ESTRO 2025 - Abstract Book

S4286

RTT - Service evaluation, quality assurance and risk management

ESTRO 2025

Purpose/Objective: The current United Kingdom (UK) workforce of therapeutic radiographers is predominately female (Nightingale et al 2022). During their working lives, many female therapeutic radiographers will embark on a period or periods of maternity leave during their careers. Return or returning to practice (RTP) after maternity leave can present several different challenges. The purpose of this service evaluation was to gain an insight into the experiences of therapeutic radiographers RTP after maternity leave and to determine if the current support provided was appropriate. Material/Methods: This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to collect data from therapeutic radiographers RTP after maternity leave. The therapeutic radiographers included in the study had returned from maternity leave 3-12 months before the evaluation took place. Nine Band 5 and Band 6 senior and/or team leader therapeutic radiographers from a single radiotherapy department in the UK were invited to participate in this study. Each individual interview was digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim by the researcher. Thematic analysis (TA) was utilised to interpret the results, as described in Clarke & Braun (2013). Results: Seven participants agreed to be interviewed including five, Band 6 senior therapeutic radiographers and two, Band 6 team leader therapeutic radiographers. Analysis of the transcripts identified recurring themes allowing the creation of the final themes and subthemes shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Themes and Sub-Themes

The analysis established that nearly every one of the participants reported feelings of anxiety and low confidence when RTP. These feelings were attributed to various reasons including lack of knowledge of departmental changes, expected levels of competence on RTP and juggling both family and work responsibilities. The participants identified managerial and co-worker support as a fundamental aspect of support whilst negotiating the challenges of RTP. Although a successful RTP was reported by some participants, the findings of this evaluation emphasised the need to improve the current support provided to therapeutic radiographers RTP after maternity leave. Strategies such as a structured RTP procedure, reorientation period of 3 weeks, education on new departmental developments including recent error findings and the provision of practical information should become standard practice.