Workforce, training and education
Yorkshire and Humber

South Yorkshire Programme

Medical Oncology training in South Yorkshire is based at Weston Park Cancer Centre, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, with outpatient clinics also held in the surrounding areas of Rotherham, Doncaster, Barnsley and Chesterfield.

There are five posts in total in the rotation in South Yorkshire.  They provide a comprehensive four year training programme fulfilling all the requirements of the 2010 medical oncology curriculum. Rotations consist of six monthly attachments each specialising in the main tumour sites including pelvic, lung, breast, GI, melanoma. There is also exposure to sarcoma, germ cell tumours and gestational trophoblastic disease. General Medical Oncology is also a feature of all posts but specialist experience will be available in each post to provide exposure to all aspects of cancer medicine together with radiotherapy and palliative care.

Weston Park Cancer Centre

Weston Park Cancer Centre is one of only three dedicated cancer hospitals in the country. The purpose-built research centre, the Cancer Clinical Trials Centre is fully integrated within Weston Park Hospital and is credited as a pioneer of numerous modern advances within the field of cancer research.

For inpatient care there are 69 beds across two newly renovated wards and five beds in the purpose-built Teenage Cancer Unit.

WPCC is also one of only three centres in the UK involved in the screening programme for trophoblastic disease. Sheffield provides this service for the North of England and North Wales.

WPCC has strong links with Stereo-Tactic Radiosurgery and Neurosurgery with a gamma knife machine based at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. WPCC is a SABR centre treating bone, lung, pelvic lymph nodes and adrenal cancers.

The radiotherapy services offered include 3D and 4D CT simulation, Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT), Stereo-tactic Body Radiotherapy and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) facilities, as well as radioisotope treatments including radium 223 and iodine 131 among others.

Research

The Cancer Clinical Trials Centre (CCTC) is located in purpose built facilities that provide facilities for the assessment and treatment of patients, office space for staff with fully networked computer systems, a laboratory, and specialist activities such as bone densitometry. The environment is ideal for both patients and staff and has allowed rapid expansion of the staffing and the range of research that can be performed. The CCTC is fully integrated within Weston Park Cancer Centre and is credited as a pioneer of numerous modern advances within the field of cancer research. Additional clinical research active groups with links to the CCTC include surgical and urological oncology and haematological oncology.

The Cancer Clinical Trials Centre is involved in research studies ranging from dose-finding Phase I studies through to post-marketing Phase IV trials. The key areas of research have continued to flourish over recent years and several new interests have developed. The major areas of current research interest include:-

  • Phase III Clinical Trials
  • Drug Development Programme
  • Bone Oncology
  • Radiotherapy Developments
  • Trophoblastic Tumours
  • Lung Cancer Biology
  • Late Effects of Cancer Treatment

The Sheffield ECMC (Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre) is based within the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is the premier centre in the UK for bone oncology with an international reputation for clinical and translational research. The Centre has facilities for imaging, flow cytometry, DNA sequencing and histopathology.

Trainees are encouraged to attend research lunchtime seminars organised by Professor Thomas Helleday.

Medical Oncology Trainees are encouraged to participate in research throughout their training. A substantial number undertake Out-of-programme research (OOPR) leading to higher degrees (MD/PhD) and this is strongly encouraged.

Induction

Welcome to the South Yorkshire Training Scheme. We provide a comprehensive induction programme for all our new trainees, both to the Trust and to Weston Park Cancer Centre. This will include setting up important systems e.g. Chemocare access, as well as providing a chance to meet with your Training Programme Director and Educational Supervisor. We ensure that new trainees are not included in the on-call rota for the first month and are piloting a “buddy” system which links new trainees with a registrar who has experience of working in South Yorkshire.

Prior to commencing your training at Weston Park Cancer Centre, we recommend that you:

  1. Contact the Royal College of Physicians to register as a trainee, to enable you to access your eportfolio
  2. Contact Sheffield Teaching Hospital’s Medical Personnel and Medical Education departments to ensure all documentation has been completed and to find out about the Trust induction

 

Email Lynda Campbell Lynda.campbell@sth.nhs.uk to arrange your local specialty induction.

Training Programme Director for South Yorkshire Medical oncology is Dr Suzanne Darby who can be contacted via e-mail on Suzanne.darby@sth.nhs.uk

Educational Supervision

Each trainee will have an educational supervisor for the duration of their training and for each rotation a clinical supervisor. Trainees are expected to meet regularly with their educational and clinical supervisors.

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