Sharron Driver - Radiotherapy Service Manager (Newcastle and Cumbria)
Sharron is the Radiotherapy Service Manager with responsibility for managing both the services in Newcastle at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care and in Carlisle at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care – North Cumbria.
Sharron has extensive radiotherapy experience working as a therapeutic radiographer spanning over 30 years working in various centres across the UK. Whilst in her previous role at the NCCC as Technical Lead Radiographer she had joint responsibility for implementing the Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) service and the regional Stereotactic Radio Surgery (SRS) service in Newcastle.
Sharron is a member of the Society and College of Radiographers Radiotherapy Advisory Group and is currently deputy chair of the Radiotherapy Manager’s Group, working at national level with a strong focus on workforce recruitment and retention.
She is dedicated to providing an outstanding level of care to all the patients that require radiotherapy in the North East and is committed to working with the whole radiotherapy team to maintain an exceptional, high quality service.
Chris Walker - Head of Regional Radiotherapy Physics Services
Chris started his career in medical physics in 1987 employed by the Regional Medical Physics Department as a basic grade physicist in Newcastle. In June 2015 Chris was appointed as a Consultant Clinical Scientist and Head of Radiotherapy Physics for the Northern Centre for Cancer Care (NCCC) based at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne.
In April 2021 NCCC took over responsibility for cancer services at North Cumbria, based in Carlisle. Consequently Chris is now head of Radiotherapy Physics across the combined service running from East to West coast of the North of England. Prior to this role Chris was head of Radiotherapy Physics at The James Cook University hospital in Middlesbrough for over 10 years. He has provided strategic advice and support at home and overseas to Health Departments, radiotherapy departments and private companies. This includes spending a year as Head of Radiotherapy, establishing a new radiotherapy department for the Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar.
He has been a clinical member of NHS England's Radiotherapy Clinical Reference Group (CRG) since 2011. He has acted as a technical advisor to NHS England and chaired its Clinical and Technical Group. He has also participated in a number of NHS England expert reference groups such as Stereotactic Radiosurgery/therapy, and ProKnow implementaiotn groups.
PHIL POWELL - DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS FOR THE CANCER AND HAEMATOLOGY CLINICAL BOARD AT NEWCASTLE HOSPITALS
Based at The Northern Centre for Cancer Care at Freeman Hospital, he has responsibility for Oncology (including chemotherapy and radiotherapy services) in Newcastle and North Cumbria, Haematology and Haemophilia services in Newcastle.
Phil played an integral part in establishing and early development of the Radiotherapy Operational Delivery Network and remains a member of the Network Oversight Group.
He led the project to integrate North Cumbria’s Oncology services into Newcastle Hospitals, which included the construction of The Northern Centre for Cancer Care – North Cumbria at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and is currently leading the Newcastle Hospitals team involved in redesigning clinical pathways and service model in the Regional Oncology Review
Phil is committed to providing the best possible service and outcomes to patients through collaboration and innovation.