Training academy opens to find staff for new NHS diagnostic unit in Newmarket

A training academy, which could provide staff for a new diagnostics unit set to open in Newmarket later this year, is now taking applications.

Providing a wide range of diagnostic tests, such as MRI, ultrasound, and heart and lung scans, the Newmarket Community Diagnostics Centre (CDC), currently under construction at the town’s hospital in Exning Road, will carry out around 100,000 tests a year, supporting the West Suffolk Foundation Trust (WSFT) in providing care to patients closer to where they live.

The 12-week training will be at West Suffolk College and West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds . It will culminate in a guaranteed job interview for positions at the Newmarket CDC and within WSFT, or support to find positions elsewhere in local general practice.

The positions available after completing the training academy will include imaging assistants, phlebotomists, receptionists, administrators, care navigators, care co-ordinators and porters.

Other roles for qualified professionals include radiographers, sonographers and cardiac physiologists, as well as clinical and non-clinical positions within the WSFT and local GP practices.

As part of the training academy experience, there will be masterclasses delivered by NHS healthcare professionals and primary care managers. These masterclasses aim to give applicants the tools they need to carry out the day-to-day functions within the Newmarket CDC and placements at the West Suffolk Hospital or within a local GP practice. After which, applicants will receive comprehensive interview training to ensure they have the best chance of success.

To ensure the academy is open to everyone from all backgrounds, there is a support package on offer including lunch every day, travel and mileage, uniform, including trousers and footwear, childcare costs and all educational materials, such as books and stationery.

Participants will also benefit from support by a dedicated project team throughout the 12 weeks and afterwards for up to three months, which includes help finding a job.

The training academy is open for applications until Tuesday, May 21, with enrolment taking place on Tuesday, May 28. The first masterclasses will begin on Monday, June 10.