara sit down with Tom Netherwood, sharing his career and what he does now in his role working for Vertual. Vertual is a global leader in virtual reality training solutions, specialising in innovative, immersive technologies that enhance education and improve patient care in healthcare.

Tom has over 14 years of clinical experience in radiotherapy, having held roles such as an assistant practitioner, a clinical lecturer and an advanced practitioner. He now works for Vertual Ltd as a Product specialist and aims to help improve the way radiotherapy is taught to students, professionals and patients around the world.

CPD Reflection Points:

1. Radiotherapy UK and Vertual have worked together to create resources for patients to help them prepare for radiotherapy. Please check out these resources and critically evaluate them and reflect on how these may be used in your practice. https://radiotherapy.org.uk/patients-families/during-treatment/video-external-beam-radiotherapy-for-breast-cancer/.
2. Reflect upon how you may utilise Vertual to assist in educating students and patients in your role. Please use the literature attached to inform your reflections.

Complete this form for your accredited digital badge: Digital Badge Form.

Links from the Episode:
Radiotherapy UK patient resources utilising VERT.

Research links from the Episode:

The application of virtual environment radiotherapy for RTT training: A scoping review.

Utilising virtual environments for radiation therapy teaching and learning.

The Application of the Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training to Strengthen IGRT Education.

Using virtual reality to prepare patients for radiotherapy: A systematic review of interventional studies with educational sessions.

Rad Chat Links:

• Rad Chat Website
• Link Tree
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• BlueSky
• YouTube

Credits: Music and jingle credits: Dr. Ben Potts and Adam Cooke.

Trigger Warning: this episode discusses cancer, cancer treatment, lack of access to treatment and job loss.

Episode 187: Part of the Education and Workforce Development Series (Part 65)

Description: In this powerful episode, Naman Julka-Anderson and Jo McNamara sit down with Charlotte Hilton.

Charlotte is a Project Delivery Manager at the Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance, focussing on the nursing and allied health professional workforce and quality improvement. She has worked in the NHS for almost four years, beginning on the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme covering policy, operational and third sector roles, followed by a year managing a tertiary Spinal Surgery service before her current role in project management. Charlotte has also recently completed her MSc Health Policy dissertation on cancer workforce retention challenges and its mitigations and is awaiting final grade confirmation from Imperial College London.

In this insightful episode, Naman Julka-Anderson and Jo McNamara sit down with Charlotte to hear about her role, quality improvement along with how to support costal towns with cancer care services.

CPD Reflection Points:

1. Reflect on Charlotte’s experience of working in quality and improvement.
2. Consider a quality and improvement project within your workspace.
3. Using the NHS Improving Quality: a simple guide to improving services, plan and design how you will complete this project.

Complete this form for your accredited digital badge: Digital Badge Form.

Links from the Episode:

• NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme
• Imperial College London MSc Health Policy
• NHS Improving Quality: a simple guide to improving services

Research links from the Episode:

• An introduction to quality improvement
• Quality Improvement in Practice
• A scoping review of continuous quality improvement in healthcare system: conceptualization, models and tools, barriers and facilitators, and impact
• BMJ Open Quality Improvement
• BMJ Open Quality
• Quality Improvement Methods(LEAN, PDSA, SIX SIGMA)
• The effectiveness of continuous quality improvement for developing professional practice and improving health care outcomes: a systematic review

Rad Chat Links:

• Rad Chat Website
• Link Tree
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• BlueSky
• YouTube

Credits: Music and jingle credits: Dr. Ben Potts and Adam Cooke.

Trigger Warning: this episode discusses living with and beyond cancer, side effects, secondary cancer and death.

Episode 186: Part of the Living With and Beyond Cancer Series (Part 60)

Description: In this powerful episode, Naman Julka-Anderson and Jo McNamara sit down with Vicky Fox.

Vicky is a specialist yoga teacher working with people impacted by cancer. She started teaching in 2008 but has been working within cancer since 2013. She aims to make classes that are accessible to anyone living with and beyond cancer and the side effects of treatment. In 2021 she published Yoga for Cancer A-Z of C, and later Time to Repair looking at short practices we can do to help us repair after illness. Her classes are free or donation based and all are live streamed or fully online so they can be taken from your own home. She also trains other yoga teachers to create a safe and compassionate environment for anyone living with cancer.

This episode is a deep dive into Vicky’s passion for yoga, the research behind it’s benefits and unpacks myths around yoga for cancer.

CPD Reflection Points:

1. Reflect on your own perceptions of yoga and yoga for people living with and beyond cancer.
2. Consider the benefits of practicing yoga for people living with and beyond cancer.
3. Practice Vicky’s mediation for healthcare professionals and reflect on it’s impact on you.

Complete this form for your accredited digital badge: Digital Badge Form.

Links from the Episode:

• Vicky Fox

Research links from the Episode:

• Effects of exercise during adjuvant chemotherapy on breast cancer outcomes
• Yoga Practice Predicts Improvements in day-to-day pain in women with metastatic breast cancer
• Effects of Yoga in Managing Fatigue in Breast Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
• Effect of Yoga on Sleep Quality and Neuroendocrine Immune Response in Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients

Rad Chat Links:

• Rad Chat Website
• Link Tree
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• BlueSky
• YouTube

Credits: Music and jingle credits: Dr. Ben Potts and Adam Cooke.

​​Trigger Warning: This episode discusses cancer.

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​​Episode 185: Part of the Education and Workforce Development Series (Part 63)

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​​Description: In this educational episode, Naman Julka-Anderson and Jo McNamara sit down with Dr Sola Adeleke, an oncology registrar based at Guy’s Hospital in London. He completed a PhD in cancer magnetic resonance imaging at the University College London, focused on developing novel MRI techniques such as MRI fingerprinting, whole body MRI and novel low field MRI techniques for cancer applications. Although this episode is focused on a true passion, making cancer services and technology accessible to patients in Low and Middle-Income Countries.

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​​CPD Reflection Points:

1. ​​Reflect on the role of global partnerships, local training, and telemedicine in addressing the disparities in access to acute oncology services. How can these tools be used effectively without reinforcing dependence, or widening the equity gap?
2. ​​Reflect on how acute oncology care can be ethically prioritised in resource-limited settings. What guiding principles should inform decisions when life saving cancer treatments are unaffordable or unavailable?

​​Complete this form for your accredited digital badge: Digital Badge Form.

​​

​​Links from the Episode:

​​Dr Sola Adeleke

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​​Research links from the Episode:

• ​​ResearchGate

​​Rad Chat Links:

• ​​Rad Chat Website
• ​​Link Tree
• ​​Facebook
• ​​Instagram
• ​​LinkedIn
• ​​TikTok
• ​​BlueSky
• ​​YouTube

​​Credits: Music and jingle credits: Dr. Ben Potts and Adam Cooke.

Trigger Warning: this episode discusses cancer.

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​​Episode 184: Part of the Education and Workforce Development Series (Part 63)

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​​Description: In this educational episode, Naman Julka-Anderson and Jo McNamara sit down with Sarah Berwick, to talk about the Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development (ACCEND) Programme and integrating the e-portfolio route into practice.

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​​The purpose of the ACCEND programme is to provide clear and transparent guidance and direction on the knowledge, skills and capabilities required by healthcare professionals who care for people affected by cancer. It has been designed for people in non-oncology roles and specialist cancer services that are part of multi-professional teams across the UK.

​​Specifically the ACCEND programme is for:

• ​​support workers
• ​​nursing associates
• ​​nurses
• ​​allied health professionals
• ​​psychologists
• ​​pharmacists.

​​Significant parts of the workforce are under pressure now. At risk of being without the right number of healthcare professionals with the right knowledge, skills and capabilities to effectively deliver the NHS Long Term Plan.

​​The ambitions for the future of cancer workforce were recently launched in the Long Term Workforce Plan.

​​The ACCEND programme will help increase and improve the supply of the cancer healthcare professional workforce in the future.

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​​CPD Reflection Points:

1. ​​Read the associated resources posted alongside this episode. What are the benefits and limitations of a programme such as ACCEND?
2. ​​Reflect on how aligning your development goals with national initiatives like ACCEND can help you stay relevant and forward-thinking in your practice.
3. ​​Reflect on the importance of ensuring equal access to educational and developmental opportunities for all healthcare professionals, including assistant practitioners and support staff, as highlighted by ACCEND.

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​​Complete this form for your accredited digital badge: Digital Badge Form.

​​

​​Links from the Episode:

• ​​Humber and North Yorkshire's cancer alliance Facebook page
• ​​ACCEND Framework | NHS England | Workforce, training and education
• ​​Macmillan (ACCEND)
• ​​Learning Hub - Home

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​​Research links from the Episode:

​​Using the Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development (ACCEND) framework in the workplace

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​​Rad Chat Links:

• ​​Rad Chat Website
• ​​Link Tree
• ​​Facebook
• ​​Instagram
• ​​LinkedIn
• ​​TikTok
• ​​BlueSky
• ​​YouTube

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​​Credits: Music and jingle credits: Dr. Ben Potts and Adam Cooke.

Trigger Warning: this episode discusses discrimination including racism and diagnostic scans.

Episode 183: Part of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Series (Part 17)

Description: In this powerful episode, Naman Julka-Anderson and Jo McNamara sit down with Connie.

Connie is of African origin, born in Zimbabwe and emigrated to the UK 27 years ago. She is a proud diagnostic radiographer at Bolton Foundation Trust in the Northwest with 38 years in the profession. She holds an MSc in Nuclear Medicine. Having worked in various positions in different organisations, general x-ray, obstetric ultrasound, specialist paediatric radiographer, specialist nuclear medicine radiographer along with working in military hospitals, Thornhill Airbase (Zimbabwe), Duke of Connaught (Belfast) and NHS hospitals.

She is an active member of Society of Radiographer (SoR), Chair of Race Equality Group under Equalise, Equalise Observer in UK Council, and Trustee in SoR Benevolent Fund. Connie is a recipient of the King's Award for Voluntary Service at One House Community Centre.

This episode is a deep dive into Connie’s career, diagnostic radiography, the need for equity, diversity and inclusion along with the SoR equalise network.

CPD Reflection Points:

1. reflect on Connie’s career and life experiences.
2. consider how you can improve the experience of international recruits that join your NHS department.
3. look at the SoR Equalise group

Complete this form for your accredited digital badge: Digital Badge Form.

Links from the Episode:

• International recruitment toolkit NHS employers

Rad Chat Links:

• Rad Chat Website
• Link Tree
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• BlueSky
• YouTube

Credits: Music and jingle credits: Dr. Ben Potts and Adam Cooke.

Trigger Warning: cancer, anal cancer, lung cancer, stigma, treatment, late effects and cancer recurrence.

Rad Chat Live at International Multidisciplinary Anal Cancer Conference 2025 in Leeds where we hear from: Michael Anderson talks about his experience of anal cancer, Bottom Line charity and how to help others going through the same experience.

Anal Cancer Symptoms Macmillan Cancer Support

Bottom Line Anal Cancer Support

Standard versus reduced-dose chemoradiotherapy in anal cancer (PLATO-ACT4): short-term results of a phase 2 randomised controlled trial

Tests for Anal Cancer

Rad Chat Links:

• Rad Chat Website
• Link Tree
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• BlueSky
• YouTube