Day In The Life Of - John Wadsley

As part of a series of 'Day in the Life' stories featuring medical professionals across our region, Consultant Clinical Oncologist Professor Jon Wadsley talks about his role as Clinical Director at Sheffield Cancer Clinical Trials Centre. Prof Wadsley is also NIHR National Specialty Lead for Radiotherapy and Imaging

What does a typical day look like to you?

Every day is different, which is part of what I enjoy about my job. Some days will be seeing patients in clinic, talking to them about treatments, monitoring how they are getting on with their treatments or follow up and often talking about clinical trials.

Others will be spent planning some of the more complex treatments, in particular radiotherapy and molecular radiotherapy. Some days I will have meetings to consider new clinical trial opportunities and to get new studies up and running, while on others, I’ll be meeting local or national colleagues to discuss how we can best deliver clinical trials to improve outcomes for our patients across the UK.

What led you to work in this role? 

I had always been fascinated by cancer as a medical student, but it was really only as a junior doctor - when I spent some time working on an oncology ward and then in a hospice - that I really got interested in pursuing a career in oncology. The mixture of a lot of patient contact and the need for high-level communication skills and holistic care, alongside many new and exciting treatment developments and opportunities for research, really appealed to me.

In what way do you work alongside other staff or teams within SYB?

Oncology is very much a team effort. I am totally dependent on other members of the team - clinical nurse specialists, chemotherapy nurses, research nurses, therapy radiographers and the nuclear medicine team, alongside other clinical colleagues in tumour site-based multidisciplinary teams to deliver the best care to my patients.

How has your role changed in the last couple of years? 

The pandemic has massively altered our interactions with patients, which are now much more frequently by telephone rather than face-to-face. In some situations this has improved efficiency, but it does mean you have to work harder at building relationships of trust, and conveying complex information.

Previously I used to travel quite a lot for national and regional meetings. This has all gone during the pandemic. This has had its pros and cons. In many ways virtual meetings can save time and be more efficient, but sometimes there is more value in meeting colleagues face to face.

What excites you most about your role? 

Seeing today's patients benefit from the new treatments that we have proved to be effective in clinical trials that past patients were generous enough to participate in.

Are there any personal or team achievements or highlights you're most proud of? 

Seeing the number of treatments that we are able to give today that were proven to be effective through trials that we participated in here in Sheffield makes me immensely proud of the team that I am privileged to work with.

In what way do patients or the public influence the work you do?

Patients are clearly absolutely central to what we do - we would not be able to run any trials without patients who are willing to participate. All of our trials are informed by patients' and carers' perspectives on what is important to study and what will be acceptable to those patients who are participating.

We are also critically dependent on public support for the funding that allows us to undertake much of our research through charities such as the Weston Park Cancer Charity.

 Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve in the future within your role?

The Cancer Clinical Trial Centre's vision is to make high-quality clinical trials available to all cancer patients across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw at every stage of the cancer journey - from screening and diagnosis, treatment of localised disease (for example through surgery), through to treatment of advanced disease and palliative care. I really hope we can make progress on this as we emerge from the pandemic.