Key Contacts
Training Programme Director for Clinical Oncology: Dr Jonathan Chambers (Based at Torbay Hospital)
Head of School of Medicine: Kathy Woolson
Deputy Dean for Medicine: Dr Jon Francis
Education programme Manager: Naomi Mallinson
NHS England, South West (Peninsula) supervises all postgraduate medical specialist training in the Devon and Cornwall region for Clinical Oncology.
Information about the Specialty
Clinical Oncology is the non-surgical management of malignant disease, using both radiotherapy and systemic therapy (chemotherapy, hormone therapy and biological agents). Specialty Training in Clinical Oncology takes a minimum of five years (ST3-ST7) leading to Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists (FRCR) and the award of the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). Further information on Clinical Oncology as a specialty can be found on the Royal College of Radiologists website via the following link: https://www.rcr.ac.uk/clinical-oncology/careers-and-recruitment.
The Training Hospitals
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
Torbay & South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
Related Sites
The Association of Cancer Physicians
The Royal College of Radiologists
Peninsula Clinical Oncology Training Programme
The Southwest Peninsula training programme provides a high standard of clinical training and career opportunities. It has previously ranked top in the UK for trainee satisfaction. There is a positive and enthusiastic consultant body who are passionate about education and training. Trainees in our programme have had the opportunity to conduct academic and educational clinical fellowships, out of programme training experiences, and represent training and research at a national level, such as with the Royal College of Radiologists and trainee research groups, such as NOTCH. There are ample opportunities to get involved in regional audit projects, publications and sub-specialist training, such as in SABR and brachytherapy. As a region, we are supportive of Less than Full Time training and seek to nurture your individual training interests.
There are four hospitals across Devon and Cornwall. Trainees will generally rotate between three or four of these centres during their programme, to gain a breadth of experience.
Our trainees have given an insight into training at each of these centres, outlined below.
Training in Truro, Sunrise Oncology Cancer Centre
The Sunrise Centre at the Royal Cornwall Hospital is one of the leading cancer research centres in the country, with a dedicated team recruiting to a large number of trials. This drives up the quality of care and attracts patients from all around the region. It offers trainees excellent exposure to new and follow-up patients in clinic where you will work closely alongside consultants who deliver ad hoc teaching in addition to regular formal sessions. This is one of the reasons trainees give Truro outstanding feedback year on year.
As a clinical oncology trainee you feel very much part of the busy and friendly department with close work alongside radiographers, planners and physicists who are all extremely approachable.
The radiotherapy department has three linacs plus an orthovoltage photon treatment machine - one of only two in the Southwest region – a fantastic resource for patients and trainees alike. It also boasts cutting edge, surface-guided radiotherapy.
The Acute Oncology Service runs from the brand new Oncology Day Assessment Unit based alongside Lowen Ward – a multimillion pound investment opened in 2023.
Oh and it’s in Cornwall, with second-to-none access to an amazing lifestyle outside of work!
Training in Torbay, Sinclair Oncology Cancer Unit
The Sinclair Oncology Unit is fully equipped to deliver modern cancer care and is situated alongside the main hospital site. The department serves a population of around 375,000 with a relatively high incidence of cancer. Most tumour sites are treated locally with patients travelling to other oncology centres in the region for more specialist interventions. Turner ward, shared with haematology, is an 18-bed inpatient ward shared with haematology adjacent to the Ricky Grant Day unit where systemic cancer treatment is delivered.
The radiotherapy department is well staffed by a friendly team who are keen to support oncology trainees. Facilities include two Elekta Versa HD Energy Linear Accelerators, a state of the art radiotherapy CT scanning suite and Pinnacle planning software.
There are over ten oncology consultants and several long-standing specialty doctors. There is a dedicated nurse-led AOS service and specialist immunotherapy team. Torbay has a strong interprofessional working ethos which fosters good working relationships between different occupations and medical specialities.
There is weekly consultant led teaching and monthly journal club. Extra-curricular development is supported and encouraged with recent trainees pursuing the ICR MSc in oncology, Deanery education fellowships and RCR representation. Trainee quality panels rate their training experience as ‘excellent’ at Torbay. Torbay has a strong research team and is one of the highest commercial trial recruiters in the UK.
Training in Exeter, Oncology Cancer Centre
The Exeter Oncology Centre is comprised of a day assessment unit, oncology inpatient ward, outpatients and radiotherapy, all situated at one end of The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. The Trust also has an oncology inpatient ward, acute oncology service and chemotherapy unit at The North Devon District hospital.
The department hosts both clinical and medical oncology trainees allowing you to train alongside each other and allowing a mutual understanding of each other’s training pathways. There are around twenty oncology consultants and there are around five trainees each year. This allows trainees to agree with their supervisors a tailored job plan to with experience in the core sites as well as areas of interest according to their individualised training needs. The consultant body is very approachable and supportive leading to a positive training environment and consistent excellent feedback from trainees.
During your training here, you will work alongside the nurse-led acute oncology team and our very experienced immunotherapy team. The pre-treatment, planning and wider radiotherapy team are very supportive, accessible and knowledgeable. There are lots of opportunities to develop radiotherapy skills such as planning, prescribing and verification. The teams are keen to teach, which is very useful ahead of the speciality exams.
We have an active brachytherapy unit offering opportunity to develop this specialist skill for those interested in gynae-oncology, urology or oesophageal brachytherapy. There is an active and engaging Peninsular SABR MDT, with the department currently offering SABR for lung and oligometastatic disease (lung, nodes and bone) but with plans for this service to develop further to include spinal and hepato-biliary tumours. The Exeter Oncology is active in research, taking part in many national and international trials. Trainees are encouraged to be involved and consider becoming sub-primary investigators if this is of interest to them.
Living and working in Devon gives you a fantastic range of opportunities – from beaches and moorland to the city experiences of Exeter and Plymouth, there is something for everyone. The quality of life in the Southwest is excellent with the trainees getting to rotate across 4 main sites in Plymouth, Exeter, Torquay and Truro; as well as close links with the trainees in the Severn and Wales deaneries for additional supra-regional teaching and exam preparation.
Training in Plymouth, Mustard Tree Cancer Centre
The Oncology department at Plymouth is situated within the bustling corridors of Derriford Hospital, the centre is a close-knit unit with many consultants, radiographers, and specialist nurses working collaboratively.
The fabulous acute oncology team at Derriford ensures that trainee doctors are supported by a dedicated and skilled group of professionals. This collaborative approach not only enhances the quality of patient care but also provides an enriching environment for trainee doctors to learn and grow.
Derriford Hospital is the only tertiary centre in the region, providing trainees with exposure to neurosurgery MDTs. It is also the only centre in the Southwest that performs Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), and it offers abundant opportunities for trainee doctors to engage in Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) and Brachytherapy. Plymouth Oncology department also takes pride in its large trials team, providing trainee doctors with exposure to research and clinical trials.