Barts Health consultants scoop national award for radiology recruitment success during Covid-19
Consultant clinical oncologist Dr Karen Tipples and consultant radiologist Muaaze Ahmad have received a Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) excellence award for their work on the national radiotherapy trainee recruitment programme.
The RCR has created one-off excellence awards to acknowledge individuals who worked hard to help provide timely advice and guidance to RCR members, as well as helping continue training during the pandemic by supporting recruitment, examinations and curriculum adjustments.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact on the NHS workforce across the country.
The first wave of the pandemic in March 2020 particularly affected the national recruitment plans for radiology and other specialities, and many interviews were cancelled or people were unable to attend them.
Karen and Muaaze, who are consultants at St Bartholomew’s and The Royal London Hospitals, worked to assist the recruitment process, support trainees and lay-reps who were standing in as interviewers, or worked late to conduct Skype interviews.
The RCR clinical leads, including Karen and Muaaze, and the college’s medical director for education and training worked constructively with Health Education England (HEE) to complete recruitment, helping to shape policy to make it as relevant to clinical oncology as much as possible.
Karen and Muaaze were also supported by the work psychology group so they could provide a psychometric analysis of the process and also engaged with the chair of the Oncology Registrars Forum to ensure that trainees had a voice.
The recruitment programme has been a success, with 100 per cent of posts filled.
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