02 FYi


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Welcome News


HOSPITAL COMPLAINTS


POORLY INVESTIGATED HOSPITALS in England are failing to conduct proper investigations into complaints about avoidable harm and death according to a quality review published by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. The report found that nearly three quarters (73 per cent) of hospital


Welcome to your FYi


AS the new year gets underway, I am delighted to be taking over as editor of FYi, with a big thanks to former editor Dr Anne Parfitt- Rogers for all her hard work over the past three years. Having trained in medicine and law, I’ve worked as an MDDUS medical adviser since 2013 and look forward to sharing insights from our expert team of advisers and contributors. I remember well being a busy


foundation doctor with a seemingly endless to-do list. One inevitable - and crucial - job is completing the discharge form. My article on page 10 offers advice on getting this right. As more patients seem to be


researching their symptoms online, MDDUS medical adviser Dr Greg Dollman advises doctors not to rush to dismiss them, but to listen carefully to their concerns (page 5). With so many medical


research articles and journals out


there, Dr Allan Gaw offers tips on how to stay up-to-date on page 4. There’s more practical advice on page 6 where Dr Sophie Rogers shares her experiences of three more core skills that all F1 doctors must complete. If you’re looking for a challenging and varied career then the specialty of respiratory medicine could be for you. Read more on page 8. Working in hospitals can be challenging in many ways, and on page 7 Jim Killgore considers a recent report on bullying amongst trainees. On page 12, doctor and budding artist Katy Shorttle tells Adam Campbell how she finds time for both a medical and a creative career. And finally, our case study on page 14 looks at how a seemingly mild headache turns out to be something far more serious.


• Dr Naeem Nazem Editor


COVER PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF DR KATY SHORTTLE


investigations into complaints about avoidable harm and death claimed there were no failings in the care given, despite PHSO investigations of the same incidents uncovering “serious failings”. The report also found that hospitals failed to class more than


two-thirds (20 of 28) of avoidable harm cases as serious incidents and thus conduct proper investigations, and just under a fifth (19 per cent) of NHS investigations were missing crucial evidence such as medical records, statements and interviews. Only half (52 per cent) of the investigations about avoidable harm and death carried out by the NHS where conducted by a clinician who was independent of the events


complained about and 36 per cent of investigations that recorded failings did not adequately determine why they had happened. Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Julie Mellor (pictured)


said: “Our review found that NHS investigations into complaints about avoidable death and harm are simply not good enough. They are not consistent, reliable or transparent, which means that too many people are being forced to bring their complaint to us to get it resolved. “ She called on the NHS to help increase public confidence by


introducing an accredited training programme for staff who carry out complaints investigations as well as providing guidance on how they should be done.


EDITOR:


Dr Naeem Nazem MBChB BSc (Hons) MRCP LLB (Hons)


ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Joanne Curran Jim Killgore


DESIGN: Connect Communications connectcommunications.co.uk


PRINT: Printwell www.printwell-ltd.co.uk


CORRESPONDENCE: FYi Editor MDDUS Mackintosh House 120 Blythswood Street Glasgow G2 4EA


t: e: 0845 270 2034 jcurran@mddus.com w: www.mddus.com


FOUNDATION PROGRAMME OVERSUBSCRIBED


AGAIN THE 2016 foundation training programme is oversubscribed. The UK Foundation Programme Office


confirmed that, as predicted, there are more applicants than places for the training which starts in August 2016. It is the sixth year in a row there has been a jobs shortage. There was a record high number of trainees without a post at the start of the process in 2015 (399), but all eligible applicants were eventually found a place. Final numbers for the 2016


FYi is published by The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, Registered in Scotland No 5093 at Mackintosh House, 120 Blythswood Street, Glasgow G2 4EA. The MDDUS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MDDUS are discretionary as set out in the Articles of Association.


oversubscription will be released soon. Top scoring candidates will be put on a primary list in March and the rest will be placed on a reserve list. Find out more at www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk.


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