News and views from The Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Please use the "On this page" menu below for contents.
Welcome from the PresidentI hope all the August starters are now finding their feet in their new departments. Getting staff through HR processes is often frustrating and time consuming. Despite being a National Health Service, we wantonly waste time with repeated paperwork requirements when staff change hospital. The sooner there is digital transformation of this aspect of our lives, the better. You would have thought HR processes would have been a good place to start. I am also aware that delivering a useful induction involves a lot of thought and planning. We are all grateful to our colleagues who take this on. Trainees remember how induction makes them feel as much as the information they are given. It is short sighted to skip induction even when the department is busy. It is busy, will remain busy and be busy in the future but you only get one chance at the first impression an induction gives.
As the new training year starts and we head towards a scary winter we need to think about what we can control in our own departments. I wrote last month about the GMC survey. It is a difficult read but had quite a lot of detail which is worth reviewing. The insights into how trainees feel are very important, but I am going to focus on the information about trainers. Unless we nurture encourage and value being a trainer, we will never be able to deliver a high-quality training to trainees. The risk of not appreciating the trainer voice is that we put in ‘sticking plaster’ solutions for the trainees and limp from one problem to the next. This is the same theory as patient safety; you get great patient safety if you have a happy workforce, you get great training if you have a happy faculty.
So, the detail about what trainers who responded tell us.
Forty percent of trainers identifying themselves as RCEM trainers responded. This may seem a low number but is the same as response rate as RCOA and better than most Colleges apart from the Faculty of Occupational Health who got a response from 65%. Not sure I can explain that one… There is regional and national variation in the response rate which we should be aware of.
Nations and regions that report a more positive picture for both trainers and trainees have a higher response rate – so happier trainers are more likely to engage with the survey request and then report higher satisfaction with the experience of being a trainer.
The table below shows the 2022 trainer results by Deanery/ Nation.
Overall national for all specialties over 70% of trainers are satisfied with their experience of being a trainer so you can see here the variation. It does not really make sense to average these numbers because the number of trainees varies so much. The trend is what will count. Workload while being a trainer is the biggest barrier to satisfaction which is not going to surprise anyone but must be addressed. Our trainees are equally overburdened with work.
One of the recommendations of our workforce strategy document in 2021 was
As EM Teams we need to look at what the survey tells us about the pressure points – workload unsurprisingly but also how satisfying trainers find their role. Valuing and facilitating trainers makes it more likely that we will be able to retain staff as well as have a workforce for some future. Those later in their careers may be able to balance their working lives by taking on more teaching and training. Training will not happen unless we plan how we will deliver it. At RCEM we will continue to point out how many people we train and how vital it is that we have adequate workforce for service delivery AND training Faculty. Job plans must reflect all the training we do whatever the professional group, so it is clear to those in charge of the NHS what is needed to have a high-quality motivated workforce.
Emergency Medicine is a team-based activity, and we value the whole team. We need a stable team to be able to deliver clinical care at the same time as delivering training. Central to departments service delivery, are the staff who do not rotate in August – our nurses, Consultants, our ENPs, our SAS doctors, PAs and our ACPs along with HCAs, reception staff, security, porters, and administrators. Emergency Departments need everyone doing their part. We have a lot of difficult high-risk work to do and having some staff who know where everything is and how processes work let alone have experience and a deep knowledge of emergency care is essential for patient and staff safety. We are immensely grateful for everyone’s hard work. Lisa Munroe Davis has authored a piece on ACPs which I hope will help us all understand the past and the future.
Dr Katherine Henderson
President, Royal College of Emergency Medicine
@RCEMpresident
College NewsGuest blog
This month we have a guest blog from RCEM VP, Lisa Munro-Davies looking at the history of Advanced Clinical Practice, the latest national developments, and what the future might hold.
NHSE Winter Plan
NHS England has written to the system on next steps in increasing capacity and operational resilience in urgent and emergency care ahead of winter a.k.a the Winter Plan. We were pleased to see recognition of the problems we face, but are concerned that this is more of a crisis mitigation plan, than a recovery plan.
Guidance for emergency departments: initial assessment
This guidance makes recommendations for models of initial assessment of patients arriving at emergency departments and provides standard definitions of the processes that classify as initial assessment: streaming, triage, and rapid assessment and treatment. It recognises that initial assessment and flow from the front door of a hospital are a crucial first step on a patient’s journey.
James Lind Alliance – research priority setting workshop
The RCEM priority setting partnership with the James Lind Alliance is into its penultimate stage. We are now asking clinicians and patients to rank the research questions that were submitted to us during the first survey. If you would like to take part, the prioritisation survey can be completed here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/KQDRJFN
The final stage will be an in-person workshop to decide a definitive list of research priorities. The workshop will take place on 23 September at Octavia House. If you would like to attend, please register your interest here: https://forms.office.com/r/FhnxMxRjq7
RCEM Volunteering Opportunities
We’re looking for Chairs and Vice Chairs to support committees across the UK!
Are you interested in representing fellow members and advocating for patients in your region? Are you looking for opportunities to develop both personally and professionally? If so, then please check out our volunteering page for opportunities to get involved.
Current vacancies include:
For further information contact us at daisy.harmer@rcem.ac.uk. Finally, please share this call out with your networks.
Join us in Belfast for the Annual Scientific Conference
The programme for the Annual Scientific Conference is now available! Take a look at some of the topics being discussed at our flagship event in ICC Belfast on 3 – 6 October. Pre-conference workshops from APEM and ultrasound will take place in-person on 3 October. For the full experience including access to all three tracks, oral abstracts and the poster exhibition, we recommend you book an in-person ticket. If you can’t make it in person, virtual tickets are available enabling you to watch all keynotes and track 1 of the conference. Click here for more information and to book your place.
RCEM AGM – 17:10, Tuesday 4 October 2022
This year’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 4 October at our Annual Scientific Conference in Belfast. Members that have an onsite ticket that includes day 1 of the conference can attend the AGM onsite, in-person.
Members that have an onsite ticket that does not include day 1, or have a virtual ticket (any combination of days) can attend the AGM virtually on the conference platform.
Members not purchasing any ticket for the conference should complete this form. They will then be able to attend the AGM virtually via the conference platform (please note this means no onsite access to the conference for the AGM).
Research Grants
Applications are invited from all College members and fellows for the Autumn 2022 RCEM Research Grants.
Grant application forms can be downloaded from here and a guidance document found here. For advice on writing a grant application see www.mrc.ac.uk and the following headings should be used:
Applications will be rated according to the quality of science, the relevance to Emergency Medicine, the potential for academic development of the lead applicant, deliverability and the likelihood that the work will lead to future research funding.
Successful applicants will be expected to produce a short report in the approved format on the progress of the project every 12 months and may also be invited to present their work at the RCEM Annual Scientific Conference.
Applications are particularly welcome from trainees, specialty doctors, consultants within 5 years of CCT and consultants without an established research background who wish to develop an academic portfolio.
The lead applicant must a member or fellow of the College. A team-based approach with strong EM leadership is encouraged. Appropriate commercial and non-commercial partnerships are welcome.
These grants are potentially eligible for inclusion on the UKCRN Portfolio and for support from your local clinical research network. Preference will be given to applicants who submit projects likely to lead to UKCRN Portfolio adoption.
Applications are particularly welcome around the theme of wellbeing and mental health. These applications will be considered for RCEM Foundation grant funding alongside being considered for funding through the main research grants call.
Please send your application along with a copy of your CV to the College office or via email to Theo.Chiles@rcem.ac.uk
Deadline: 5pm Friday 23 September 2022
For further information regarding the application process please contact:
Theo Chiles, RCEM research committee administration email: Theo.Chiles@rcem.ac.uk
Matt Reed, RCEM Professor, email:
EMJ’s latest issue is now online
EMJ’s latest issue is now online. The highlights are summarised by the journal’s associate editor, Caroline Leech, here. Articles include:
You can also listen to our July podcast, where Sarah Edwards, Social Media Editor of EMJ, and Rick Body, Deputy Editor of EMJ, take you through the best of the issue.
Do make sure to follow us on Twitter – for all the latest news on pre-hospital and hospital emergency medicine, and critical care @EmergencyMedBMJ.
Diploma ceremony 2022 – extra places and additional day
Following the high volume of interest in the Diploma Ceremony on Thursday 1 December, we have re-planned the logistics to accommodate an extra 50 graduands for each ceremony on this day.
The first 100 people on the waiting list for this event have been contacted to invite them to register for these ceremonies.
We have also arranged an additional ceremony on 30 November for everyone else on the waiting list, who have also been contacted with registration details. Places are limited and available on a first come first serve basis.
We apologise for the inconvenience and concern this has caused. We thank all graduands for their patience whilst we have dealt with the matter.
#CountMeIn – help us improve representation by filling in your College profile
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.
Reflective practice log issue resolved
It was recently brought to our attention that there was an oversight during the data migration from the NES ePortfolio, relating to the ‘Reflective Practice Log’ form.
The privacy function which existed in NES was not applied to the forms in Kaizen, and forms that were marked as ‘Private’ in NES, were no longer private in the new platform. However, this was specifically in relation to the ‘Reflective Practice Log’ form and not other self-directed learning.
This meant that anyone with permitted access to a user’s ePortfolio would be able to see the reflections – this included trusted individuals such as Heads of Schools/TPDs/Supervisors only these were not publicly viewable. The private reflections would have been visible to trusted individuals from August 2021, when the migration occurred, to July 2022. All affected users have been contacted directly.
We have been able to identify all forms which were marked as private in NES and apply the strict privacy function to the forms in Kaizen to resolve the issue.
These include the forms users had previously marked as private in NES.
We sincerely apologise for the oversight but can confirm that the issue has been fully resolved with our ePortfolio provider.
For any queries, please contact us at training@rcem.ac.uk
RespectED – our anti-bullying campaign to challenge toxic behaviour in EDs
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.
Parents! Apply now for The Leaders Plus Fellowship Programme
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
EUSEM Academy
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>
Follow our Officers on Twitter
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:
EventsPre-Hospital Emergency Medicine
Date: 15 September 2022
This event will help delegates understand what happens to patients in the prehospital setting before they arrive in the ED, including the limitations, innovations and how we can improve the PH-ED interface. It provides an insight into careers in PHEM: useful for clinicians considering working in PHEM or for Consultant Educational Supervisors supporting trainees with future career choices.
View the programme online and book now
How to manage the transition from trainee to consultant: Small step not a giant leap
Date: 1 November 2022
This event aims to support colleagues in the important transition between trainee and consultant, taking in professional behaviour, tips and tricks for the first few years, avoiding pitfalls, understanding the bigger picture, practical advice including job planning, driving quality improvement ideas, and sustainability for a career in EM.
View the programme online and book now
The really useful guide to leading and managing your ED
Date: 3 November 2022
This one-day event will focus on being a consultant, with topics useful for those new in the role as well as those with more experience.
View the programme online and book now
Catch-up with past events
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.
PolicyPress releases
The team has worked with several media outlets this month to shine a light on the issue of 12hour data publication, and the current situation in EDs. Coverage included stories in The Sun, The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph, The Express, The FT, The Daily Mail, the BBC, as well as interviews on the Today Programme and ITV News.
12-hour stays – Time of arrival vs decision to admit to admission
On 2 August 2022, The Independent published a story based on leaked data from NHS England showing the true scale of the number of patients staying more than 12 hours in Emergency Departments. This monthly data (from 2019 onwards) shows the number of stays as measured from the time a patient arrives at an ED rather than from when a decision to admit a patient is made (the data regularly published by NHSE).
The College has long called for the monthly publication of this data. Our Tip of the Iceberg report, based on data from a Freedom of Information request of 74 hospital trusts in England, found that the actual number of people waiting for 12 hours in Emergency Departments (from time of arrival) in 2020/21 was 21 times higher than what was being reported (measured from the time a decision to admit a patient was made). The actual data from 2021 alone is three times higher than all of what has been reported since records began, put together. The table here illustrates the true scale of the problem.
Letter from the Office for Statistics Regulation to NHS England regarding 12hr data publication
Following a letter we wrote to the UK Statistics Authority, the Office for Statistics Regulation has written to NHS England and NHS Digital, asking them to clarify use to 12hr data from decision to admit to admission, and encouraging them to publish 12hr data (measured from time of arrival), on a regular, monthly basis. Read their letter here
Parliamentary Debate Summary
Following the publication of RCEM’s Tip of the Iceberg report which looked at FOI data on the number of 12-hour TOAs in 2021, the Policy team worked closely with Wera Hobhouse MP for Bath, to successfully table a debate in Parliament examining waiting times for emergency care.
In preparation for the debate, Regional and Lay Board members wrote to their MPs, expressing concerns about the current level of pressure experienced by the NHS and urgent and emergency care pathway, asking them to turn up to the debate, with the hope of creating political pressure and to hold the government to account.
Several MPs responded to us directly, meeting with President Katherine Henderson, President Elect Adrian Boyle, and members of the Policy team. MPs including Wera Hobhouse MP, Naz Shah MP, Duncan Baker MP, Helen Morgan MP, Jerome Mayhew MP, and Mark Pawsey MP, asked for briefings and data relevant to their local hospital trust, which they utilised to highlight challenges and the need for change. These MPs spoke passionately about a range of important issues impacting urgent and emergency care, from exit block and overcrowding to the metrics used to report on waiting times.
The debate itself took place on Wednesday 6th July, chaired by Graham Stringer MP. Wera moved the motion, opening the debate by asking the House to discuss waiting times for ambulatory and emergency care and interconnecting issues from workforce shortages and increasing patient needs, to waiting times for assessment and treatment across the NHS.
Overarching themes amongst the speakers included prolonged waiting times, patient dignity, and safety, with many recounting stories of constituents suffering due to crowding, long waits, and handover issues. Transparency was also key amongst the speakers, highlighting the need for greater reporting on the extent of 12-hour TOA waits, as without such clarity policymakers cannot act to remedy the problem.
Wera called for a formal enquiry into this crisis. As the Conservative party confronts the political void left behind by the collapse of the previous Government, we are extremely concerned about the deepening crisis facing the Urgent and Emergency Care system. The NHS was a top priority for the Conservative Party during the 2019 General Election and the College will continue to lobby to ensure that the recovery of the NHS remains front and centre of the new administration.
If you would like further information or to get involved in our campaigns and lobbying efforts, get in contact with us at policy@rcem.ac.uk
You can catch up with the debate, here.
Tip of the Iceberg: 12-Hour Stays in the Emergency Department
Our new report reveals that on average 1,047 patients waited 12-hours or more from their time of arrival every day in a major Emergency Department in 2021 in England, equalling a total of 381,991 patients experiencing these 12-hour waits in 2021.
A Freedom of Information request was submitted to 124 NHS trusts in England, and we received responses from 74. The data captured therefore represents only 60% of trusts in England, meaning the scale of the problem is actually far higher.
The report calls for action to tackle these long waits, starting with full and regular publication of 12 hour stays measured from time of arrival rather than when a decision to admit is made.
There was much media attention on the report, with coverage in all the main national newspapers and interviews with Good Morning Britain and ITV news.
RCEM CARES: The Next Phase
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.
Performance Figures
A summary of all the latest performance figures for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can be found here
Quality and AuditGet involved!
We currently have the following vacancies across the quality and service delivery committees.
Full details can be found at rcem.ac.uk/volunteering-opportunities
Clinical guidelines
MembershipUpdate your details/subscription
July and August are a time of change/rotation for our members so please do ensure that all the data on your RCEM account (especially contact details) is correct and you’ve informed us of any changes to your circumstances. It’s important that the information we hold for you is accurate, not least because as we head towards 2023 we want to ensure you’re paying the correct membership subscription.
RCEM provides reductions on subscriptions to those who are:
Reduced subscriptions are also provided in recognition of the following:
Fellows and Members who pay UK taxes are also able to claim tax relief on membership subscriptions at the highest marginal rate of tax – details can be found on the UK Government website.
Further information on the criteria for membership discounts is available on our website and if you have any queries about your membership subscription then please contact us via membership@rcem.ac.uk, by phone on 0207 404 1999 or via LiveChat via our website. As a reminder, for members with a UK bank account Direct debit is the easiest way to pay for your membership and we offer monthly as well as annual payment options, sign up via: www.rcem.ac.uk/subscriptions2022
RCEM Diaries
We know from your feedback that many members value their College diaries and look forward to receiving them. Once again for 2023 we’re providing free RCEM-branded diaries to all members who request them so if you would like to receive a 2023 RCEM diary then simply email membership@rcem.ac.uk to let us know and we’ll send it to you later this year.
New 24/7 confidential helpline for RCEM Members
We are now offering free, 24/7 confidential helpline support for all our members via a Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme. Your call will be handled by an experienced therapist or advisor who will offer support in a friendly, non-judgemental manner. You can contact them by phone at any time for help with:
Simply call the free 24-hour confidential helpline on 0800 028 0199
and to access support.
Further information can be found HERE
Member Engagement Group – Get involved and have your say!
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 Chief Executive and an upcoming meeting will be attended by our Head of Membership) 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
Want to get published in the EMJ?
The EMJ provides a wealth of guidance on what you can do to have the best possible chance of your submission being published. All the information can be accessed via these links and there is even a step-by-step guide from the EMJ’s Editor-In-Chief via their YouTube channel.
RCEM Merchandise
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!
RCEM Lifestyle Rewards
All members have the benefit of being able to enjoy RCEM Lifestyle Rewards at any time via https://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.
This month’s special selection of Lifestyle Rewards offers are:
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Sage Master Every Moment… Simple Moments of Brilliance to make cooking simpler, better, faster, and easier. Members save 15% across the range! |
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Peter Sommer Travels Expert-led cultural tours and gulet cruises. Archaeological tours, walking holidays, gastronomic tours and family tours and much more. Amazing 2022 tours still available! |
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Cynefin Retreats Luxe-pods on the Welsh Borders… Luxury eco-pods for two, near Hay on Wye, Herefordshire, England. Save 20% on the perfect relaxing getaway! |
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Beechwood Trinkets Rustic Garden Art Made in Devon…Members save 10% on fabulous handcrafted rustic garden structures all made in Devon. A great addition to any garden! |
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The Innocent Hound Award-Winning Complete Food and Treats for your Hounds. We specialise in producing the finest air-dried food and treats for dogs and cats with carefully sourced British ingredients. Members save 15%. |
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Joseph Cheaney & Sons Save 10% on Handcrafted English Shoes… Producers of some of the finest, handcrafted English shoes for over 130 years in the same red brick Victorian factory… |
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Mr.Wheeler Wine We Choose Better Wine… A carefully-chosen selection of outstanding wines to suit a variety of pockets. Members save 10% on their first order! |
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The Traditional Verandah CompanyBespoke Verandas, Porches, Walkways and Canopies Crafted to fit your property We design, manufacture, supply and install our bespoke aluminium structures. Enjoy the great outdoors whatever the weather. Members save £500! |
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Arctic Cabins The Perfect Escape… Our BBQ cabins allow you to BBQ and entertain in all weathers, come rain or shine. A spot of Scandinavian log cabin cosiness doesn’t go amiss! |
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Big Severn Adventure Canoe the magnificent River Severn… Your Big UK Canoeing Adventure Begins here. Experience the thrill of navigating your way down Britain’s longest river. Members save 10% |
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ExaminationsOversubscribed OSCE exams – increased places in 2023
There is currently an extremely high demand for exams places, but we are planning to expand our capacity to facilitate extra places in 2023.
We understand the frustrations of candidates who have not been allocated an examination place and apologise that we cannot accommodate everyone for their desired dates.
Demand for MRCEM & FRCEM OSCE exams has continued to grow as the number of candidates progressing through written exams has increased.
We are therefore planning to increase capacity for both MRCEM & FRCEM OSCEs in 2023 by running an additional 200 exam spaces in the UK.
Over the past two years, our ability to recruit and train new examiners has been heavily affected by the pandemic. Examiners for OSCEs do not just examine on the day of the exam, but also write the content of stations themselves, meaning it can be a sizeable time commitment. We started a major recruitment drive for new examiners earlier this year and have improved our numbers since then. This work to expand our examiner network means we anticipate having significantly higher numbers of examiners going into 2023.
However, we are always looking to expand our examiner pool and would urge anyone interested in becoming an examiner to get in touch. We are holding four examiner workshops across September and October 2022 to provide training.
We know the impact that having to wait can have on candidates and know that this will be of little consolation to those who have missed out on a place this year but hope that the assurance of extra places next year will be welcome news.
Examiners Needed
We are extremely grateful to all examiners who volunteer their time to support the delivery of our OSCE examinations. Existing MRCEM & FRCEM examiners are invited to schedule examining dates for the following OSCE examinations via their Ripleys account:
Any examiners unable to access their Ripleys account can contact Ruby at exams@rcem.ac.uk, who can resend their log in details and/or book dates on their behalf.
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. The College is underrepresented by woman and ethnic minorities at Examiner level, and we would welcome applications from individuals within those demographics.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Exams Team on exams@rcem.ac.uk
Changes to International Examining Criteria
The Examinations Sub-Committee recently reviewed the criteria for International Examiners and introduced interim equivalence for international MRCEM examiners who do not hold MRCEM or FRCEM. The Examinations Sub-Committee have agreed that international MRCEM OSCE examiners (not holding MRCEM/FRCEM) must meet the following revised eligibility criteria:
Individuals who have failed to get MRCEM or FRCEM cannot be examiners. This interim equivalence will be applicable to all international MRCEM examiners for the next two years until August 2024. This standard will be revisited before it expires.
Other Ways to Get Involved
There are lots of other ways to support the ongoing development and delivery of our examinations. We are looking for more individuals to join our Question Writing working groups and develop questions and scenarios for future written and OSCE examinations (MRCEM Primary, MRCEM SBA, FRCEM SBA, MRCEM OSCE & FRCEM OSCE). If you are interested or would like to find out more, we would love to hear from you – please contact the team at exams@rcem.ac.uk
TrainingAdvanced Clinical Practitioners
Emergency Care ACP Supervisor Training Day
The next EC-ACP Supervisor Training Day will take place on 29 September 2022, 9am to 1pm. This will be a virtual event with a limit of 36 attendees.
Registration for the training session is now open.
Following participant feedback from previous ACP Supervisor training sessions, the structure has been changed to enable the training to become more interactive, including additional break-out sessions.
Participants will be asked to complete a limited amount of pre-course preparation prior to the workshop on 29 September 2022. This will consist of a series of multiple-choice questions based on The Guide to RCEM Emergency Care ACP Credentialing, a requirement to review a pre-assigned section of an example ACP portfolio and watching two videos.
Please note that this training is aimed at ACP Supervisors who will be signing off the final ACP credentialing checklist. It is not suitable for ACPs intending to credential. If you are a credentialed ACP currently supervising tACPs and wish to attend this training, please email acp@rcem.ac.uk prior to registering.
ACP Curriculum 2022
The new ACP curriculum is expected to be launched in September 2022.
The purpose of the curriculum is to train EM-ACPs to work in the Emergency Department within the multidisciplinary team, providing urgent and emergency care to all undifferentiated patients attending ED nationwide (adult and/or paediatrics depending on scope of practice).
A range of documentation has now been published on our website. This includes a draft curriculum which is open for consultation, transition arrangements, upcoming Zoom events and recordings of previous sessions.
We hope this information is useful to those who are considering switching to the new curriculum. Information on Supervisor Training, new credentialing regulations and further Zoom events for ACPs will be published in the near future.
We look forward to sharing more information with you soon!
ePortfolio
On behalf of the college, we would like to welcome all our new trainees! We hope to be of great assistance to you in all things ePortfolio over the coming years!
For the newbies and already existing users, here is a quick Kaizen 101!
New Users:
You will receive an email (from noreply@kaizenep.com – invitation to Kaizen) with their username and a link for you to set a password.
Please ensure you check your spam folder, as it may end up there.
Once you have added a password, please login to kaizenep.com and select Royal college of Emergency Medicine as the Organization. – Please see guidance below
How to login to Kaizen (PDF download)
All Users:
We recommend reading the FAQs section on how to use the ePortfolio (how to add posts, how to add supervisors, how to create assessments and common queries such as My supervisor is not able to view me).
Please ensure the end date at the top of the Add a supervisor event is set up. Supervisors and College tutors will be able to view your ePortfolio only within the date range you set up for them.
Updates:
You may be experiencing some difficulties with the functionality of your portfolio:
if you have the wrong role (wrong stage of training in your portfolio) please contact enrolment@recem.ac.uk us with the following information:
Full name, GMC & College number, Current stage of training, Deanery, date of training progression
Once we have received this information, we will amend your portfolio accordingly.
If you are unable to link events to the curriculum (select Key Capabilities within your forms), please contact eportfolio@recem.ac.uk with your training programme (Run-Through/Core/Higher) and deanery
Once we have received this information, we will amend your portfolio accordingly.
We are currently undergoing maintenance on the backend of the system; this may result in the programme running slower than usual, unfortunately there is not much we can do to resolve this. However, we can assure you that we are doing our best to round up the work and avoid any major interference by the month’s end.
Monday – Friday 09.00-17.00
General eportfolio queries, please contact: eportfolio@rcem.ac.uk
Enrolment queries, please contact: enrolment@rcem.ac.uk
Call: +020 7404 1999
Latest publications
Here’s a selection of some of August’s most popular publications:
Other newsNHS Pension Scheme: proposed amendments to continue the suspension of restrictions on return to work
This consultation seeks views on proposals to continue the temporary NHS Pension Scheme ‘retire and return’ easements until 31 March 2023 via amendments to NHS Pension Scheme regulations. These easements allow retired and partially retired staff to return to work in the NHS or increase their working commitments without having their pension benefits suspended. The consultation closes at 11.45pm on 12 September 2022.
NICE consultant sought for work on ‘Falls in older people: assessing risk and prevention’
NICE is developing a guideline on the assessment and prevention of falls in older people and people 50 and over at higher risk, and are seeking to appoint the following co-opted member who will not attend all meetings, but will contribute expertise at relevant points in the development process:
Interested parties should contact tamara.diaz@nice.org.uk for additional information on the guideline and the above role.
Health and Social Care Committee – Digitisation of the NHS in England Expert Panel
Commissioned by the Health and Social Care Committee, the Panel is comprised of politically impartial health and social care policy experts who – independently of the Committee – conduct evaluations of progress made against Government commitments in different areas of health and social care policy. The Panel is commissioned by the Select Committee to undertake an evaluation in a specific policy area, and then selects several commitments within this area which it evaluates. At the end of the evaluation it produces a report which includes a CQC style rating on the progress made on each commitment. The next evaluation will examine the Government’s progress against commitments made regarding the digitisation of the NHS in England.
More information about the panel, including its previous evaluations, can be found here.
As part of their evaluation the Panel would like to hear from stakeholders in the health and social care system in England: from those who are practitioners, and also those who can represent the views and experiences of patients and people in receipt of care. This includes patient advocates and representatives of patient and service user groups. At the event, participants will be invited to share their views with panel members on the digitisation of the NHS. Participants will receive a list with the commitments, and possible areas for discussion, ahead of the session.
The panel is keen to speak to a range of professionals, including junior and senior staff, from both the health and the social care workforce. I am getting in contact today to see if this event is something that you would be able to promote within your network. The Panel is currently planning to hold two online roundtable sessions that will cover the same topics. These sessions are scheduled to take place on:
The roundtables will take place online using Microsoft Teams. Test calls and support is available if there are any questions about using this platform. To allow us to transcribe the conversation, we will be recording the discussions, however these will not be shared and will be deleted once the transcripts have been written.
How to apply
If you are interested in taking part, please contact selcomengagement@parliament.uk When expressing an interest, please provide a few details about your role, the region you work in, and your preferred event date out of the two dates mentioned above. Please note that spaces at the event are limited, so we may not be able to accommodate everyone who is interested in taking part.
To help manage the event interest parties are asked to contact the panel by 6pm on Wednesday 7 September.
As Health and Social Care is a devolved issue, the panel is only able to hear from staff who are currently working in England.
Long COVID services
NHS England has published a plan for improving long COVID services with a framework for deploying the £90m set aside for Long Covid services this financial year.
Enhancing Junior Doctors Working Lives report 2022
HEE has published Enhancing Junior Doctors Working Lives report for 2022. This reflects the work led by HEE in partnership the Academy, the GMC, NHS Employers and the BMA as well as individual medical royal colleges and the devolved nations. The key messages from the 2022 EJDWL report are focussed on initiatives to support flexibility, recruitment and retention, and improving the quality of training.
Pay award announcement
The Government announced the pay award for NHS staff on 19 July under the remits of the NHS Pay Review Body (NHS PRB) and the Doctors and Dentist Review Body (DDRB).
NHS Providers – A guide to the Health and Care Act 2022
This briefing sets out an overview of proposals and a summary of the key parts of the Bill. It picks out the main provisions relevant to providers and systems and looks at the secondary legislation that will flow from the Act.
The Health Foundation – Waiting for NHS hospital care: the role of the independent sector
Given the role anticipated for the independent sector in elective care recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, this long read explores the sector’s role to date, looks at how this has changed since the pre-pandemic period, and considers what it might mean for patients waiting for different types of treatments, and living in different parts of England.
BMA – The public health response by UK governments to Covid-19
This report examines the approaches and key decisions taken by UK governments during the pandemic and the public health measures they introduced. It assesses whether these choices were timely, appropriate, and proportionate to deal with the threat and impact of Covid-19.
BMA – The impact of the pandemic on population health and health inequalities
This report looks at the impact of the pandemic on population health and health inequalities in the UK. It discusses how the pandemic has affected the nation’s physical and mental health, as well as social determinants of health such as education and employment. The report aims to pay particular attention to inequalities and how these pandemic effects were distributed. It also looks at the positive lessons that can be learnt from the vaccine rollout and efforts to tackle homelessness.
DHSC – Expected ways of working between integrated care partnerships and adult social care providers
This guidance was developed by the Department of Health and Social Care, Local Government Association and NHS England, in partnership with the Care Provider Alliance. It sets out a series of advisory principles for integrated care partnerships (ICPs) and adult social care (ASC) providers to guide their work together. It aims to ensure ASC providers are involved as essential partners in the work of the ICPs, alongside commissioners, people with lived experiences of care or unpaid carers among others, as they all have valuable perspectives to contribute to service planning across England.
DHSC – Health and wellbeing boards: draft guidance for engagement
This draft guidance for engagement sets out the role of health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) following publication of the Health and Care Act 2022. The Health and Care Act 2022 has introduced new architecture to the health and care system, specifically the establishment of integrated care boards and integrated care partnerships. The Department of Health and Social Care will be updating the guidance on the HWBs’ general duties and powers following engagement with key stakeholders. The closing date for comments is 16 September 2022.
DHSC – Health overview and scrutiny committee principles
In advance of the statutory guidance on the Secretary of State’s new powers in relation to service reconfigurations, this document sets out the expectations of the Department of Health and Social Care, the Local Government Association, and the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny on how integrated care boards and integrated care partnerships and local authority health overview and scrutiny committee arrangements should work together to ensure that new statutory system-level bodies are locally accountable to their communities.
The Health Foundation – Quantifying health inequalities in England
This analysis uses linked hospital and primary care data to examine socio-economic, regional and ethnic variations in the prevalence of diagnosed long-term illnesses. The analysis also uses the Cambridge Multimorbidity Score to assess the relative impact of different patterns of illness on people and their health care needs. It finds a 60-year-old woman in the poorest areas of England has a level of ‘diagnosed illness’ equivalent to that of a 76-year-old woman in the wealthiest areas, while a 60-year-old man in the poorest areas of England will on average have a level of diagnosed illness equivalent to that of a 70-year-old man in the wealthiest areas.
British Geriatrics Society – Bringing hospital care home: virtual wards and hospital at home for older people
This report explores the potential benefits, limitations, and current scientific evidence to be considered when providing a safe, effective, and person-centred alternative to hospital inpatient care for older adults. This publication highlights how ‘virtual wards’ are being funded and implemented. It explains the various definitions of the term ‘virtual wards’ as used in different parts of the UK and describes the face-to-face care delivered by a multidisciplinary team, combined with some remote monitoring.
Nuffield Trust – Digital health care across the UK: where are we now?
Achieving digital transformation in health and social care in England has long been a goal, but progress on it over the past decade has not been straightforward. But what is happening elsewhere in the UK? With Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England all embarking on ambitious digital health programmes, this explainer describes the various approaches being taken.
Views being sought to tackle inequality in medical devices
Government call for evidence launched to discover if and how medical devices and technologies may be exacerbating inequalities in healthcare.
The European Emergency Medicine Congress – 15-18 October 2022
Have a look on the online programme to get a full scope of all the different tracks, interactive formats and hands-on sessions. There will be interprofessional tracks and tracks dedicated for i.e. nurses, paramedics, young doctors and there’s even a German spoken track. You can work on your practical skills during the pre-courses and morning workshops.
The Health Foundation – The continuing impact of Covid-19 on health and inequalities
This long read revisits the conclusions of The Health Foundation’s Covid-19 impact inquiry, published in July 2021, to consider the further direct impact of Covid-19 on health outcomes and the broader implications for health and the wider determinants. It also discusses the extent to which previously highlighted risks to health have been addressed and the implications for the country of ‘living with Covid-19’.
NHS Genomics Healthcare Summit – Wednesday 12 October, 9am to 5.15pm, Grand Connaught Rooms, London
Find out about how genomics is transforming patient care and clinical services, the latest advances, ongoing plans for implementation in the NHS and demonstrating how the NHS is leading the world in this space. You’ll be able to hear from senior NHS England leaders, visionaries in the field of genomics and from patients and carers. For further information email england.genomics@nhs.net
A full list of vacancies is available here<
Consultant in Emergency Medicine
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
£84,559 – £114,003 per annum
We’ve got an exciting opportunity for motivated consultants in emergency medicine with a passion for excellent patient care, to join a…
Read more…
Consultant Opportunities in Emergency Medicine
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
£87,534 (GBP) to £116,313 (GBP)
We are looking to appoint full-time consultants in emergency medicine.
Read more…
LAS ST4-ST6 Emergency Medicine
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Depending on experience £1578.00 per week, paid monthly
We are delighted to offer these posts based at Moriston Hospital Emergency Department.
Read more…
