The phrase ‘resetting the NHS’ is resonating with many of us, but what does it mean?
Many individuals and organisations see the disruption brought by the pandemic as an opportunity to speed up the pace of change. While I don’t think any of us believe that we will go back to delivering services as we did pre-pandemic, we need to have a vision of what this should look like.
As physicians, we have an important role in leading this process. Have your say!
In this month’s bulletin, I invite you to get more involved with the RCP. Become a college tutor, tell us about your pandemic experience, join our pilot #RCPConnect meeting, and encourage your trainees to enter the Turner-Warwick lecturer scheme. As we emerge from this second wave, there will be so many opportunities to feel happier about the future – let’s grasp them with both hands!
Have your say and pave the way
You may have engaged with your specialist society regarding service delivery. Perhaps you’ve looked at the RCP principles within Rebuilding the NHS – resetting outpatient services for the 21st century in the context of COVID-19. There is so much work going on in this field: the Bevan Commission has produced a series of Doing things differently papers, and the Life Sciences Hub has been running seminars on a national approach to value in health learning in Wales. Here in the RCP Cymru Wales team, we have been interviewing colleagues about their pandemic experience, which is helping to shape our manifesto asks for the next Welsh government. If you’d like to speak to us, please get in touch.
What’s happening on the ground?
One of my roles as vice president for Wales is to chair the regular college tutor and associate college tutor joint meeting with our head of school, Dr Shaun Smale. RCP Linacre fellow Dr Jo Szram joins us, along with the lead college tutor for Wales, Dr Jo Morris.
During 2020, we met every 6–8 weeks, but now have reverted to meeting every 12 weeks. It’s a great forum for sharing ideas, catching up on training issues, and discussing research and audit projects. We do have open college and associate college tutor posts in some health boards – please contact us for more information.
This month’s meeting was particularly insightful as Dr Charlie Finlow, Dr Rosie Hattersley and Dr Melanie Nana presented data on the experience of internal medicine trainees at outpatient clinics in Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic so far. They were able to show that lack of access has a negative impact on trainee wellbeing. They are going to re-audit in autumn 2021 and, in the meantime, we will circulate their findings and recommendations to key stakeholders so that necessary improvements can be made.
#CyswlltRCP #RCPConnect in south-west Wales
Because of COVID-19, we haven’t been able to hold our usual local conversation or president’s visits to hospitals, and we’ve really missed meeting colleagues across Wales. We’ve decided to pilot a virtual get-together in south-west Wales on 10 March at 12pm. If you’re working in Hywel Dda or Swansea Bay, please join us to discuss the past year, and how you’ve adapted the way you work, teach, research, and look after yourself. Find out more on our events page.
Time to build back fairer
The RCP has lead-authored a letter to the first minister, asking his government to develop a cross-governmental health inequalities strategy as we rebuild society after the COVID-19 pandemic. 34 organisations, including royal colleges, the British Medical Association, Cancer Research Wales, Samaritans Cymru, Community Housing Cymru, and the Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru have now come together to highlight the growing impact of long-term chronic illness on our society.
‘Time for research is very precious’
Combining research with clinical commitments, Dr Justyna Witczak took up a new consultant post at Cardiff’s University Hospital of Wales in 2019. Within a few months, the COVID-19 pandemic had put much of her research work on hold. Read her blog where she discusses her career so far, the barriers to research in smaller hospitals, and the importance of protected time for clinical research.
‘We want to start a discussion about wellbeing’
Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Sam Rice, a consultant physician in Llanelli, and Kimberley Littlemore, creative director at eHealth Digital Media Ltd, worked together to develop a series of educational films about diabetes. Find out about their new set of resources supporting staff wellbeing, developed during the past year.
Speaking out on your behalf
Earlier this month, I gave evidence to the Senedd Health, Social Care and Sport Committee for their inquiry into the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. I talked about workforce rota gaps and the impact of restarting services on doctor wellbeing.
Last week, we also responded to the Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) draft annual plan 2021–22. Our key recommendations are that HEIW should work with NHS Wales and the Welsh government to:
- increase the supply of doctors across all parts of the medical workforce
- guarantee protected time for research, education, quality improvement and leadership
- deliver on their commitment to make staff health and wellbeing a national priority.
On Time to Talk Day 2021, Dr Helen Lane, a consultant physician at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in south Wales allowed us to publish a new poem on the RCP website, ‘It’s good to talk’. She turned to poetry writing to unwind during the pandemic when hospital admissions threatened to overwhelm the hospital where she works. Read about her experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A big change for trainees
The introduction of the new internal medicine curriculum means that early (previously ‘core’, now stage 1) stage training for medicine is changing from 2 to 3 years in duration. This change has created uncertainty for trainees who need to understand their options for applying to programmes in 2021 and 2022, especially those who have previously undertaken core medical training (CMT) or acute care common stem – acute medicine (ACCS-AM) and wish to return to higher training.
For example, trainees who are currently not ‘in training’ will require evidence of all internal medicine training (IMT) competencies to progress. HEIW is advising health boards to ensure that non-training clinical fellow posts meet the needs of these trainees to remain attractive. Find out more on the ST3 recruitment site.
Encourage your trainees to showcase their work
The RCP Turner-Warwick lecturer scheme gives trainees in Wales the opportunity to present their work on a national stage at the joint RCP and Society of Physicians in Wales annual conference. Find out about how to apply.
A heartfelt thank you from colleagues
During the most recent meeting of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Wales with the chief medical officer, the royal colleges flagged issues around rota gaps, medical education, and how tired we all are. I was heartened to hear Dr Jack Parry-Jones of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine thank physicians for our tremendous input in delivering COVID-19 care. I say this in every bulletin, but I am proud to work with such an inspiring group of clinicians.
And to finish on an optimistic note, I’ve had my first COVID-19 vaccination and I’m now awaiting my second jab. I’m really looking forward to the longer, warmer days of spring when I can get back into my vegetable garden under a blue sky.