Healthcare Science Week 2024

This week, we are celebrating the wonderful healthcare science workforce we have within Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. Healthcare science is made up of 50 different specialisms, and has played a pivotal role within the NHS over the past 75 years in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease within our population. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board are taking this opportunity to shine a light on a few colleagues and how their fantastic work impacts the care provided to our patients.

Meet Dylan 

Neurophysiologist 

“In clinical neurophysiology, our role is to detect and monitor electrical activity originating from the central and peripheral nervous systems.

We are a crucial service for epilepsy sufferers, delivering prompt and accurate EEG testing, aiding in seizure diagnosis and even remission. Our role extends to the peripheral nervous system in nerve conduction studies, in which we can provide same-day testing and diagnosis of painful and life-effecting conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome or ulnar nerve neuropathies.

We are also important contributors to patient-centred care on an in-patient basis, especially within Critical Care Units, assisting in the management of patients potentially experiencing sub-clinical seizures as part of their coma.”

Meet Holly

Clinical Technologist, Medical Physics 

“My name is Holly Sneddon and I am a Clinical Technologist based in Medical Physics at University Hospital Wales (UHW). My undergraduate degree was a BSc Healthcare Science in Nuclear Medicine.

I work in different areas throughout UHW related to patient care, mainly involving scanning within Nuclear Medicine for Gamma camera and PET/CT imaging. Nuclear Medicine is functional imaging which involves injecting radiopharmaceuticals into patients which are targeted to specific organs / systems to determine their function.

As a Clinical Technologist I also work in the radiopharmacy in Medical Physics, where the radioactive injections are made. The investigations are mainly oncology related and extremely important with patient's treatment planning.

Nuclear medicine can also be used for other purposes such as cardiac ischemia, renal systems, liver function and loads more! I enjoy my role so much I went on to complete a MSc in Nuclear Medicine. I am proud to be a Clinical Technologist and helping patients is and always will be my main goal.”

Meet Amy

Healthcare Scientist Practitioner, Non-Ionising Radiation Physics, Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering 

“The diagnostic and therapeutic use of ultrasound machines throughout healthcare is vast and varied. As a non-ionising method of clinical examination and treatment, ultrasound is considered a generally safe option. However, no medical procedure is completely without risk of harm to our patients.

My role as Clinical Technologist (Healthcare Scientist Practitioner) within the Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering department at UHW, provides the Quality Assurance (QA) testing of ultrasound systems throughout Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

By using several tissue equivalent phantoms, I test the uniformity and visual output of the scanner and transducers. QA tests are performed on commission of new equipment, routinely or after repair have been performed.”

Meet Savannah

Respiratory and sleep trainee clinical scientist 

I am a first-year respiratory and sleep trainee clinical scientist, this is a 3-year funded masters level training programme funded by the National School of Healthcare Science.  I really enjoy performing lung function on patients and coaching them to achieve their best results. I also play a key role in diagnosing and treating obstructive sleep apnoea. This enables patients to engage with more improved sleep, allowing me to play an impactful role in patients' lives.

As part of being a trainee, I am constantly learning the theory behind the tests that I perform which helps me to grow as a scientist and provide the best care to my patients. 

Meet the Trace Element Laboratory team

The use of mass spectrometry in the laboratories has improved the accuracy and range of testing that can be brought to patient care in Cardiff and Vale.

The Trace Element Laboratory at University Hospital Wales utilises Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry to analyse blood, plasma and urine to test for essential and non-essential metals. Nutritional metals including copper, selenium and zinc, can be analysed simultaneously on just one sample from a patient. This enables the clinician to be informed quickly if a deficiency of a nutritional element has been found so that they can start replacement treatment. The laboratory also measures Heavy Metals including Lead, Mercury, Arsenic and Thallium simultaneously on one whole blood or urine sample to check for possible causes of poisonings, along with wider scanning of the mass range for additional metals when cause of symptoms is unknown.

Meet the Toxicology team

In the Toxicology Laboratory, High Resolution Accurate Mass Spectrometry has been recently introduced in the laboratory for the analysis of Drugs of Misuse in urine. This new technology enables the clinician to know which specific drug has been detected in the urine compared to just the class of drugs prior to the use of mass spectrometry. The laboratory was also able to introduce new analytes due to the improved detection limits of the new equipment such as Fentanyl. The technology also makes adding new drugs to the standard panel of tests easier when they are spotted on the drugs market, recently we added Pregabalin and Gabapentin. This enables clinicians looking after the patients to fully determine the possible harms to patients and offer improved and targeted harm reduction advice. Healthcare scientists work to develop the testing of the new drug on the accurate mass spectrometer and subsequently validate the testing to international standards ensuring an accurate result to the clinician. 

Meet Johanna

Genetic Counsellor 

Genomic counselling is a fascinating patient-facing role that aims to help patients and their families understand the role of genetics in disease, and the implications of this for their physical and mental health. We also work to educate other healthcare professionals and the general public on this topic.

In the clinic, we gather and assess family history, explain genetic testing options and signpost to avenues of support, to empower patients and enable informed decision-making. We also work within multidisciplinary teams to interpret genetic results and assess risk of disease occurrence, coordinating holistic patient-centred care to manage and prevent disease; in keeping with the CAVUHB mission of “caring for people, keeping people well”.