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Prioritise trainers if plan to increase doctors is to succeed, says GMC
Plans to boost the UK’s workforce by increasing medical school places will fail if the needs of trainers are not also prioritised, the General Medical Council (GMC) warns in a new report. The results of this year’s national training survey, the largest annual insight into the training of doctors in the UK, show half of doctors whose roles include training junior colleagues are at high or moderate risk of burnout. This year’s survey was answered by more than 52,000 doctors in training and more than 22,000 doctors who train them. Though the majority of trainees are happy with their training and quality remains high, half of all of trainers were at moderate or high risk of burnout. This pattern has stayed consistent for a number of years, at 52% in both 2023 and 2022. The regulator is now warning this will worsen if
training capacity is not increased to accommodate extra places for medical schools planned in England, Scotland and Wales. Though the majority of trainers (90%) said they
enjoy their role as medical educators, they continued to voice concerns. Twenty-nine percent said they struggled to use the time allocated to train others alongside their regular clinical commitments. A third (31%) of trainers working in secondary
care (those who do not have initial contact with a patient, such as specialists) also reported issues with rota gaps not being dealt with effectively. Of those trainers who answered questions on
risk of burnout, more than half (52%) said they always or often felt worn out at the end of the working day. A third (32%) said their work frustrates them to a ‘high or very high degree’. Experiences
varied by specialty, with emergency medicine and general practice trainers experiencing the highest burnout risk. Over a quarter of emergency medicine trainers (26%) were at high risk, followed by ophthalmologists (16%) and GPs (15%). For trainees, more than a fifth (21%) were at high risk of burnout. Additionally, trainees reported fewer opportunities to develop their leadership skills, further fuelling concerns about the long-term development of those who will have responsibility for delivering training in the future. In 2022, 69% ‘agreed’ they had these opportunities, but this fell to 66% in 2023 and was down to 63% this year. Professor Colin Melville, Medical Director and
Director of Education and Standards at the General Medical Council, said: “Plans to increase medical
school places are much needed and welcomed. However, to ensure these places produce the skilled doctors of tomorrow, we also need to increase the number of educators and provide them with the necessary time and support. “Trainees also report having fewer opportunities to develop their own leadership skills, essential for training in the future. Without immediate action, this could be a perfect storm hindering the development of our workforce. “These data show there are clear signs of
strain. This will only intensify as the number of medical students grows, and as those students go on to join the workforce. Employers and workforce planners must look ahead and make sure educators have the protected time and support they need to fulfil their important roles.”
Calls to put patient safety first in EPR roll out
Patient safety must be central to the design, development and rollout of electronic patient record (EPR) systems, says Patient Safety Learning. An EPR system brings together different patient information in one place, making it easier to access for healthcare professionals. This information can include patients’ own notes, test results, observations by a range of different clinicians and prescribed medications. When safely implemented, EPR systems can
help to support and improve care and treatment. However, in recent years, there has been growing awareness of the significant patient safety risks also associated with their implementation and use.
In a new report, Patient Safety Learning makes the case that patient safety can, and must, be put firmly at the heart of the design, development and rollout of EPR systems. Drawing on examples from the NHS and the findings of an expert roundtable, the report sets out the key patient safety risks associated with choosing and introducing new EPR systems. It identifies ten principles to consider for safer EPR system implementation. Commenting on the report, Patient Safety Learning Chief Executive, Helen Hughes, said: “EPR systems have significant potential to improve patient care and treatment. However, we are increasingly seeing cases where poor
implementation of these new systems results in direct and indirect harm to patients. If we are to fully realise their benefits, patient safety must be at the heart of their design, development and rollout. “To ensure the safety of EPR systems, it is vital that patient safety incidents associated with them are reported and acted upon. We need more transparency in reporting and sharing knowledge, of both errors and examples of good practice. We hope that this report can kick off an informed and transparent debate about these issues, leading to action that supports the safer implementation of EPR systems and reduces avoidable harm.” To download the full report, visit: https://tinyurl. com/2sm9zt46
September 2024 I
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