We want to develop our radiology service to be one of the best in the world - Gregory Royal

Gregory Royal – interventional radiographer

Gregory Royal

I have been a radiographer for 19 years. During that time I have worked mainly in the acute setting and since 2008 specialised in interventional radiology. This is an area of radiology where we aim to treat patients rather than purely diagnose them. 

We use specialised equipment (catheters and stents etc) along with real time x-ray. My role in this field is to provide best quality imaging, often for very sick patients undergoing the treatments.

Having worked in Manchester for most of my 19 years as a radiographer (I some time spent in London and seeing the world), I have known about The Christie for a long time. I knew it was a cancer centre with a world-wide reputation. 

I had been working as the interventional radiology lead in a nearby hospital (running the service there), but when I heard that the Christie had a vacancy for an interventional radiology team leader I jumped at the chance to apply. 

Upon visiting the department at The Christie, I discovered that a new unit was being planned and if I got the job I would get to be part of it. Fortunately I was successful in being appointed.

I started at The Christie at the end of May 2015 and found everyone very welcoming. The first impression I got was how patient focused the staff are and how enthusiastic people are to help. I’ve always had the most job satisfaction from helping patients. Rightly, that should be the main focus for all healthcare workers, but at The Christie the standards of patient care are at a much higher level.  This obviously makes me proud to work at The Christie and proud of our staff.

Within my job I spend approximately 80% of my time involved in a clinical role and this is without a doubt the most appealing part of what I do. As the team lead for radiology 2, I make sure services such as ultrasound, in-patient plain film and interventional radiology run as best they can. I have a great team to work with, which includes not just radiographers and radiologists, but also nurses, a co-ordinator, clerical staff and porters.  

The other 20% of my time is spent on management issues and duties. The biggest of these is currently being part of the sub-group developing the operational side of the new Integrated Procedures Unit (IPU) which is currently being built on the Oak Road side of our site above the main entrance. This is an exciting development for The Christie overall but also for the interventional radiology team. It means we can build on and cement the excellent oncology procedures and care we provide so as to truly take the service forward and make it world class – our patients deserve nothing less!

Moving to The Christie was the best career choice I could have made and I couldn’t be happier in my work life. I get the chance to spend time with patients and along with some fantastic colleagues to affect change and develop our radiology service to be one of the best.