South West
Specialty
Trust
Audiology – Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The Audiology department at the Great Western Hospital is UKAS accredited and successfully supported the STP programme for 10 years.
Cardiac Science – North Bristol NHS Trust
This will be CRM based training.
Cardiac Science – Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
No travel required or can be provided where necessary. Echocardiography and Complex Devices offered within the department.
Clinical Biochemistry – Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust
The post is based in North Devon District Hospital (NDDH), Barnstaple, though we have a close working relationship with our colleagues on our other hospital site in Exeter, with regular interaction between the teams. The training schedules will take this into account. We also have regular contact with other hospitals within our region, and in recent years, the STP trainees have been able to organise a regional study group via teams, providing peer support as well as utilising the support from a wider range of clinical scientists. NDDH itself is a small district hospital, and is one of the more remote hospitals in mainland UK, meaning it will be necessary for the trainee to organise away days/weeks for more specialist training.
Clinical Biochemistry – University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
We are excited to offer a position for an STP trainee to join our biochemistry team in 2024! As a part of Derriford Combined Laboratory (DCL) we have close connections with the other blood science specialisms within our lab so most of your first year rotations will be catered for on-site at Derriford hospital in Plymouth. Our biochemistry lab is divided into three main sections: automated biochemistry, chemistry special investigations and Point of Care testing and you will have the opportunity to rotate and train across all of these. We want you to have a broad and enjoyable training experience and offer opportunities for you to initially shadow and later get involved with medical school teaching, Duty Biochemist, multidisciplinary team meetings and lots of CPD! As you progress throughout your training there may be additional training opportunities or specialist rotations which may require travel and overnight stays at other UK locations (however these are normally funded from annual STP expense budget). We are a friendly and inclusive team who enjoy and value our STP trainees – we hope you will consider joining us in beautiful Devon!
Clinical Bioinformatics Genomics – North Bristol NHS Trust
The training base is Southmead Hospital, Bristol. One phase 1 rotation will be at St Michael’s Hospital, Bristol.
Clinical Bioinformatics Genomics – Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
The Genomics Laboratory at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is at the forefront of NHS Genomic Medicine, providing state-of-the-art diagnostic testing for the benefit of families with rare diseases across the UK and beyond. We are proud to have launched the national NHS rapid whole genome sequencing service for acutely unwell babies and children. The team works closely with an internationally acclaimed research team with expertise in the genetics of diabetes and hyperinsulinism, providing a range of specialist tests to users throughout the world. The laboratory works in partnership with the Bristol Genetics Laboratory as the South West Genomic Laboratory Hub, with the Exeter Laboratory focused on specialist endocrine services and exome/genome analysis for rare diseases. The laboratory is set in the beautiful cathedral city of Exeter, in the midst of glorious Devon countryside and close to the South West coastline with its stunning beaches, the city boasts excellent links by road, rail and air to the rest of the country, Europe and further afield, whilst being within easy reaches of picturesque Dartmoor and Exmoor scenery.
Clinical Immunology – University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
We are excited to offer a position for an STP trainee to join our immunology team in 2024! As a part of Derriford Combined Laboratory (DCL) we have close connections with the other blood science specialisms within our lab so most of your first year rotations will be catered for on-site at Derriford hospital in Plymouth. Our immunology lab is divided into four main sections: protein chemistry, autoimmunity, flow cytometry and allergy and you will have the opportunity to rotate and train across all of these. Our clinical unit is the regional referral centre for adult immunodeficiency and allergy, based at Derriford Hospital. We want you to have a broad and enjoyable training experience with lots of opportunities for CPD. As you progress throughout your training there may be additional training opportunities or specialist rotations which may require travel and overnight stays at other UK locations (however these are normally funded from annual STP expense budget). We are a friendly and inclusive team who enjoy and value our STP trainees – we hope you will consider joining us in beautiful Devon!
Gastrointestinal Physiology – University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Our primary operations are based at the GI Physiology unit at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, part of the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW). While our main focus is here, we occasionally extend our support to other UHBW locations, such as the Weston General Hospital and South Bristol Community Hospital. Transportation arrangements are reimbursed for these occasional ad-hoc assignments. In terms of patient care, we primarily cater to adults but also extend our services to paediatric patients, ensuring a holistic approach to gastrointestinal healthcare across all age groups. Our unit specialises in a variety of diagnostic services. This includes, but is not limited to, high-resolution oesophageal manometry for motility disorders and the use of advanced techniques like sacral nerve stimulator/neuromodulation programming for the treatment of faecal incontinence.
Our team, though small, works in close collaboration with specialists in upper GI, colorectal, and gastroenterology departments. This multidisciplinary interaction not only enhances our service quality but also positively impacts patient outcomes. Furthermore, we are privileged to be involved in monthly multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTs), allowing us to integrate diverse medical expertise into our patient care strategies. We are on the path to achieving Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) accreditation. Also, our team members actively engage in roles beyond the unit, including positions as assessors for the National School of Healthcare Science (NSHCS), IQIPS, and participation in committees like the Association of GI Physiologists (AGIP) and the Accreditation Clinical Advisory Group (ACAG).
Genomic Counselling – University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
STP Genomic Counselling Trainees at UHBW will need to be able to travel to our peripheral bases and to other off-site clinics.
Genomics – North Bristol NHS Trust
The training base is Southmead Hospital, Bristol. One phase 1 rotation will be at St Michael’s Hospital, Bristol.
Genomics – Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
The Genomics Laboratory at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is at the forefront of NHS Genomic Medicine, providing state-of-the-art diagnostic testing for the benefit of families with rare diseases across the UK and beyond. We are proud to have launched the national NHS rapid whole genome sequencing service for acutely unwell babies and children. The team works closely with an internationally acclaimed research team with expertise in the genetics of diabetes and hyperinsulinism, providing a range of specialist tests to users throughout the world. The laboratory works in partnership with the Bristol Genetics Laboratory as the South West Genomic Laboratory Hub, with the Exeter Laboratory focused on specialist endocrine services and exome/genome analysis for rare diseases. The laboratory is set in the beautiful cathedral city of Exeter, in the midst of glorious Devon countryside and close to the South West coastline with its stunning beaches, the city boasts excellent links by road, rail and air to the rest of the country, Europe and further afield, whilst being within easy reaches of picturesque Dartmoor and Exmoor scenery.
Haematology and Transfusion Science – University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Travel requirements and overnight stays are required for academic attendance. Other travel commitments will be restricted to Bristol where possible.
Haematology and Transfusion Science – University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics – NHS Blood and Transplant
You will be based in the H&I department in our Filton Centre in Bristol (BS34 7QH) working and training with a team of Consultant and Clinical Scientists, Biomedical Scientists and Support Staff. Outside of your immediate team, there is a network of Clinical Science trainees in this speciality and you will have access to their support. 3 of the 4 year 1 rotations will take place outside of NHSBT in local Trusts or the regional Genomics Hub, e.g. North Bristol NHS Trust and the SW Genomic Laboratory Hub. These rotations may be in person, virtual or a hybrid format.
For more information about the work we do at NHS Blood and Transplant, please visit our website https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/ and watch our online centre tour https://hospital.blood.co.uk/training/supplementary-learning/
Imaging with non-Ionising Radiation – University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
UHBW provides specialised physics support in both MRI and Ultrasound. Trainees will need to travel to from Bristol to Newcastle periodically for MSc lecture blocks as well as occasional short trips (1-2 days) to sites around the South-West for rotational training and occasional day-trips during specialism.
Imaging with non-Ionising Radiation – University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Neurophysiology – Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The main base will be The Great Western Hospital in Swindon. Travel will be required for training in evoked potentials to Oxford and we also have a close link with Poole Hospital who have offered to provide some training and accommodation, if necessary. The department is relatively small but hoping to expand in the future. We currently have two Neurophysiology Consultants based here and one visiting from Oxford and three Band 7 clinical physiologists. We perform routine, sleep deprived, sedated sleep and portable EEGs in the department and on the wards/SCBU/CCU and home video telemetry EEGs, on both adults and children. We run physiologist led NCS clinics for CTS, ulnar entrapment, and peripheral Neuropathy. Swindon offers close links to the M4 and M5 motorways and it is easy to commute via car or train to London or Bristol and further West. Housing is more affordable than neighbouring places to live such as Oxford and Reading. We hope to have a vacant post available in 3 years.
Neurophysiology – University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
Some travel between sites will be required but they are a short drive or train journey away from the main site and will not require overnight stays.
Nuclear Medicine – Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Occasional visits outside the base at Royal Devon, Exeter, mainly Torbay Hospital, Torquay, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth and UHBW, Bristol. Expenses will be paid to cover these opportunities.
Ophthalmic and Vision Science – University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Bristol Eye Hospital is inviting applications from enthusiastic and motivated individuals keen to undertake a Scientist Trainee role in Ophthalmic and Vision Sciences. You will be based in The Paul Spry Visual Electrophysiology Department in Bristol Eye Hospital. The department is small, ensuring you will be very well supported in your training in a friendly forward thinking team. We are part of the OVS Consortium ensuring good links with fellow OVS STP trainees across the UK. Bristol Eye Hospital is a very busy tertiary care teaching hospital providing care for the people of Bristol, Weston and the wider community across the South West of England. We have a very close collaborative relationship with our colleagues across a wide range of departments within the hospital to fully support you in your ophthalmic and visual electrophysiology training. In addition we have excellent links with the other healthcare science specialities including Audiology, Neurophysiology and Medical Physics teams based at Bristol Royal Infirmary and work collaboratively to support our cohort of trainees. The vast majority of your training will be based in the very centre of Bristol, although there is a possibility that travelling to one of our outreach centres across the city or in Weston General Hospital may occasionally be required. The hospital has excellent educational support and library services, close links with Bristol University and has a busy clinical research unit on site.
About the Trust
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as ‘Good’ overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward-thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them.
Radiation Safety and Diagnostic Radiology – Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The training programme in the first year will provide the opportunity to visit other hospitals in the South West. Training in the second and third years will be predominantly based at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, with some work also undertaken at Cheltenham General Hospital and the Community Hospitals in the county. There will also be the opportunity to support radiation protection consultancy delivered to local non-NHS customers.
Radiation Safety and Diagnostic Radiology – Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) is the biggest provider of healthcare services in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Our QSI accredited Clinical Imaging service is rated “Outstanding” by CQC and has a raft of equipment. CT equipment includes 2 Canon Aquilion One, one GE Revolution and two GE Revolution Evo scanners. Our interventional service includes 2 Siemens cath labs, a Siemens Zeego and 2 Siemens fluoroscopy units. The Breast Screening service has 5 Siemens Revelation systems, including tomosynthesis and contrast enhanced mammography. A new build has recently been completed to accommodate three additional MRI scanners and a dedicated molecular radiotherapy suite. Our Nuclear Medicine department is about to undergo major remodelling and installation of a gamma camera to complement our existing 2 GE Discovery cameras. Our radiotherapy centre has 2 Varian Truebeams and a Big Bore CT. As well as the three main Trust sites (Truro, Hayle, and Penzance) there are also 7 satellite sites across the county and the idyllic Isles of Scilly. Our team provides radiation protection team provides advice across the region. The non-ionising rotation will be hosted across the Southwest Training Consortium offering trainees the opportunity to visit other centres and build connections within the Southwest. For all training external to the main site travel and accommodation costs will be covered. We will provide a supportive working environment for your training to help you realise your full potential and develop the skills to become an outstanding healthcare scientist. You can enjoy an outstanding quality of life in a place that offers surfing beaches and fishing harbours to beautiful countryside and historic towns. With clean air and plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities Cornwall is the ideal place for active people and families and for you to develop your own career.
Radiation Safety and Diagnostic Radiology – Torbay and South Devon Health and Care NHS Trust
There will be short duration (1 or 2 weeks, not always consecutive) visits to RDUH, Exeter, UHBW, Bristol and UHP Plymouth to cover the full range of training experiences required.
Radiation Safety and Diagnostic Radiology – University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Radiotherapy Physics – Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) is the biggest provider of healthcare services in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Our three main sites are Royal Cornwall Hospital Truro, St Michael’s Hospital Hayle and West Cornwall Hospital Penzance. The Radiotherapy Centre at RCHT is equipped with 2 Varian TrueBeam Linacs (due for replacement in 2026/27), an Xstrahl Superficial treatment machine, a Philips wide-bore CT scanner and Aria OMS. Treatment is planned on Pinnacle, due to be replaced in the next 1-2 years by the RayStation Treatment Planning System. The department provides the latest techniques for a variety of treatments, and we have an active trials participation portfolio. The brachytherapy portion of the radiotherapy specialism will be hosted at University Hospitals Plymouth. The non-ionising rotation will be hosted across the Southwest Training Consortium offering trainees the opportunity to visit other centres and build connections within the Southwest. For all training external to the main site travel and accommodation costs will be covered. We will provide a supportive working environment for your training to help you realise your full potential and develop the skills to become an outstanding healthcare scientist. Enjoy an outstanding quality of life in a place that offers surfing beaches and fishing harbours to beautiful countryside and historic towns. With clean air, plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities it is the ideal place for active people and families and for you to develop your own career.
Radiotherapy Physics – Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
This post will be based at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. Exeter is a vibrant city, close to the natural beauty of Devon’s sandy beaches and rugged moorland. It’s the perfect base for enjoying all the South West has to offer, whilst still being well connected to the rest of the country. We are a friendly and sociable team that strive to provide a welcoming and supportive environment for trainees. Our trainee numbers have been growing over the last few years, and there is a strong network of trainees in the department, the Trust and the wider region. This provides opportunities for learning, support, and socialising throughout your training. Additionally, we collaborate with other centres in the South West to give you the full breadth of learning experiences. Whether you were born and raised in the South West, or fancy a change of scenery, we believe you will fall in love with Devon and thrive whilst training here.
Radiotherapy Physics – University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Specialist radiotherapy training in Bristol will be at the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre (BHOC)
We have 5 Elekta Agility Head linacs with onboard imaging, Varian HDR brachytherapy (Prostate, Gynae, Oesophagus, Skin), Gammaknife, Molecular RT, 2 Philips Wide Bore CT’s, Raystation TPS, Clarity Ultrasound and surface guided RT, as well as a 3D printer.
We also provide a dosimetry service to the Elekta linear accelerator at Bristol Vet Specialists veterinary hospital in Avonmouth.
Rotations will all be based in UHBW, at either the Bristol Royal Infirmary, St Michaels Hospital or BHOC. There may be some visits to other locations in the South West.
The academic component is taught at Liverpool University.
Bristol is wonderful place to live. There are lots of things to do and we have easy access to the coast and countryside, and easy transport links to South Wales, London, and the North. We are a very friendly and sociable department.
Radiotherapy Physics – University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
Radiotherapy has a satellite centre at Dorset County Hospital. We visit this about once a month. University lectures are done in Liverpool. Non ionising imaging rotation is done across the South West region.
Reconstructive Science – North Bristol NHS Trust
As a consortium, we have students of all three academic years studying with us simultaneously. All students will attend all units over 3 years in an approximate rotation format of 6-weekly periods in the 1st year and longer 12-weekly periods in the 2nd and 3rd years. This means, ideally, there is one student in one unit at each time. This timetable will be provided by your Training Officer. One of these units will be your allocated ‘Host Unit’ (2024 will be Bristol), from which you will receive your fixed term contract, salary and educational training support expenses. The manager at this unit (Amy Davey) will be the Training Officer and main point of contact. The other units will provide an honorary contract to work in each hospital. Mandatory training will be required (and sometimes duplicated) at all hospital trusts.
Vascular Science – Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Gloucestershire Hospitals Vascular Laboratory runs at two sites that all staff rotate equally between- one site at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and one at Cheltenham General Hospital.
Vascular Science – University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
The Vascular Science STP trainee at University Hospitals Plymouth will be joining a small, friendly team consisting of 4 Vascular Scientists and one trainee based in the Vascular Assessment Unit at Derriford Hospital. The Vascular Assessment Unit has 2 spacious air-conditioned scanning rooms which are equipped with Philips Epiq 7G ultrasound scanners. Our inpatient work is mainly carried out on wards which means that we get out and about around the hospital, meeting lots of different colleagues. We provide a wide range of Vascular diagnostics tests and would enjoy having another enthusiastic and motivated trainee in the department to pass our skills and knowledge to.
Derriford Hospital is the largest specialist teaching hospital in the South West peninsula and is the region’s major trauma centre. It is a specialist centre for transplants, cardiothoracic surgery and neurosurgery.
Plymouth has a beautiful waterfront location right on the border of Cornwall. It is an ideal place to live for anyone who enjoys outdoor activities, with plenty of water sports available in Plymouth Sound and excellent walking and cycling on Dartmoor and the surrounding area.