News and views from The Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Please use the "On this page" menu below for contents.
The good news is that community and in hospital cases of COVID are declining in the UK. With less testing the community data have been difficult to interpret and so I have tended to use the hospital admission figures to understand the trends of pressure in the health system. As of the 24th of April, there were 9878 in patience down from a week ago when there were nearly 13,000 and on the 9th of April there were nearly 16,000. The virus continues to mutate but so far, the new variants do not seem to be getting ahead of the vaccine. South Africa’s dominant strains have now become BA 4 and BA 5 over the last few weeks, but hospitalisations have not increased. We all know that it is likely that a more serious variant will emerge so the second booster campaign is very important, but we must continue to encourage anyone unvaccinated to get protection as well. We should not assume the patients we see are vaccinated and be aware they may feel reluctant to reveal their status if in their hearts they know they should have got the jab. Make sure you know how to get any patient you come across a first, second or even third dose if they now want it. How to get a 1st and 2nd dose of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine – NHS (www.nhs.uk).
The bad news is that the NHS is as stretched as it has ever been. Ambulance services continue to struggle to deliver a safe and timely care. The number of 60 minutes + patient delays to ambulance handovers in March was the highest ever on record. These delays lead to patient harm. I know everyone in Emergency Medicine is trying to get our paramedic colleagues back out on the road, but I hope the recent media stories will help the rest of the hospital clinical teams and managers understand the important of their actions and the risk to patients when there is no space in the ED to offload ambulances to. Getting that ward discharge done even 30 minutes earlier makes a cumulative benefit across the organisation, gets a patient off a trolley in ED and up to the ward and another patient into the Department from the ambulance ramp and another ambulance freed up to go to someone’s home. Please continue to talk to your Medical Director and COO about holding the rest of the hospital to account for patient harm caused by ambulance delays.
As well as the ambulance delays, we are deeply concerned about the number of patients spending days in the ED before being admitted to a ward. Data from RCEM’s Snap Survey from March 2022 showed that for the three days prior to being surveyed over half (54.65%) of clinical leads reported stays of 24-48 hours and nearly a quarter (23.26%) reported stays in their ED longer than 48 hours. Emergency Medicine staff (doctors or nurses) are not trained in the ongoing care of patients. Our environment is not suitable for ill patients after their initial care. Trolleys are not designed to be used for days. Our lights are always on, there is always noise and a frail older person can be rapidly harmed by such an unfamiliar environment. Nurses are administering long term medication they are unfamiliar with, and pharmacy teams are having to organise supplies of drugs we do not stock. This is all risky activity and must not be ignored by those letting this happen in our departments. Our days do not have the temporal routine of a ward, so it is easy for things to be missed without the standard medication rounds that happen on a ward. The harm of missing critical medication such as Parkinson’s drugs is something we have flagged in the past. The risk is now we miss a second dose. In addition, there are the deeply awful situations when an agitated patient ends up needing emergency sedation for a second time after being confined to an Emergency Department cubicle in a noisy department waiting for a mental health bed. I have even been told of a second FIB being done. Please can I ask that you consider doing a Datix report if these events occur – I know this creates work, but we need to keep piling on the evidence that patient care is being compromised and that staff are being put in a deeply unfair position. At the very least it flags your previous concerns if an event occurs with significant patient or staff harm.
The more positive side of the Covid reduction is that it has been possible to travel as President. I am lined up for the ACP conference in Liverpool and look forward to visiting some departments, but I was able to go with the RCEM team to Hyderabad, India to present diploma certificates to graduands of the Emergency Medicine Foundation Programme we run there, as well as some successful candidates of MRCEM and FRCEM who had been unable to travel to the UK. It was great to meet and talk to the trainees and some of their supervisors. The College has had a relationship with the Society of Emergency Medicine India (SEMI) for 17 years and regularly meet through IFEM events. Emergency Medicine is a very young specialty in India and helping them overcome some of the barriers we faced is good. We participated in an excellent evening academic meeting which included a great lecture by Dr Sowjanya Patibandla on gender specific medicine – how to move away from ‘this is the presentation characteristics of diagnosis X in patients presenting to the ED, but women present atypically.’ Something we should pull ourselves up on all the time – typical presentations, especially from older textbooks are very limited in their appreciation of diversity in humans.
I maintain the routine as advocated by one of my favourite books – The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. Thinking about or ideally writing down three things that have gone well or been enjoyable is a simple way to counteract the burden of concerns now. So, my three things of the last few days have been quite easy to come up with (in no order!) The forever amazingness of big airplanes taking off, the taste of Biryani in Shadab restaurant and seeing the sun setting from the garden of Falaknuma Palace. I feel very lucky to have had these experiences. There are lots of things that are deeply difficult now so I hope everyone can take time to think about what has given them joy/ simple satisfaction/ made them laugh or just feel grateful.
Best wishes,
Dr Katherine Henderson
President, Royal College of Emergency Medicine
@RCEMpresident
College NewsPlease find linked here the following documents, published by NHSEI on 14 April:
Abstract submissions for the Annual Scientific Conference are now open. Submit now to disseminate and showcase your work to a large national and international audience. Deadline for submissions is Thursday 30 June. More information and submit now.
Join us in celebrating the huge contribution Emergency Medicine makes across the world! This year EM Day has the underpinning theme: “We take care of you, please take care of us”. Do help us promote the day and the amazing work of emergency medicine for our patients, by using the resources on the EM Day website to create social media posts and much more!
In September 2018 we produced a position statement regarding the reinstatement of the Associate Specialist grade or equivalent.
Following negotiations with the NHS Employers and the BMA the Specialist grade was introduced in April 2021 in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. The new grade is designed to provide a senior level for SAS doctors i.e. a step up from the Specialty Doctor grade. The aim of introducing the new grade is to give SAS doctors the opportunity to have progression in their careers with recognition and reward for their additional experience and contribution to their work. This should also lead to increased recruitment and retention of these valuable doctors.
As this is a newly introduced grade, doctors and employers may not be familiar with the role and requirements of the grade in the specialty. The Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Anaesthetists has produced guidance and generic person specific specifications.
Much of the content of these documents is applicable to Emergency Medicine but there is a need for some specialty-specific advice. As such, EMSAS has produced this statement on Specialist Doctor appointments in EM, the aim of which is to provide some guidance regarding job descriptions for the Specialist doctor role.
The specialist grade introduced in April 2021 requires employers to use the generic capabilities framework and template person specification which they will develop based on the requirements of the service. EMSAS encourages all employers to use this framework when recruiting Specialist doctors in EM.
We are excited to announce the inaugural TERN Conference, which will take place on the 23rd May 2022 as a face-to-face conference in Sheffield. This conference is the first of its kind and we are planning a programme of engaging speakers for the reseach-curious all the way through to the most hardened academic.
Join us in Sheffield for TERNival 2022, the inaugural TERN conference for a full day of presentations, workshops, and seminars on research, education, sustainable job planning and a range of other topics, alongside breakout sessions and the opportunity to present your work. We are planning some pre-conference hikes & fun events on the Sunday so if you’d like to – why not make a weekend of it?
With the ongoing war in Ukraine there are widespread reports of the awful humanitarian cost; innocent bystanders; men, women and children injured or killed in vicious attacks.
We are shocked by these reports and the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine. It is especially distressing to read and hear reports that medical facilities and hospitals have been targeted or damaged during this war. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, and with the medical personnel, doctors, nurses, health, and humanitarian aid workers doing all they can to treat the sick and injured.
Together with The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) we (RCEM) have developed www.ukraineclinicalguidance.com, a website filled with clinical guidelines and medical resources selected by experts for use by doctors, nurses, and others in Ukraine.
Topics and specialties on the site include: Paediatrics & Neonatal; Medicine; Nursing; Mental Health; Orthopaedics; Surgery; Obstretics; General Practice; Emergency Care and First Aid; as well as educational videos including Clinical Procedure Videos – all dubbed in Ukrainian.
Given the urgency of the situation and the tragedies unfolding every day we have launched this website whilst it is still in development. We are open to suggestions for topics to include, and more content, resources and videos will be added, and the pages continually updated.
Similarly, The Australian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM) has produced a resource website: www.civilianfirstaid.org which contains similarly helpful Emergency Medicine guidance, videos and resources with the option to view the pages in Ukrainian, Russian or English.
RCEM runners complete London Landmarks 2022 to raise funds for EM researchOn 3 April 2022, five RCEM runners were among the 12,000 runners who ran 13.1 miles around the streets of London in the fifth edition of the London Landmarks Half Marathon 2022.
Amongst them were five runners fundraising to support funds for RCEM’s charitable work, supporting Emergency Medicine departments internationally in low-income countries, medical research programmes and well-being support for EM staff in the UK.
The London Landmark Half marathon 2022 was the first fundraising event where RCEM have participated as a charity partner. Our runners all successfully completed the route which showcases the best of London, with runners passing iconic landmarks including Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral, Nelson’s Column, the Gherkin, the Shard and the Tower of London.
RCEMs runners were supported and cheered on at various points on the course by a cheer squad of RCEM staff. It was an amazing atmosphere on a bright but chilly morning and the RCEM runners were all fantastic, all managing to complete the 13.1 miles and all surpassing their fundraising targets with £2415 raised at the time of writing. A big thank you to all five runners for all their efforts in raising funds for us!
If you would like to support our fundraising efforts, you can donate via: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/RCEM-LLHM2022
As RCEMs fundraising work continues to develop we will be applying for more places at events like this in the future, we currently have places available for the Royal Parks Half Marathon on 9 October. If you are interested in finding out more would like to take part then please contact fundraising@rcem.ac.uk
The International Global Emergency Medicine team have been working with the Ghanaian College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra, Ghana over the past six months. This partnership focusses on the development of their local curriculum, Train the Trainer programme and delivered International Accreditation.
We visited three hospital sites in Kumasi and Accra and also had the opportunity to meet with the senior management in the College of Physicians and Surgeons as well as the Ministry of Health in Ghana.
This partnership development would not have been possible without the financial support from Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET) and our thanks are expressed.
The General Medical Council’s (GMC) 2022 national training survey is now open until 3 May.
The survey gives trainees and trainers an opportunity to share their views on postgraduate training in the UK.
The results give the GMC, medical education bodies, and employers the data they need to check that trainees are receiving high-quality training, and that trainers are supported in their roles. This year’s survey will also provide vital information about the ongoing impact of the pandemic on doctors’ progression, work, and wellbeing.
If you’re eligible to complete the survey, you’ll receive an email from the GMC inviting you to take part. You can fill it in on a mobile phone, tablet, or desktop computer; and you can save and return to your answers at several points.
Complete your survey today by logging in to your GMC Online account or visit www.gmc-uk.org/nts for more information about how your answers drive change.
RCEM’s Annual Scientific Conference is a highlight of the year for many of our members, and a lot of work goes into its planning.
However, the dates of this year’s Conference fall over the holiest day of the year in Judaism, Yom Kippur, on 4-5 October.
We should have known this and considered it as part of our planning, but we did not.
We are deeply sorry; we got this wrong.
This was a genuine planning oversight, and we are grateful to our members who have bought it to our attention.
However, the honesty of the mistake will be of little comfort to those affected and unfortunately, we cannot now change the dates of the event, meaning that a number of our members will not be able to attend. This is the opposite of our aim of inclusivity, and we apologise to those affected.
We will learn from this and do better with future events. We are actively reviewing our event planning processes with our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee to help us to avoid dates of religious significance and ensure our events are accommodating of all.
Emergency Medicine is a diverse specialty, and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine is proud to represent members from all walks of life. As a College we continue to work hard to become ever more inclusive, but we know there is still work and learning to be done, as exemplified by this mistake.
We offer our sincere apologies to our Jewish colleagues.
Gordon Miles
Chief Executive
Royal College of Emergency Medicine
Emergency Medicine is one of the most diverse professional clinical communities. Unfortunately, we are currently unable to fully evidence the diverse intersectionality of who we are, as the demographic data we have of our members is patchy.
Thing Spring we’re running #CountMeIn to truly capture and celebrate the diverse intersectionality of who we are.
Having a sense of our members’ representation will help us to better understand how best to represent you.
Help us to help you by filling in your College profile today.
Join us in starting a dialogue about the importance of representation in emergency medicine by sharing the campaign and your views on social media.
Following stories about the use of tents outside EDs to enable ambulance offloads, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and the College of Paramedics have issued updated guidance, laying out the best alternative options available to hospitals.
Commenting on the update to the document originally published in 2020, RCEM Vice President, Dr Ian Higginson said: “For the avoidance of doubt RCEM does not support the use of tents or other temporary structures in which to hold patients who arrive by ambulance, unless it is part of a major incident response. We are republishing our options appraisal for ambulance handover delays to make this clear. This document is published jointly with the College of Paramedics.
“Holding patients in ambulances or tents outside EDs, or in corridors and other non-clinical spaces inside, is an awful experience for patients and staff and is associated with harm and death. Ambulance services and EDs are being asked to come up with increasingly unacceptable ways to manage the problem of delayed handovers and ED crowding, whilst there is manifest failure to properly deal with the root causes of the problem within hospitals and the wider system, including social care. Whilst we are trying to patch holes in the bodywork, the wheels have come off.”
The full guidance can be read here.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and Royal College of Emergency Medicine are working collaboratively to repurpose and develop virtual materials to support healthcare delivery in Ukraine.
We are seeking clinicians willing to film clinical skills videos (covering as wide a range of clinical topics as possible) and particularly Doctors, Nurses & AHP’s who are fluent Ukrainian/Polish speakers to provide narration.
A short survey has been created to help capture information of those wanting to assist and as well as any other helpful contacts or information. The survey can be found here.
Should you like to review the resources for virtual support created with Myanmar, you can find videos here and protocols here.
If you have any queries please contact globalem@rcem.ac.uk
RCEM was a joint signatory to a statement from the International Federation for Emergency Medicine, calling for healthcare workers and healthcare facilities in Ukraine to be protected. Read the statement here.
The Psychologically Informed Policy and Practice (PIPP) project have now met with speciality/SAS doctors, ST1-ST8 doctors, ED consultants and advanced care practitioners to talk about their working conditions. However, we are still looking for clinical leads and nurses! If you would like to participate in the PIP project please see below for more information and register your interest here.
We look forward to hearing from you!
We are saddened by news of the passing of Dr Bennet Woodman-Smith, a College member and a consultant at Chelsea And Westminster Hospital, who has sadly died at the age of 41. We offer our sincere condolences to his wife, family and friends. An obituary for Dr Woodman-Smith can be read here.
Content highlights include:
Is ‘sepsis’ a failed paradigm?
E-scooter incidents in Berlin: an evaluation of risk factors and injury patterns
Prognostic accuracy of triage tools for adults with suspected COVID-19 in a prehospital setting: an observational cohort study
You can browse the entire April issue here.
You may also be interested in EMJ’s most read articles of last year, take the time to check out EMJ’s top cited articles of 2021.
Your 2022 membership is now ready for you to renew. This year we have made the process electronic and we have recently emailed you with renewal details for your RCEM membership. Please check your spam folder or contact memberhsip@rcem.ac.uk of you haven’t received anything
Your 2022 annual subscription is now available to pay online via https://www.rcem.ac.uk/subscriptions2022
If you have queries regarding your 2022 membership subscription then please get in touch with us by phone (020 7404 1999), email (membership@rcem.ac.uk) or live webchat via our website (http://rcem.ac.uk)
We have a number of opportunities for members to get involved with the workings of the College and help set the direction of our boards and committees.
Role profiles and person specifications for all roles can be found at rcem.ac.uk/volunteering-2
We are excited to share that RCEM is looking for a new West Midlands Regional Chair!
We are looking for someone who is passionate about advocating for the West Midlands and interested in getting more involved with the College and key decision making.
If you are a Fellow, work in a substantive consultant role in the West Midlands and you are interested in representing your region, developing your career, and developing your influencing skills then we would be delighted to hear from you.
The purpose of this role is to act as a voice for your region. We will work with you to in time establish a regional board and build relationships with local policymakers and the media. You will be working with the close support of the experienced and dedicated RCEM Policy team. Your contribution as chair will support our ability to flag challenges faced by emergency departments in the West Midlands.
The application process is non-competitive, and you do not need prior experience to apply for this role. For further information, please see the job description and FAQs here. The nominations form can be found here.
If you are interested in the role or have any questions, please feel welcome to get in touch with Daisy Harmer at daisy.harmer@rcem.ac.uk Finally, please share this call out with your networks and anyone you know that would be suited to the role!
Booking is now open for the Academy’s national SAS conference hosted by RCS England on 13 May 2022. This hybrid event will cover a range of topics of relevance and interest to all specialties such as how to maximise SAS career potential and how to maintain wellbeing. Delegates will also be invited to attend a free virtual CESR conference organised in collaboration with Health Education England South West and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges on Thursday 12 May 2022. You can find more information about the programme and booking via the link.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine is launching RespectED, an anti-bullying campaign that aims to raise awareness and tackle the rise in toxic behaviours such as bullying, harassment and incivility between staff in Emergency Departments (EDs). These negative behaviours have a huge impact in EDs; they can create a toxic working environment, affect morale and the delivery of safe patient care.
The RespectED campaign is being launched to acknowledge that bullying, harassment and incivility occur in Emergency Departments. It encourages staff to address their own behaviours, to speak up and challenge these behaviours if they witness or are targeted by them and to positively change Emergency Departments and their cultures.
As pressures once again mount on the NHS it is vital that negative and toxic behaviours are challenged, and staff are supported by their colleagues and peers.
Jayne Hidderley, Chair of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Lay Group, said: “We know when incivility and bullying take place in our Emergency Departments, it not only has a detrimental effect on all staff but is a serious risk to patient safety. Our RespectED campaign, in collaboration with Civility Saves Lives, is a call to action to raise awareness amongst our staff and start the conversation. We want all staff in our Emergency Departments to be equipped to speak up, challenge these behaviours and change the culture together.”
You can find out more about the campaign, along with other useful resources, here.
Are you expecting a baby, currently on maternity or shared parental leave, have recently returned to work or have children who are in primary school? If yes, then apply now for the award-winning Leaders Plus Fellowship Programme.
The Leaders Plus Fellowship is a nine-month Programme enabling parents with babies and young children to accelerate their careers whilst still enjoying their families. You’ll get access to inspirational role models, a Senior Leader Mentor, a cross-sector network of peers, as well as support to progress your career whilst looking after young children.
The RCEM are delighted to part-fund 6 places on the Leaders Plus Fellowship for individuals working in emergency medicine. Find out more at http://www.leadersplus.org.uk/rcem
We would like to share with you the opportunity to access the European Society of Emergency Medicine’s (EUSEM) learning platform as part of the College’s membership with EUSEM.
The platform contains a range of resources including webinars, videos and document libraries, the majority of resources are available via open access, find out more via: https://academy.eusem.org
Are you following our officers on Twitter? Keep up to date by using these handles:
You can also follow our current VPs for the devolved nations:
EventsDate: 4 May 2022
This event will provide a mixture of clinically based lectures interspersed with advice about emergency medicine training. You will have the opportunity to take part in an interactive panel debate with speakers to ask what you always wanted to know about EM but were afraid to ask. Speakers are a mixture of consultants and registrars. Please let students and others in your network know about this day.
View the programme online and book now
Date: 27 May 2022
The aim of this study day is to improve, change and expand the general thinking surrounding ED flow, explore the barriers and enablers to flow improvement, and provide practical tools for a fresh look at flow within participants’ own settings.
View the programme online and book now
Date: 7 June 2022
This study day will look at the challenges of making the diagnosis of acute aortic dissection, new approaches to diagnosis and initial management once the diagnosis is made. You will learn more about the pathophysiology of acute aortic dissection and how this affects presentation.
View the programme online and book now
Date: 14 June 2022
This one-day course is aimed at trainees and early career delegates with an interest, or some experience in research. Both basic concepts, as well as more advanced topics, will be covered in an interactive format including panels, small group sessions, and audience participation.
View the programme online and book now
All our virtual study days are available for booking post-event for 6-months. This means if you’ve missed a study day you can register and watch the whole thing whenever suits you. Recent study days that have been added include:
You can also book to catch-up with all 3-days of the recent Spring CPD Conference. This content is available to watch for 12-months.
PolicyThe policy team contacted a number of parliamentarians after the publication of the NHS Standard Contract 2022/23. The contract stipulated that the 12-hour standard is now to be measured from the point of arrival in EDs to discharge, admission or transfer – rather than, as has previously been the case, from the decision to admit to admission. Several parliamentary questions were tabled to the Government about plans to publish the 12 hour length of stay data. We will continue to lobby NHS England and the Government to publish this data in full on a monthly basis so we can evidence the full extent of crowding in our EDs. Recent PQs asked include:
Our annual Winter Flow Project looks at a sample of trusts and boards throughout the UK to see how their Emergency Departments are performing and what difficulties they are facing each week across the winter period.
This year’s project collected the following data points on a weekly basis from over 35 trusts & boards:
The project began in October 2021 but has now come to an end. The final weekly report can be found here.
Weekly reports and data visualisations are available on our website now.
For queries or further information about the project please contact theo.chiles@rcem.ac.uk
There is a severe mismatch between demand and capacity in the Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) system. The unparalleled levels of demand placed on EDs has not been met with sufficient investment into the NHS. EDs now sustain other parts of the system and are the first port of call for many patients, despite not always being the most appropriate place to receive care. The pandemic has exacerbated many of these challenges and there is an urgent obligation to plan for the future healthcare needs of the UK. Eliminating overcrowding must be the number one priority.
Our RCEM CARES campaign provides solutions to address these pressing issues so that ED staff can deliver safe and timely care for patients. The campaign focuses on five key areas: Crowding, Access, Retention, Experience, and Safety.
In RCEM CARES: The Next Phase, we revisit our original policy asks in light of COVID-19 and begin to explore what happens next. Read it here.
A summary of all the latest performance figures for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can be found here.
Quality and AuditThe Informatics Committee would like to highlight the recent update, by NHS Digital, to the ECDS Enhanced Technical Output Specification (ETOS). The ETOS, ECDS user guidance, and other relevant documentation can be downloaded here.
Updates are minimal and involved correction of minor discrepancies.
For a comprehensive description of the development of and future plans for the ECDS, please watch this recording of Ben Bloom’s keynote presentation at the SNOMED CT 2022 annual conference.
The 2022 round of the national Clinical Impact Awards in now open for applications.
Consultants and academic GPs wishing to apply for an award will be able to do so until Wednesday 22 June, with scoring and governance processes taking place throughout summer and autumn. Despite the later opening of the round than in 2021, the entire process will be completed at the usual time.
More details can be found in the updated applicant guidance. Other guidance will be published by the National clinical Impact awards shortly.
We are still taking registrations for the QIPs, all the details can be found here. Should you have any questions please email quality@rcem.ac.uk
The Consultant Sign Off QIP data collection began on 25 April. EDs that have registered to participate can now enter data by logging in to the portal.
The QIP 2020 – 2021 Infection Prevention and Control report has recently been published and can be viewed here.
The QIP 2020 – 2021 Pain in Children report has recently been published and can be viewed here.
The National Data Opt Out Policy starts on 31 March 2022. RCEM has prepared a statement about QIP participation and the National Data Opt Out Policy.
We have a number of vacancies across quality and service delivery committees.
Quality in Emergency Care Committee Chair – Honorary Post. The QEC committee looks at all areas of quality, the committee is looking for a new chair with previous experience of attending the QEC committee. With an opportunity to make a difference and chair this central group for a term of 3 years.
RCEM Best Practice Sub-Committee Chair – Honorary post. The College is looking for a new member with experience of Best Practice in Emergency Medicine to join the Best Practice Sub-Committee as a chair.
RCEM Older People SIG are recruiting three new members – non-clinical and non-consultant grades welcome.
MembershipSince January 2022 you will have received several communications from RCEM giving details on how to renew your RCEM membership. If you have already renewed your membership then thank you very much for doing so – we appreciate your prompt action.
If you haven’t yet renewed your membership then please click here to access your RCEM account and pay online. Please note that failure to provide payment by 30 April 2022 will unfortunately result in your membership being lapsed. Should you have any queries please get in touch with us via phone (020 7404 1999), email (membership@rcem.ac.uk) or webchat via our website (rcem.ac.uk)
Direct debit is the easiest way to pay for your membership and we offer monthly as well as annual payment options. Sign up today to pay your 2022 subs via direct debit
Your membership provides you with access to the support, education, resources and training we offer to members throughout their careers in EM. Below are just some of the benefits to maintaining your RCEM membership throughout 2022 and beyond.
If you have any queries related to your membership then please get in touch with us via telephone (020 7404 1999), email membership@rcem.ac.uk or webchat via our website rcem.ac.uk
Following our recent rebranding, new RCEM merchandise is now available in our online shop. Thermal travel mugs, hoodies, notebooks, water bottles and other items can be bought via https://www.rcemshop.co.uk/ so get your merch and show your EM pride!
We have launched the #CountMeIn campaign, working to ensure that the specialty is inclusive, fair and equitable. To get involved, please fill in your profile here.
Although we know Emergency Medicine is diverse, we are unable to fully evidence the extent of this diversity and completing your profile will allow us to better understand you and the Emergency Medicine workforce. Without this, we cannot advocate on your behalf and the info you provide will:
Please ensure you fill in your profile and if you have any queries about the campaign, please contact policy@rcem.ac.uk
RCEM’s Member Engagement Group (MEG) involves members in what the College does and how it does it. The MEG’s valuable insights will allow us to deliver an even better service and will also mean that we can more effectively support you, your fellow members and all Emergency Medicine staff.
Being part of this group is an opportunity for you to contribute to the College, engage directly with its staff (recent meetings were attended by the Exams/Training teams and an upcoming meeting will be attended by our Chief Executive) and inform what we do and how we do it. We want to add to the diverse group of members already in the MEG to provide insight into our work as well as feeding back on how we are doing and what we could do better. The time commitment isn’t onerous (approximately three online surveys and four meetings per year and attendance isn’t compulsory) and you can join at any time.
Further information can be found on our website (https://rcem.ac.uk/member-engagement-group/) and if you would like to find out more about/join the MEG then please contact Jen (jennifer.barley@rcem.ac.uk)
For members with an EMJ subscription access is available online as well as through the traditional monthly paper copy. If you have any queries about the delivery of your subscription or how to access the EMJ online the membership team are happy to help – membership@rcem.ac.uk
There is also the option to make your EMJ subscription online only so email us if you would like to switch to your preference.
All members have the benefit of being able to enjoy RCEM Lifestyle Rewards at any time via www.rcem-rewards.co.uk. Members receive new exclusive discounts and added value offers every month on a wide range of luxury products, services & experiences.
Below are this month’s special selection of Lifestyle Rewards.
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VetBox Healthier pets with help from our vets… Pet care made easy… Flea, tick and worm treatment is essential to keep cats and dogs healthy. Save 50% on your first VetBox. |
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Berkeley Dog Beds We have one big ambition – to make the very finest British dog beds. Beds that are stylish and luxurious yet totally practical. Members save 10% on any order. |
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Eco Soaps Save 20% on our range of handcrafted, natural soaps & skincare made in the Scottish Highlands. Especially suitable for sensitive skin. |
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NIO Cocktails Makers of world-class ready-to-savour cocktails. Members have a £5 bar tab that can be redeemed when you spend over £35. |
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Addison Ross An extensive collection of beautiful photo frames with a unique print & fit service. Members enjoy a special Four for Three promotion! |
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ATLAS & I Who doesn’t love old maps? Born from love of antique maps combined with a need to create sentimental and beautiful gifts. Members save 10% |
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London Cask Company Invest in Irish whiskey with the experts at London Cask Company Dubbed liquid gold by the Financial Times, Irish whiskey is one of the world’s most profitable assets, providing average returns of 10%-12%… |
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Hattingley Valley Wines Award-winning Premium English Wines… Never had the pleasure of sipping award-winning premium English wine? With 20% off when you spend £70, now’s your chance! |
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Red Rickshaw We empower cooks to create authentic cuisines from around the globe with premium quality, fresh and seasonal ingredients. Save 15% across the range. |
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JoJo Maman Bébé Ensuring pregnant women, babies & children stand out from the crowd. Members save an exclusive 15% discount… |
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Cyberjammies Save 15% on seriously comfortable nightwear for the whole family. They have it all! |
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ExaminationsRCEM has worked closely with our exam delivery partner, Pearson VUE, to introduce new booking windows for all MRCEM & FRCEM written exams.
These new booking windows will help us to improve the booking process for candidates and are separate to our candidate application periods, which can be found on our website. Booking windows will open shortly after our application periods and will close approximately four weeks before the exam date.
Once a candidate’s application has been approved, their details will be shared with Pearson VUE who will then email candidates directly with booking instructions. Pearson VUE advise that the earlier a candidate books their test once the booking window is open, the greater the chance of a space at their preferred centre being available.
Any candidate who has not booked their exam space by the time the booking window has closed will automatically be allocated to the nearest available test centre to the home address in their online account.
In 2022 the College is bringing differential attainment back to the top of the agenda.
The College is working on a report into differential attainment and needs your help to support this report by completing the data requested as part of the Count Me In campaign. By updating your demographic profile, as part of your profile on the College website, you will enable the College to have improved data on our Examiners and Trainee body. This will enable more meaningful findings and actions to derive from the report which will support the delivery of more meaningful change to combat differential attainment.
The College recently posted a video from Will Townsend, College Dean, highlighting the need for MRCEM OSCE exam. The College requires 18 Examiners a day for the MRCEM OSCE to run successfully. If you are interested in becoming an Examiner and supporting the College in this capacity, please see here for more information. SAS grade clinicians are eligible become Examiners.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Exams Team on exams@rcem.ac.uk.
The College is underrepresented by woman and ethnic minorities at Examiner level, and we would welcome applications from individuals within those demographics.
In September 2022, the eagerly anticipated MRCEM OSCE will be taking place in Malaysia for the first time. The College is now recruiting International MRCEM Examiners based in Malaysia. Successful applicants will be required to attend examiner training on 5 September 2022 in Kuala Lumpur.
The College is also recruiting MRCEM Examiners in India to support the ongoing delivery of MRCEM OSCE at various centres in India. Examiner training will be delivered immediately before each MRCEM OSCE diet in India and all examiners will be required to attend training before examining in 2022.
The examiner regulations are available here.
The online examiner application form is available here.
Please direct all queries regarding becoming an examiner to Ruby.sutcliffe@rcem.ac.uk
TrainingGetting ready for ARCP
In the run-up to ARCPs, we have produced a document to help signpost both trainees and trainers to useful resources, including an ARCP decision aid, guidance on judging achievement, and further information on the programme of assessment.
A how to guide has been created for the QI Assessment. This includes information on what the QIAT is, information on SLO11 and how to generate/complete QIAT forms.
This guidance has been created for 2022 specifically, as it includes information on regional panel sign-off for ST6 trainees who remain on the 2015 curriculum. Going forward ST6s will not require panel sign off and this guidance will be updated accordingly once the first groups of trainees on the 2021 curriculum reach ST6.
Our Annual Quality Report has now been published is available to view online.
The aim of this first Annual Quality report (AQR) is to bring greater transparency around the quality of EM training to the wider RCEM membership and to make quality improvement recommendations. This report is a summation of recent training activity and quality improvement.
There have been challenges associated with all RCEM activity during the pandemic and the work published in this first report may span several training years and reflects a huge amount of work from RCEM Committee Members. The AQR is proposed as the culmination each year of quality improvement work with substantial data and activity transparent to all members.
There are aspects this year that we have not been able to include, but there is opportunity for it to be even better next year. It is our intention to publish the report and recommendations in order to make an ongoing annual improvement, to improve training and ultimately care for patients
We are working with our Intercollegiate ACCS partners to organise a Training Day for ACCS Educators on 04 May and a virtual online seminar on 13 May 2022. If you are interested in attending these events, please email training@rcem.ac.uk.
We have scheduled a face-to-face Careers event on 04 May 2022. More details can be found on our website.
Egypt
A delegation from RCEM visited the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Minister of Health and Population in Cairo, Egypt. The meeting discussed the results of the delegation’s visit to a number of hospitals in the Ministry of Health and Population, where the British Royal College approved the training process of the Egyptian Fellowship Program in the specialization of emergency medicine in three hospitals including (Dar Al-Shafa – Al-Ahli Bank – Sheikh Zayed Specialized).
Further details are available here and here.
Ghana
RCEM are working in partnership with the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Ghana and will visit Ghana in April 2022 in a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) / Tropical Health Education Trust (THET) funded project. The team are providing support in relation to their local EM curriculum, Training the Trainer programme and their programme of assessments.
Uganda
RCEM are working with Health Education England the Uganda UK Health Alliance and the leading members of the Uganda Emergency Medicine faculty to support plans to deliver virtual training to the 2 main teaching hospitals and 4 regional referral hospitals identified by the Uganda Ministry of Health. Over the next few months RCEM will be joining key workshops and scoping visits to assess where RCEM can support the development of EM in Uganda. These plans will also be boosted by the funds raised by RCEM members as part of the Winter Appeal.
Here’s a selection of some of April’s most popular publications:
A full list of vacancies is available here.
Consultant in Emergency Medicine
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Camberley
£84,559 to £114,003 a year Per annum
Substantive Consultant post in Emergency Medicine at Frimley Park Hospital with the opportunity to work in Emergency Medicine
Read more…
Consultant in Emergency Medicine
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, Peterborough
£84,559 to £114,003 a year per annum
Applications are invited for Consultants in Emergency Medicine, based at Peterborough City Hospital, North West Anglia NHS FT, commencing as
Read more…
Consultant in Emergency Medicine
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, Huntingdon
£84,559 to £114,003 a year Per annum
This is an exciting opportunity for a forward-thinking consultant to play a major role in leading the development of a novel system of integrated e…
Read more…
Other newsGMC good medical practice consultationThe General Medical Council (GMC) is running a public consultation on an updated version of Good medical practice. This sets the standards of professional behaviour and patient care expected from all doctors in the UK.
Several areas of the guidance have been updated, including new duties for doctors to help tackle poor workplace cultures. The proposed changes emphasise behaviours between colleagues and interactions with patients which are compassionate, civil, inclusive and fair.
Healthcare staff can share their views by taking part in a short survey for healthcare professionals or by joining an online event. The consultation is open until 20 July 2022. You’ll also receive a certificate for your portfolio for getting involved.
This is the first update to Good medical practice since 2013. The GMC want to hear views from healthcare professionals working at all levels and across all specialties. For more information about the consultation and why it’s important to take part, please visit the GMC’s Good medical practice webpages.
NCEPOD: Prison Healthcare Study – Call for Case Reviewers
The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) has been commissioned to investigate the remediable factors in the clinical and organisation of healthcare for people who died from a ‘natural’ or ‘other non-natural death whilst detained in prison in England and Wales.
NCEPOD are currently recruiting a group of clinicians (Reviewers) whose main role will be to peer review case notes. This group will also review the initial findings later in the process, with the report due for publication in Spring 2023. They are looking to recruit healthcare professionals who have experience of providing healthcare within the prison estate as well as clinicians in the community and within hospitals from a wide range of specialties (including, but not limited to acute, emergency, general, respiratory, and geriatric medicine; anaesthetics, pharmacy, gastroenterology, cardiology and general practice).
If you would be interested in acting as a case note reviewer for this study, please send a copy of your CV (short version) via email to prisonhealth@ncepod.org.uk. For more information, please visit: www.ncepod.org.uk/Prisonhealth
NHS Employers – updated health and wellbeing infographics
NHS Employers has updated four of its popular infographics to help you demonstrate the importance of looking after our NHS people.
DHSC – The government’s 2022-23 mandate to NHS England
The government’s mandate to NHS England confirms their objectives and budgets for the year ahead. The financial directions published alongside provide further details on how NHS England’s budget is broken down.
DHSC – Hospital discharge and community support guidance
This document sets out how health and care systems can ensure that people are discharged safely from hospital to the most appropriate place and continue to receive the care and support they need after they leave hospital.
Public satisfaction with the NHS and social care in 2021
This analysis of the 2021 British Social Attitudes Survey (undertaken by The King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust) finds that public satisfaction with how the NHS runs has fallen sharply to 36 per cent – an unprecedented drop of 17 percentage points from 2020 and the lowest level of satisfaction recorded since 1997. Despite this, support for the principles of the NHS is as strong as ever. The overwhelming majority of people expressed high levels of support for the founding principles of the NHS when asked if they should still apply in 2021: that it is free of charge when you need it (94 per cent), primarily funded through taxation (86 per cent) and available to everyone (84 per cent).
NHS Staff Survey 2021
Each autumn everyone who works in the NHS in England is invited to take part in the NHS Staff Survey. The survey offers a snapshot in time of how people experience their working lives, gathered at the same time each year. The results of the survey report of under-staffing and in the past year, nearly half of staff reported feeling unwell due to work-related stress. The survey also asked questions regarding the changes to working life due to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as diversity and inclusion in the workforce and other topics.
National Audit Office – Investigation into the management of PPE contracts
According to this report, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) continues to deal with the contract management issues caused by the need to purchase unprecedented volumes of PPE in 2020 due to Covid-19, with billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money still at risk. It finds that since February 2020 the DHSC and its NHS procurement partner, NHS Supply Chain Co-ordination Limited, have awarded almost 10,000 contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE). The DHSC has so far spent £12.6 billion of the total £13.1 billion it expects to spend on almost 38 billion items of PPE. It also outlines how the DHSC is continuing to assess potential fraud across the programmes, and its current estimate is that this will be between 0.5 per cent and 5.0 per cent of expenditure.
NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard: 2021 data analysis report for NHS trusts
This year’s report shows the number of BME staff at very senior manager level has almost doubled between 2020 to 2021 – up from 153 to 298. The analysis also shows the number of BME board members across all NHS trusts has increased by a quarter between 2020 and 2021, and is up by three quarters on 2018 when the data was first published. The survey also showed the NHS workforce is more diverse than at any point in NHS history, with more than 300,000 staff from a BME background – the equivalent of 22.4 per cent of all NHS staff. This is up from 18 per cent in 2017. However, despite this rise, BME staff remain underrepresented in senior positions – particularly in board executive roles. The survey also shows that 29 per cent of BME staff experienced bullying, harassment or abuse from patients last year – 3 per cent higher than white staff.
DHSC – Better, broader, safer: using health data for research and analysis
Professor Ben Goldacre was commissioned by the government in February 2021 to review how to improve safety and security in the use of health data for research and analysis. The report makes 185 recommendations that would benefit patients and the health care sector. It is aimed at policy-makers in the NHS and government, research funders and those who use the data for service planning, public health management and medical research.
The Health Foundation – A matter of life and death: explaining the wider determinants of health in the UK
The Health Foundation is working with the FrameWorks Institute to design more effective ways of talking about the wider determinants of health. This report outlines an evidence-based framing strategy for shifting understanding and building greater support for action to address the wider determinants of health. It aims to show how and why health is shaped by these wider determinants, and why experiences are unequal across the country.
The King’s Fund – Adult social care: why it has even lower public satisfaction than the NHS
The public has grasped what people who use social care already knew: it doesn’t provide all the support they need. Laura Schlepper, from Nuffield Trust, and Simon Bottery explore the data from the British Social Attitudes survey.
NHSE/I – Enablers for success: virtual wards including hospital at home
NHS England and NHS Improvement are asking all integrated care systems (ICSs) to extend or introduce the virtual ward model. This guidance supports ICSs with their strategic and financial decisions on virtual ward planning and implementation. Designed for ICS leadership teams, but it will also be helpful for provider organisations as they plan together to implement this model.
New Information Sharing elearning programme now available
Health Education England elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh) has worked with the NHS Transformation Directorate to develop a new elearning programme to help colleagues better understand the principles of sharing information.
Health and social care professionals have a legal duty to share information to support individual care. It helps them to make informed decisions, ensures that people receive safe care, enables the smooth transition of people between different care settings and enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of the service.
The Information Sharing programme is aimed at frontline and admin health and care staff and their supervisors who have responsibility for managing and/or sharing personal information.
The resource will help learners to understand the principles behind information sharing, show them how to apply the principles in practice and build confidence in using and sharing information.
The programme features 1 session which takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete.
At the end of the session learners will be able to explain the key principles to consider when deciding whether to share information and identify the circumstances in which staff should seek further advice.
For more information and to access the programme, please visit the Information Sharing programme page.
New elearning session added to Freedom to Speak Up in the Health Sector in England
Health Education England elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh), in partnership with the National Guardian Office, has added a third session to the Freedom to Speak Up in the Health Sector in England elearning programme.
The online training programme is aimed at anyone who works in healthcare regardless of their contract terms.
The programme helps learners understand the vital role they can play and the support available to encourage a healthy speaking up culture which protects patient safety and enhances colleague experience.
The third and final session in the programme, Follow Up, is aimed at all senior leaders including executive board members (and equivalents), non-executive directors, and governors to help them understand their role in setting the tone for a good speaking up culture and how speaking up can promote organisational learning and improvement.
Follow Up comprises the following topics:
The first module – Speak Up – is for all workers and has been completed by more than 46,000 people. The second module – Listen Up – for managers, focuses on listening and understanding the barriers to speaking up. Leaders are advised to complete modules 1 and 2 before engaging with the final Follow Up module.
These modules replace the previous Freedom to Speak Up training.
For more information and to access the programme, please visit the Freedom to Speak Up programme page.
Engagement launched on NHS veterans mental and physical health services in England
NHS England and NHS Improvement has launched a survey to find out people’s views and experiences of veterans mental and physical health services. The information gathered will be used to help inform the development and provision of these services in the future. As part of this exercise, we would particularly like to hear people’s views and experiences of Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, as well as the Veterans Trauma Network (VTN), which is for Service-related physical health conditions.
Current contracts for the three services within Op COURAGE will end in March 2023, and so the NHS needs to make arrangements for new service contracts from April 2023. As with the current service model, it is proposed that Op COURAGE will continue to be delivered in partnership with a range of organisations from across the NHS, Armed Forces charities and wider charitable sector.
To inform plans for the new service contracts, NHSE/I want to hear your views on how it can enhance the current provision, such as improving support for substance misuse and gambling addictions, as well as how it can address any issues that veterans may have experienced in accessing treatment.
Visit here to complete the survey, which closes on 22 May 2022. For further information, please email england.armedforceshealth@nhs.net.
Patients Association survey – deciding on patients’ treatment and care
This survey asks you about how you reach decisions about patients’ treatment and care. The results will be used by the Patients Association to understand current clinical approaches and identify ways to promote good practice. The survey closes on 16 May.
House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee – NHS litigation reform
This report finds the current system for compensating injured patients in England ‘not fit for purpose’ and urges a radically different system to be adopted. It describes how reforms would introduce an administrative scheme that would establish entitlement to compensation on the basis that correct procedures were not followed and the system failed to perform rather than clinical negligence, which relies on proving individual fault. The new system would prioritise learning from mistakes and would reduce costs.
