News and views from The Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Please use the "On this page" menu below for contents.
While politics seems to be becoming more stable, the world of Emergency Medicine continues to feel disrupted and uncertain. Our departments feel full, and the wicked problem of exit block seems to dominate almost everything we try to do. On the 23 November, the Health Services Journal reported that the implementation of the English Clinical Review of Standards has been paused and that they would revert to the old four hour access standard. There is still a lot of uncertainty about what this means, but we are clear that any standard is better than none, that 12 hour waits must be measured from arrival rather than any arbitrary time point and that the data from the 14 pilot sites must be routinely reported and contribute to the national statistics. This is likely to be a fast-moving area and I hesitate to make any predictions. Behind the scenes we keep talking to key people within the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, devolved equivalents and Government in its widest sense. I gave evidence to the Public Services Committee in the House of Lords. Shortly afterwards, Mark Buchanan, who chairs our Mental Health Subcommittee gave evidence to the Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill in Parliament.
While work is tough, we should be avoiding any own goals. Emergency Medicine staff vaccination against COVID is good, but only 40% of EM staff are currently vaccinated against flu. A flu outbreak could really damage fragile rotas and workforce. As respected clinicians we must provide positive role models by promoting vaccination amongst our teams.
Away from the hurly burly of performance management, it was a real delight to visit the EMSAS Conference. The local Milton Keynes team had assembled an excellent program and it is always nice to dress up in Black Tie. The Scottish Policy Forum was equally interesting and showed how broadly we think about how to make things better for us and the people we look after. I’m writing this returning from the EMTA conference in Blackpool, which was a blast, though I don’t have the stamina of the younger members. Special thanks must go to Rebecca Yates and the EMTA committee who had put in an enormous effort to organise an excellent program including an escape room. A lesson from the pandemic is that reconnecting with peers is an essential part of development and support.
I then jumped on a plane to Pakistan with Ayaz Abbasi and Andrew Fryer, our International Manager and visited the two sites who have been delivering the Emergency Medicine Foundation Program, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and Rawalpindi Medical University. This is not an exam or a qualification, but a training program that we would recognise for our own ACCS trainees. The program is undoubtably valued by the trainees and the trainees. Finally, I had the honour of hosting two diploma ceremonies. The events team have made this a very slick and impressive event.
I chaired my first Council meeting, and it was a pleasure to welcome many new Council members. The Council of our College now comprises the following members (* denotes non voting members).
| Dr Adrian Boyle | President |
| Dr Ian M Higginson | Vice President |
| Dr Jason R Long | Vice President & acting Dean |
| Dr Maya K Naravi | Vice President |
| Mr Scott R Hepburn | Treasurer |
| Dr Salwa Samaa Malik | Vice President (Membership) |
| Mr Gordon Miles* | Chief Executive |
| Romana Moss* | Director of Education |
| Mr Nigel Pinamang* | Director of Corporate Services |
| Anthea Adams* | Executive Assistant |
| Dr Cathryn Edwards | Council Member |
| Miss Anne E Weaver | Council Member |
| Dr James E France | Chair QECC |
| Dr Jason E Smith | Chair R&P |
| Dr Conor Deasy | Republic of Ireland – National Board |
| Dr Russell A. Duncan | Chair TSC |
| Dr John-Paul Loughrey | Scotland Representative |
| Miss Ashleigh Clare Lowther | Chair ACP |
| Dr Lara Somerset | EMTA Rep |
| Dr Stephen Richard Black | FASSGEM Chair |
| Dr Nida Y Suri | East of England Region Rep |
| Mr Paul P Kerr | Northern Ireland – National Board |
| Dr Suresh K Gopala Pillai | Wales – National Board |
| Mr Asif Malik | East Midlands Regional Chair |
| Dr Samira Akberali | London Regional Chair |
| Professor Tim Harris | London Regional Chair |
| Dr Andrew Ashton | North West Regional Chair |
| Dr Sarah Roberta Honess | South East Coast Regional Chair |
| Dr James W Gagg | South West Regional Chair |
| Dr Susan Elizabeth Dorrian | West Midlands Regional Chair |
| Miss Sally-Anne Wilson | Yorkshire and Humber Regional Chair |
| Miss Jayne Hidderley | Lay Group Chair |
| Dr Ian Gurney | HM Armed Forces |
Dr Adrian Boyle
President, Royal College of Emergency Medicine
@RCEMpresident
As we approach Christmas, we all begin to turn our thoughts towards what and who we are grateful for, along with what we can gift and give back to others. Each year RCEM runs a specific Winter fundraising appeal to raise funds for EM related projects that benefit others.
This year our appeal is supporting our partners, Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU), in their relief work following the devastating impact of flooding in Pakistan earlier this year.
Since June 2022, flooding across Pakistan has affected 33 million people, one seventh of the country’s population. At its peak, floodwater covered a third of the country in water, damaging or destroying 1.14 million homes with the widespread damage to infrastructure causing a dire humanitarian situation.
RMU is continuing to plan and deliver medical relief activities in the flood-affected areas across Pakistan with around 170 RMU staff including doctors, medical students, nurses, paramedics, and support staff all being involved in the relief work.
Funds raised from this appeal could support RMU to continue to deliver aid in the areas where there is most need and could focus on providing the following:
Whatever you can spare, we would be grateful for. Just £20 could provide support for key food rations for misplaced people impacted by the floods. For more information about the appeal and to make a donation please visit rcem.ac.uk/winter-appeal/
It is that time of year again to seek your feedback and although it has been a difficult year for different RCEM members we are still keen to hear from you, receive your feedback and see where we need to improve. This is your College and giving us your feedback will ensure that your opinions are represented in what we do.
Your time is valuable and although completing our survey may not seem a priority your opinions are key in helping us to support you and the specialty more effectively. The College values and respects your time so we have ensured that the survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete.
The answers you provide will help the College to evaluate how well we are meeting you needs and will also allow us to enhance communication, increase engagement, and develop our services to improve the support we give which will enable you to get even more out of your membership of the College.
The answers to the questions in this survey will help to inform upcoming College work, activities and planning. Your participation is crucial in helping us to meet your needs and expectations and we truly appreciate you taking the time to help us to support you better.
A summary of the feedback from last year’s survey can be found here along with information on actions we have taken to make improvements based on the results of the survey.
Complete the 2022 member feedback survey here.
The Research Committee are looking to appoint two new Associate Professors. The RCEM/NIHR Clinical Research Network Associate Professor scheme is aimed at recognising and supporting NHS clinicians who are delivering high quality research at a level which is broadly comparable with an academic clinical senior lecturer.
Successful applicants will be provided with mentorship and support through the College and NIHR, including access to academic methodological support in trials and applied health, and dedicated development workshops.
The application deadline is 17:00 on Monday 12 December.
Any queries please contact theo.chiles@rcem.ac.uk
Are you interested in this very important role which involves ensuring that Emergency Departments are led by consultants who have all the necessary competences? The CESR team are in constant need, the more assessors in the team means the more we can spread the workload. If you are interested in joining the team, please see the requirements and how to apply via Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) | RCEM. Please email cesr@rcem.ac.uk for any other queries.
Exam dates and application windows for 2023 have now been confirmed.
We are extremely grateful for all the feedback and input we’ve received from candidates, trainee representatives, examiners and committees in developing these exam dates. This feedback has helped us to ensure that the exams calendar for next year improves our way of working and will enhance the customer service we offer to all our stakeholders.
Below are the key changes to note.
Increased capacity for OSCE Exams
Demand for MRCEM & FRCEM OSCE exams has continued to grow in recent years as the number of candidates progressing through our written exams has increased. We are pleased to confirm that we have increased capacity for both MRCEM & FRCEM OSCEs in 2023.
An additional 200 spaces will be available to MRCEM & FRCEM OSCE candidates in 2023, a 12.5% increase compared to 2022.
We’re also increasing capacity for MRCEM OSCE exams in the UK, to 1080 spaces (three diets of 10 days, with 36 candidates each day), with FRCEM OSCE capacity increasing to 640 spaces (two diets of 10 days, with 32 candidates each day).
Whilst we are increasing the total number of days of MRCEM OSCE exams, these will be run over three diets rather than four. It is important to note that this reduced number of diets will not affect the total number of examining opportunities for candidates each year. The existing application and results release timelines means that candidates could apply to and sit a maximum of two OSCE diets each year; this will remain the same when running three diets instead of four.
A key factor in this proposed change is to help alleviate pressures and difficulties around examiner recruitment, which has been a particular issue with MRCEM OSCE exams in recent years. Since February 2022 we have recruited 94 UK Examiners and 26 overseas Examiners. You can find more information about how to become an examiner or other ways to get involved with exams here.
Consistent application windows
From 2023, application windows for all exams will be two weeks long.
Once an application has been submitted, candidates will receive an acknowledgement email including details of when applications will be reviewed by, which is typically three weeks after the application window closing date.
For OSCE exams, candidates will receive details of when allocations will be confirmed by, and candidates applying to written exams will be given dates of the respective Pearson VUE booking window, which will open once applications have been approved.
This change will give greater transparency to candidates throughout the registration process and ensure a more efficient approval and booking process.
See the 2023 exam dates on the Exam Calendar & Fees page.
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 use the code MHA 229 700 to access support.
Further information can be found HERE.
The RCEM PhD Fellowship application window is now open. Applications are invited from trainees in Emergency Medicine (EM) from CT1 and above, who wish to develop academically.
Applications must be received by Friday 13 January 2023. For further information, including an application form and application guidance, please visit our Research webpages.
The Research Committee’s semi-annual grant call is now accepting applications for funding. Members can apply for up to £10,000 to support their EM research project.
Applications must be received by Friday 31 March 2023. For further information, including an application form and application guidance, please visit our Research webpages.
Applications are invited for the 2023 Royal College of Emergency Medicine Undergraduate Prizes.
Applicants are required to be an undergraduate student at a recognised teaching institution within the UK but are not required to be a member of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
Applications must be received by Friday 24 February 2023. For further information, including an application form and application guidance, please visit our Research webpages.
Last month the RCEM/JLA EM Priority Setting Partnership Refresh held an in-person workshop at Octavia House.
A mixture of patients and clinicians discussed the questions that had been submitted to the refresh, and proposed a new top 10 list of research priorities:
All frontline health care and social care workers should be offered vaccination by their employer. This is an employer’s responsibility to help protect their staff and patients or clients and ensure the overall safe running of services. Employers should commission or implement a service which makes access to the vaccine easy for all frontline staff, encourages staff to get vaccinated, and monitors the delivery of their programme. The complementary NHS influenza vaccination offer for primary care staff has not been extended for the 2022 to 2023 influenza season. Influenza vaccinations for primary care staff, like other frontline healthcare staff, revert to being an employer’s occupational health responsibility.
As for last season, the definition of a frontline healthcare worker for the influenza programme will be aligned with that of the COVID-19 vaccination programme to include both clinical and nonclinical staff who have contact with patients. One of the quality indicators in the 2022 to 2023 Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) is a goal of vaccinating between 70 to 90% of staff.
Please do speak to your employer about getting your flu jab.
We’re getting to that point in the year when we start to look back and review what has happened in 2022. Why not take the opportunity to look back through our Editor’s Choice Archive for 2022 – featuring all the selected papers from January, right up to the November choice. Or, you might also choose to look back on EMJ content by looking at our Most Read articles so far this year.
Alternatively you could take a listen to our latest podcast – which reviews the highlights from our November issue – five great papers discussing headache, subarachnoid haemorrhage, pre-hospital births, how to mitigate emergency physician stress in resuscitation, and pathways for the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction.
However you choose to review our content, we’re sure you’ll find something to capture your interest.
We’re looking for Chairs and Vice Chairs to support committees across the UK, along with new committee members!
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.
Nitrous oxide is a commonly used gas in prehospital and emergency settings in the form of a 50:50 mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide, e.g. Entonox®. Used correctly, nitrous oxide can be a very safe and effective analgesic medicine. For some patients it may be the best option pain relief. However, there are broader implications of use of the drugs for both delivery of patient care, and the environment.
The NHS in England has pledged to be carbon net zero by 2040. The NHS is responsible for 4- 5% of total UK carbon emissions, and anaesthetic gases have been identified as a ‘carbon hotspot’.
This information sheet, put together with the College of Paramedics, Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, and the British Association for Immediate Care looks at the impact use of Nitrous Oxide has on the environment and what the alternatives are to its use.
The college has published the Annual Report and Accounts for 2021. This report details the activities of the college being carried out by your fellow members on behalf of your college.
Read the full report and accounts here.
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.
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:
If you missed your chance to join us in Belfast or online during the Annual Scientific Conference earlier this year, it is not too late to catch it on-demand.
With three full days of CPD accredited content, the Annual Scientific Conference boxset will be available until 6 October 2023.
Register for the conference now.
Trainees research engagement day
Date: 19 January 2023
Come to the annual trainees’ research engagement day to find out more about emergency medicine research and how you can get involved.
View the programme online and book now
EM research engagement day
Date: 20 January 2023
Come to the annual research engagement day – find out about the future for emergency care research, how to develop your own research career, pitch your own research ideas in the Blue Sky session and hear about studies you can get involved in.
View the programme online and book now
Paediatric pearls and pitfalls
Date: 23 February 2023
This course is focussed on paediatric emergency medicine. Join this virtual study day and ensure you are up to date with the latest evidence-based improvements in management strategies, discuss communication pitfalls and how to address them, and improve diagnostics in paediatric emergency presentations.
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:
Our Boards and Committees play a crucial role in advocating and representing colleagues and patients in Emergency Medicine. There are many exciting ways to get involved, with vacancies ranging from our Northern Ireland National Board to our South Central Regional Board.
You don’t need prior experience to participate in a Board or Committee. We want our Boards and Committees to become a channel for members to get involved with the College. This is an opportunity to take part in critical decision-making and for you to develop personally and professionally.
To check out the roles and application information, please go to rcem.ac.uk/volunteering-opportunities/.
The Scottish Policy Forum took place earlier this month and was a great success. Delegates heard talks on social deprivation and modernizing NHS24 as well as updates from the ambulance service, the Scottish Drugs Taskforce, and the key findings from the Scottish Workforce census. Additionally, RCEM’s president Dr Adrian Boyle was in attendance. Delegates got the chance to network after the forum at a drinks reception.
‘Mental Health Emergency Care’ is the latest report in our series of explainers looking at the web of issues facing Emergency Departments. The report highlights that while patients with mental health presentations account for a very small proportion of Emergency Department attendances, they spend a disproportionate amount of time waiting for a mental health bed if they need admission.
The report pulls together data from across the health and care sector and finds that patients presenting with mental health problems are twice as likely to spend 12-hours or more in Emergency Departments than other patients.
The report also looks in detail at factors contributing to these long waits, such as the reduction in mental health beds, inadequate numbers of children and adolescent mental health professionals, and poor organisation of professionals to assess patients under the Mental Health Act. It also examines the consequences for patients and departments and makes wide reaching recommendations.
Suspected Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome in Emergency Departments
There are current gaps in accurately defining the optimal classification, pathophysiology and treatment of CHS. This best practice guideline has been written to bridge the current gap between evidence and the need for emergency clinicians to provide quality care and advice to patients suffering from this syndrome.
Patients presenting with CHS often experience a delay to diagnosis. They will typically have repeated visits to emergency departments, several hospital admissions and often describe poor symptom control with standard therapies, such as antiemetic medications.
This guideline has been written to increase Emergency Medicine clinician awareness of CHS, support the care of patients presenting to the ED with symptoms of CHS and help clinicians communicate the concept and management of CHS to patients.
Update to Scottish arrangements for Regional Holding Centres for Category C Antidotes.
HSIB have published a 2nd interim bulletin on harm caused by delays in transferring patients to the right place of care.
2022/23 QIP registration and data entry is now open to all Type 1 UK Emergency Departments!
The topics running in 2022/23 are:
Please see the topic information packs and submit the Registration Form to register your ED.
RCEM is inviting you to join us at a drop-in support clinic to talk about anything to do with participating in our national QIPs. Meet the RCEM team, our Emergency Department clinical team and other participants. Ask questions about joining in, collecting data, interpreting your dashboards, or making positive changes locally. Share your experiences and learnings from PDSA cycles.
The support clinic will be open from 12:00-13:30 on 7 December 2022. You are welcome to pop in at any time and stay for as long or as little as you wish.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84263344937?pwd=VXBsSzlzSUhhMW9xa0JVd1hucWhqZz09
Meeting ID: 842 6334 4937
Passcode: 394884
It is that time of year again to seek your feedback and although it has been a difficult year for different RCEM members we are still keen to hear from you, receive your feedback and see where we need to improve.
This is your College and giving us your feedback is the best way to ensure that your opinions are represented in what we do.
Have your say at surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RCEM22survey
As we approach 2023, please take the time to update the details the College holds for you to make sure we have your most accurate up to date data so you are receiving the correct information and correspondence.
Update your details here: https://login.rcem.ac.uk/iCore/Contacts/Sign_In.aspx
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.
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 today to pay for your 2023 subs by Direct Debit – https://login.rcem.ac.uk/iCore/Contacts/Sign_In.aspx
Further information on the criteria for membership discounts is available on our website and if you have any queries about your membership subscription, please contact us via membership@rcem.ac.uk, by phone on 0207 404 1999 or via LiveChat on 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.
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 get this in the post to you.
RCEM merchandise is available via our online shop. Thermal travel mugs, hoodies, notebooks, water bottles and other items (including new pin badges and ties) can be bought via www.rcemshop.co.uk/ so get your merch and show your EM pride!
Dell UK is proud to partner with The Royal College of Emergency Medicine to provide a range of discounts on selected IT and other benefits to members, including:
Redeem your discount using the ‘RCEM’ password
Blue Orchid hotels are offering RCEM members a range of discounted offers including 15% off London accommodation, 15% off International stays as well as 20% of afternoon tea experiences. See the full range of offers on the link below.
Access offers and how to claim
Remember all professional learners including students, trainees and ACPs are able to access TOTUM PRO membership.
With over two hundred UK discounts and thousands worldwide from both famous brands and local independents, a TOTUM PRO membership opens up a whole world of fantastic savings on everything from dining out and keeping fit to fashion retail and travel abroad.
A one-year membership is £14.99 members save on average £550!
For more information and to access membership, please follow this link
We are now offering free, 24/7 confidential helpline support for all our members via a Health Assured Individual 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 use the code MHA 229 700 to access support.
Further information can be found HERE
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.
This month’s special selection of Lifestyle Rewards offers can be found here.
Examination dates and application windows for next year have now been announced and can be found here. We are extremely grateful for all of the feedback and input we’ve received from candidates, trainee reps, examiners and committees in developing the examinations calendar for next year, which includes 200 new spaces for our UK OSCE examinations and consistent application windows. You can read more about changes to our examinations calendar here.
A senior group of UK examiners and staff including our CEO, Gordon Miles, travelled to Kochi, India last month to support the local delivery of the MRCEM OSCE examination. We are extremely grateful to the local host team, led by Dr Venugopal, as well as the local and UK examiners and staff, who helped deliver 180 candidate spaces to such high quality.
This is a new role for supervisors who have attended and completed the RCEM ACP Educational Supervisor training day (2022 curriculum). Only approved ACP educational supervisors can complete a FEGS.
If you are unable to link events to the curriculum (select Key Capabilities within your forms), please contact eportfolio@rccem.ac.uk with your training programme (Run-Through/Core/Higher) and deanery. Once we have received this information, we will amend your portfolio accordingly.
This is Hello and not Goodbye!
We’re Live!
Fry → risr/
Kaizen → risr/advance
Our ePortfolio platform is called ‘Kaizen’ and is hosted by a company formerly known as ‘Fry’. Fry have recently rebranded to reflect their service and product offering and is now known as as ‘risr’.
What does this mean for us as Kaizen users?
Kaizen will be renamed risr/advance. There are light touch visual changes, including logos, fonts (which have been accessibility tested and verified) and colours.
These changes went live on Tuesday 15 November 2022.
You will still be able to access ‘Kaizen’(RISR/advance) via the current URL www.kaizenep.com until late October 2023, after this risr/ will make changes to the domain to reflect the rebrand.
This rebrand has no effect on the functionality of the EPortfolio or the formatting of events and users are not required to perform any actions to activate these changes – Just sit back and enjoy the transition.
ePortfolio – KAIZEN 101
NEW USERS:
You will receive an email (from noreply@kaizenep.com – invitation to Kaizen) with your 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
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.
ZOOM DROP-IN SESSIONS
They’re back! Join us every other Wednesday and Thursday; on zoom, for an opportunity to get into the nitty gritty of your EPortfolio issues and questions with our team. Not sure how to link and tag to the curriculum? Can’t seem to find an assessment? Just simply unsure of how to use the tool at all… We’ve got you!
These are open drop-in sessions, where you can ask questions about how to navigate and manage your Kaizen EPortfolio, and have any issues resolved.
Feel free to pop in, have your queries resolved and then pop out!
Click here to join the meeting
All drop-in sessions are strictly to address Kaizen difficulties you might encounter (e.g. an assessment I linked to a Learning outcome is not showing in the goals section) and to provide guidance on EPortfolio use. For question about Training/curriculum you might want to speak with your supervisor, or you can write an email to training@rcem.ac.uk.
Until Next time!
#EportfolioTeam
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
Here’s a selection of some of November’s most popular publications:
FY2 Emergency Medicine-RHCH
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Winchester
£34,012 a year per annum pro rata
We are looking for enthusiastic candidates who have some prior experience in Emergency Medicine.
Read more…
Senior Clinical Fellow in EM
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
£51,017 a year
The Leeds Emergency Department offer 12-month Senior Clinical Fellows posts designed to provide individually tailored experience and training
Read more…
Consultant in Emergency Medicine
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Paisley, Renfrewshire
£91,474 – £121,548
We are looking to appoint a full-time Consultant in Emergency Medicine, initially on a 9:1 contract
Read more…
A full list of vacancies is available here.
NHSE has written to employers with guidance on preparedness for possible industrial action. The GMC has restated its position on industrial-action .
The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) is conducting an investigation explores issues around patient handover to emergency care. Patients who wait in ambulances at an emergency department are at potential risk of coming to harm due to deterioration or not being able to access timely and appropriate treatment. HSIB has published two interim bulletins as part of this investigation, which outlines early investigation findings and recommends a national response to tackle this urgent issue.
The four UK CMOs, Steve Powis as NHSE Medical Director and Charlie Massey as GMC CEO have written to the service across the UK in primary and secondary care on the need to recognise how the context and environment of winter pressures will impact on clinical decision making and actions. Key parts of the letter say:-
“In such challenging times when you may need to depart from established procedures to care for people, we understand some could be fearful that they will be referred to your regulator. Please be assured that your professional code and principles of practice are there to guide and support your judgments and decision-making in all circumstances. This includes taking into account local realities and the need at times to adapt practice at times of significantly increased national pressure. In the unlikely event that you are referred to your professional regulator, they will consider the context you were working in at the time, including all relevant resources, guidelines or protocols.
“It is the responsibility of all providers commissioned by the NHS and healthcare leaders to ensure that all clinicians working in their organisations are well supported in their work, and that channels for raising and acting on concerns remain open and accessible to all staff. We expect employers, educational supervisors, professional bodies, national health and social care organisations to be flexible in recognition of the challenging and changing landscape we are likely to face.”
This is similar to the letter sent out during the pandemic and is an explicit and welcome recognition of the pressures that the service and clinicians are under.
NHS England would like to invite you to take part in a short survey or 121 interview as part of detailed user needs research to gain a better understanding of how NHS staff interact with clinical audits, how information is interpreted and how the national recommendations are applied at a local level. The results of this research will be used to:
To take part in the survey click here or in a 121 interview please contact england.improvementdelivery@nhs.net
The public consultation on how the MHRA communicates medicines and medical devices safety information to healthcare professionals is now open.
This is a unique opportunity for healthcare professionals and representative organisations to have your say on the way you would like to receive safety information from the MHRA.
The MHRA’s ability to engage with healthcare professionals is crucial in helping get safe and effective medicines to patients, and to make sure that patients are adequately informed, and any safety concerns can be acted on quickly.
You can give your views here. Only with your feedback will the MHRA be able to effectively support your use of safe medicines and medical devices.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss how your organisation can promote the consultation to your members, please email engagement@mhra.gov.uk.
NHS England has produced guidance for NHS organisations outlining six key aspects that trusts should focus on to support the health and wellbeing of their staff in the coming winter months. It was produced to address the likely operational pressures arising during these months and outlines the importance of prioritising staff wellbeing and high-quality patient care.
The six key actions for NHS employers relate to:
The NHS Employers webpage links to the NHSE guidance and additional resources for supporting staff.
The King’s Fund – Health inequalities: what is happening in emergency medicine
This report considers how health inequalities affect access to care and how clinicians in A&E can consider population health issues in their day-to-day work.
BMA – Sexual orientation and gender identity in the medical profession
This report has found that fewer than half (46 per cent) of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer respondents feel able to be open about their sexual orientation where they work or study. The report, based on 2,490 responses from doctors across the UK, suggests a medical workforce that still suffers from and engages in persistent negative stereotypes, derogatory language and social exclusion. It makes several recommendations around improving medical curricula, better training, increasing the visibility of LGBTQ+ role models and enabling dialogue and space to learn.
NHS England – Combatting racial discrimination against minority ethnic nurses, midwives and nursing associates
This resource is designed to support nurses, midwives and nursing associates, providing advice on the action that can be taken if witnessing or experiencing racism. It also aims to support those in leadership roles to be inclusive leaders.
Demos – Understanding ‘early exiters’: the case for a healthy ageing workforce strategy
Compared with before the pandemic, there are over 100,000 more people aged 50-64 who are no longer in work because of a long-term health condition. This report finds that the UK is the only high-income country that has seen a sustained rise in economic inactivity among this age group since the start of the pandemic. It calls for the first ever Ageing Workforce Strategy: a cross-government approach, including tax incentives to improve access to occupational health, better integration of health and employment support, and more scientific and physiological research to weaken the link between ill health and older age.
Age UK – Why can’t I get care? Older people’s experiences of care and support
This report aims to answer the question as to why 14,000 people per week are having their requests for care turned down by councils, many of which are facing growing demand and static or reducing resources with which to respond. It highlights the number of unpaid carers who provide hours of care for their loved ones, often at the expense of their own health and wellbeing.
The Health Foundation – Why have ambulance waiting times been getting worse?
This data analysis looks at ambulance service performance and explores the contributing factors and priorities for improvement.
DHSC – Health and Care Act 2022: combined impact assessments
The Health and Care Act received Royal Assent on 28 April 2022. This primary legislation aims to build on the NHS’s own proposals for reform to make the health and care system less bureaucratic, more accountable and more integrated in the wake of coronavirus. These documents assess the impact of the legislation.
NHS Providers – State of the provider sector 2022
The great majority (85 per cent) of the 183 leaders from 121 trusts who responded to this annual survey are more worried about this winter than any previous one in their NHS careers. Many (86 per cent) are concerned that their trusts will not have the capacity to meet demand for services over the next 12 months. The survey found leaders across the NHS are using their usual ingenuity and innovation to find a way through the challenges ahead, but that they face an uphill struggle.
NAO – Managing NHS backlogs and waiting times in England
According to this report, the plan to reduce long waits for NHS elective and cancer care services by 2025 is at serious risk. It finds that the funding allocated by the government for recovering services has not kept pace with inflation, and the NHS faces workforce and productivity issues.
DHSC – Adult Social Care Discharge Fund: local authority and integrated care board allocations
These documents set out the funding allocations for the £500 million Adult Social Care Discharge Fund. Of the funding, 40 per cent (£200 million) will be distributed to local authorities and 60 per cent (£300 million) to integrated care boards (ICBs). Local authorities and ICBs will work together to plan how to spend the money locally.
The King’s Fund – The Autumn Budget 2022: what was announced and what does it mean for health and care spending?
This report from The King’s Fund, brings together the recent announcements on health and care spending from the Autumn Budget.
The Health Foundation – How does UK health spending compare across Europe over the past decade?
This analysis finds that over the past decade the UK spent around a fifth less on average than the EU14 on day-to-day health care costs per person.
The King’s Fund and Engage Britain – NHS staffing shortages: why do politicians struggle to give the NHS the staff it needs?
This report focuses on the role of politicians in workforce planning and delivery. It sets out the scale of the workforce crisis and the impact that it has, and the causes. It also considers the political reasons around why it has historically been so hard to fix and considers three factors that could contribute to tackling the current shortages.
Nuffield Trust – Has Brexit affected the UK’s medical workforce?
This long read looks at how the numbers of doctors in the NHS who come from the EU and the European Free Trade Association has changed since the Brexit referendum in 2016 and whether certain specialties face particular problems.
A new elearning session on financial wellbeing has now been added to the All Our Health programme. Developed by Health Education England elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh), the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), the Money and Pensions Service and NHS England and Improvement, the resource is aimed at all health and care professionals to enhance their support for people in poverty or those struggling with their finances.
It also provides information on how they can look after their own financial wellbeing.
The session has been developed in response to evidence that shows money and health are intertwined with 90,000 people in the UK dying in poverty every year and 1 in 4 terminally ill people of working age spending the last year of their lives in poverty.
As a result, and to help address challenges in the current economic climate, the Financial Wellbeing session aims to help colleagues:
The eLearning also features helpful tools and resources from organisations including the Money and Pensions Service and the Wellbeing and Health Action Movement (WHAM project).
For more information and to access the resource, please visit the Financial Wellbeing session within the All Our Health programme. A flat version of the session can also be found in the All Our Health collection on GOV.UK.
Aligned to World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2022, the DHSC have today launched a consultation to protect patients from Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). This consultation builds on its 20 year vision for AMR to be contained and controlled by 2040.
DHSC are seeking views and evidence to inform the development of the next 5-year national action plan (from 2024 until 2029) to tackle antimicrobial resistance, described as the next potential global pandemic. Recent estimates suggest that AMR causes 1.27 million deaths globally each year and 7,600 deaths in the UK each year.
