News and views from The Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Please use the "On this page" menu below for contents.
Welcome from the PresidentThis will be the final monthly newsletter of my Presidency and what an extraordinary month it has been.
We are a Royal College having been incorporated by Royal charter in 2008 as a College and then in February 2015 granted the title Royal. Being a Royal College ‘levels’ us up when in the room with other specialties which is incredibly helpful. Our Patron is HRH The Princess Royal who supports the college with dedication. She comes to multiple events and helps make the occasions that little bit more special. The College – Council and Board of Trustees, Membership and staff of the College sent our deepest sympathy and condolences to the Royal Family on the death of Her Majesty The Queen.
The period of mourning meant that the implications of Liz Truss taking over from Boris Johnson as Prime Minister went a bit below the radar until the explosion of announcements at the end of last week. The commentary of the economy is dominating the debate but there is a lot that is important for us in healthcare to spot. The thing that made us prick our ears was the new Secretary of State pledging that there will be no change to the 4-hour standard. She said this in reply to a question from Wes Streeting, the shadow SoS, not in her main speech. This was a much firmer statement than we have heard over recent years after the same political party demanded a review of the said standard and instructed NHSE to get on with what became the Clinical Review of Standards.
We put out a press release response;
“At the moment we are desperate to improve patient experience in our Emergency Departments and if that means renewed scrutiny on the four-hour access standard and action to improve it, we would be cautiously supportive. For months we have been stuck in a performance vacuum in which metrics, like the four-hour standard, have simply been documenting a system failing to function as it should and failing patients. Patient care is at the heart of all we do, and so meaningful measurement of performance must drive improvement and better care for patients.
“It came as a surprise to hear the Health Secretary rule out replacing the four-hour target with a meaningful basket of measures as detailed by NHS England in the Clinical Review of Standards, which began in 2019. We engaged with this process in good faith. Pilot sites of the CRS, currently excluded from publishing their four-hour data, must be included in the national data immediately so that all hospitals are represented.
“Our priority has always been to transform clinical and patient care through trustworthy metrics that drive improvement. The four-hour target has not been met since 2015 and its power to drive improvement stagnated. We would welcome a recommitment to and refocus on the four-hour target in the short-term, bearing in mind that doing the same thing whilst expecting different results is pointless. The goal must be to meaningfully drive improvement and better patient care, backed up by more than lip-service.”
We wait to hear what this all means in practice. Our argument is that organisations need help prioritising what they are doing. The only point of collecting, analysing, and comparing metrics is if we do something with the results. We are failing the most vulnerable – the most acutely ill or injured or distressed. Metrics alone cannot help but performance measurement can, if wisely applied, help prioritise. Much is being made of the small group of hospitals said to be responsible for 40% of ambulance handover delays and so these places are getting ‘special attention’ – this may be sensible to start with but equally the delays in accessing a bed and especially the 12-hour delays at these units should be reviewed. Let us get the 12-hour data published and focus on the organisations with the longest waits to admission. We will keep asking for this.
The health system in all four nations is in a desperate state. There has been a sharp decline in performance in the country that has always done best – Scotland. The week ending 11th September saw the worst figures on record and generated a political intervention that did not warm the hearts of emergency healthcare staff. This week there has been some improvement, but it is very premature to think things will stay better.
Party politics, a crumbling economy, and an exhausted workforce is not a good combination for stabilising the health service. What can we do as a College? We can keep explaining – you must never assume that people understand what we do. We can keep commenting on available data and what it tells us. We can challenge assumptions and knee jerk plans. We can collaborate with other Colleges to speak a united professional voice about patient care, safety, and workforce experience. We can support you and make you feel there is a team with your back in the face of great challenges. Emergency Medicine is a core part of the health system, and our patients know that.
Most of the challenging issues we face in the College and indeed in healthcare are made easier by good communication. How we communicate better with our members is something we have all been thinking about. The ripple effect of not getting it right is greater than the positive impact when we do. I wish this were not so, but this is reality, and we must do everything we can to ‘get it right first time,’ communicate with clarity, take feedback and be responsive. I am confident the College team are up for working to improve every aspect of our communication. On that note, I am grateful to the RCEM team, especially Luke O’Reilly, who has made sure we get this newsletter out to you each month. I am also grateful to those of you who have got in touch because of a newsletter, interview, press release or EMJ article. Knowing someone out there has read what you have written or heard what you said is hugely reassuring and supportive. I hope I have represented you and the specialty honestly over the last three years. I wish the College and Adrian with his new team and all our members the very best for the coming challenging months.
Dr Katherine Henderson
President, Royal College of Emergency Medicine
@RCEMpresident
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).
Annual Scientific Conference – last chance to book
It’s your last chance to book tickets for the Annual Scientific Conference! Only virtual tickets remain for our flagship event in ICC Belfast on 3 – 6 October. Make sure you book now to gain access to all Track 1 sessions, live and on-demand for a year. Our virtual platform allows you to ask questions, participate in live polls, and interact with other attendees, so to learn more and book your place now, click here.
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 use the code MHA 229 700 to access support.
Further information can be found HERE.
Blogs
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.
We also have an update on our Exams operations from Gordon Miles, RCEM Chief Executive, and in her final blog as RCEM President, Dr Katherine Henderson reflects on the past three years, and what she will miss about the role.
RCEM Research Grants for Low Income countries – applications deadline Tuesday 18 October 2022
Applications are invited for RCEM grants to undertake emergency medicine research in low income countries. The RCEM encourages applications up to £5,000 for a research application focused on improving the delivery of emergency medicine in low income countries. Applicants must:
For advice on writing a grant application see mrc.ukri.org/
Papers deriving from any successful LMIC grant will be guaranteed peer review if submitted to the Emergency Medicine Journal – please flag any submissions to Dr Jafar. Leading up to any such submissions, we are working to develop a pool of mentors who can offer writing support in order to give the best possible chance of favourable review.
The following headings should be used:
Purpose and Background – what is already known in this area and an outline of the value the research will bring to emergency medicine.
A Plan of investigation which should include:
Applications are rated according to the quality of science, the importance of the underlying research program, the strength and value of the collaboration with Members and Fellows of the College of Emergency Medicine and contextual relevance. Due regard is given to the relative wealth of the country or countries in which the research will be carried out and the findings acted upon.
Successful applicants are expected to produce a short report in the approved format on the progress of the project every 12 months for the first 2 years of the award, and may also be invited to present the findings of the study at our Annual Scientific Conference up to 3 years after the award
*if no-one in your team is currently a member or fellow of RCEM but you have an interesting/important research idea in emergency medicine, please take a look at colleagues in the NIHR Incubator for Emergency Care who may be able to help support as a co-applicant or link you to further colleagues for this or future submissions.
Please send your application along with a copy of your CV to Theo.Chiles@rcem.ac.uk by 17:00 on Tuesday 18 October 2022.
For an application form please click here.
For further information about the grant please contact:
Anisa Jafar, NIHR ACL and ST6 in Emergency Medicine on behalf of the Research & Publications Committee,
Royal College of Emergency Medicine HCRI,
University of Manchester,
Ellen Wilkinson Building,
Oxford Road,
M13 9PL.
James Lind Alliance Research Priority Setting Partnership update
The RCEM/JLA Priority Setting Partnership refresh held an in-person workshop on 23 September. A mixture of patients and clinicians held a lively discussion to rank the research questions submitted to the PSP, and a new top 10 priorities list was decided on. The College looks forward to sharing the results of the workshop and the new list of priorities in the next few weeks.
EMJ’s September issue is now online
We summarise the highlights from the issue here, or you can listen to the latest podcast, where Sarah Edwards, Social Media Editor of EMJ, and Rick Body, Deputy Editor of EMJ, give an overview of the best of the issue. They cover a plethora of clinically relevant papers. There’s a terrific non-inferiority trial looking at the use of non-sterile gloves to repair traumatic wounds in the Emergency Department, two great papers that look at whether we might avoid x-ray for patients with suspected shoulder dislocation (one involving ultrasound), a fascinating paper involving the pre-hospital use of echocardiography and point of care troponin testing for patients with chest pain and more. Whether you plunge right into the issue, or use the podcast to find your way in, we hope you enjoy the latest issue.
Open letter to the Prime Minster from RCEM Lay Group Chair
On 12 September The Times published a letter from our Lay Group Chair, Jayne Hidderley, urging the Prime Minister to take urgent action to help remedy the problems Emergency Departments face. Read the letter in full here.
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.
Nitrous Oxide and Prehospital Emergency Medicine – Information Sheet for Emergency Care Providers
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.
RCEM Annual Report & Accounts 2021
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.
2021 was another challenging year and the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic. Emergency Medicine continued to struggle to deliver all that was demanded of its staff. Despite the challenges the College remained focused on its priorities to: improve patient care; support Members and Fellows to achieve sustainable satisfying careers; advance the practice of Emergency Medicine through research and engagement in Global Health; support Members and Fellows with the delivery of high-quality day-to-day care in Emergency Departments.
2021 saw the successful launch new curriculum by the Education Directorate along with an associated training programme. This introduced a new format for examinations and a new ePortfolio implementation. Alongside this, significant work was undertaken to map our eLearning material to the new curriculum, so everything was ready for the launch.
In spite of the difficulties presented by the pandemic, the College’s Events Team continued to deliver a wide range of events online including the Spring CPD and Annual Scientific Conference. As the year progressed a transition towards hybrid events, online and in-person, presented a new challenge for the Team, but a total of 47 events were delivered with over 5,000 delegates over the year. The College was delighted and honoured to welcome our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, at a number of our virtual events.
The College continued to highlight the difficulties facing members through its policy and communication work. Further to providing analyses of performance metrics from all four-nations, the College published policy documents and action plans: Summer to Recover; RCEM CARES – The Next Phase; Crowding and its Consequences; and once again ran its annual Winter Flow Project along with regular SNAP surveys of clinical leads. These contributed to the narrative of the reality on the ground and drove engagement with politicians and media across all four-nations.
Read the full report and accounts here.
#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.
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:
EventsAnnual Scientific Conference – last chance to book
It’s your last chance to book tickets for the Annual Scientific Conference! Only virtual tickets remain for our flagship event in ICC Belfast on 3 – 6 October. Make sure you book now to gain access to all Track 1 sessions, live and on-demand for a year. Our virtual platform allows you to ask questions, participate in live polls, and interact with other attendees, so to learn more and book your place now, click here.
The really useful guide to leading and managing your ED
Date: 3 November 2022
This one-day event will focus on being a senior doctor, and how to look after your senior doctor team, with topics useful for those new in the role as well as those with more experience, and those seeking to lead senior teams.
View the programme online and book now
The small, remote or rural ED
Date: 4 November 2022
The UK’s remote, rural and small emergency departments present particular challenges in terms of workforce and sustainability. This study day aims to share best practice and equip delegates with the tools to manage these seemingly unassailable difficulties.
View the programme online and book now
Scottish policy forum
Date: 8 November 2022
Join us in Edinburgh for a must-attend event aimed at the Scottish EM community. Open to all EM professionals, the day involves talks and discussion around key policy issues and topics, as well as providing an opportunity to network with like-minded peers.
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.
PolicyRCEM Acute Insight Series – Mental Health
‘Mental Health in 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.
Read the press statement here and the full report here.
Press releases
Quality and AuditCheckout our latest updated guidance including:
There has been an alert issued by the MHRA regarding the use of nebuliser devices for use in children that have been obtained without prescription from a medical practitioner. There is significant concern that use in this context would mask significant deterioration in a child with asthma. Please see the Drug Safety Update for a more detailed overview.
MembershipRCEM Annual Scientific Conference 2022
Whether you’re attending RCEM’s ASC in person or virtually, the Membership team will be available for you to connect with. RCEM’s Head of Membership, Gareth Davies, will be available on the RCEM stand and the Membership team will also be available virtually via the conference platform.
There are member engagement activities planned for the conference and RCEM merchandise will also be available for purchase both online and in limited quantities from the RCEM stand.
Even if you’re not attending the conference, the team can be reached at any time via telephone (0207 404 1999), email (membership@rcem.ac.uk) or LiveChat by clicking the speech bubble icon on RCEM’s website (rcem.ac.uk).
Update your details/subscription
Late summer/early autumn are periods 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 DiariesWe 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 MembersWe 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
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
In addition to RCEM merchandise being available at the Annual Scientific Conference, new RCEM merch is also now available in our online shop. Thermal travel mugs, hoodies, notebooks, water bottles and other items (including new pin badges and ties) 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 RCEM Rewards. 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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African Horse Safaris Unparalleled horse-riding adventures across Africa! The largest portfolio of expertly guided and unique horse experiences across the African continent. Members get £100 voucher towards your trip! |
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Red Rickshaw Authentic & Breathtaking Ingredients. We empower cooks to create authentic cuisines from around the globe with premium quality, fresh and seasonal ingredients. Save 15% across the range. |
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Hattingley Valley Wines Award-winning Premium English Wines. Never had the pleasure of sipping award-winning premium English wine? With a fantastic 20% off now’s your chance! |
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JoJo Maman Bébé Stand out from the crowd & save 15%. Ensuring pregnant women, babies & children stand out from the crowd. |
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ArdMoor From fishing to shooting, riding and sailing to everyday countrywear, find everything you need for a life outdoors. Members save 15% on any order! |
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Hand Picked Hotels A Unique Collection of Hotels. Amazing Autumn Escapes. Embark on an autumn adventure with this exciting limited time offer at selected hotels, with a host of complimentary extras! |
ExaminationsWe are delighted to confirm that Dr Katy Letham will be taking on the role of Lead Examiner for FRCEM OSCE examinations, replacing Jill Stafford following her appointment to the new role of Chief Examiner. Katy, an Emergency Medicine consultant working at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, will bring a wealth of experience to the role having been the Lead Examiner for the MRCEM Primary exam for several years. Details about the recruitment process to replace Katy’s current role of Lead Examiner for the MRCEM Primary examination will be shared soon. You can find out more details about different ways to get involved with examinations here.
Examination dates and application windows for next year will be announced soon. We’re extremely grateful for all of the feedback and input we’ve received from candidates, trainee reps, examiners and committees in ensuring that the examinations calendar for next year improves our way of working and the service we offer to all our stakeholders.
TrainingNEW 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
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.
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.
IT’S 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
(Wednesdays and Thursdays – 11 am to 12 am and every two weeks)
Dates:
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
Latest publications
Here’s a selection of some of September’s most popular publications:
Consultant in Emergency Medicine
NHS Tayside
Applications are invited to work within NHS Tayside’s Emergency Medicine service which sees 75,000 new patients per annum across
Read more…
Trust Doctor (FY2 Level) in Emergency Medicine
Barts Health NHS Trust, London
£31,621 to £52,090 a year per annum
WHIPPS CROSS UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL TRUST DOCTOR (FY2 level) EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT (to include the Clinical Decision Unit -CDU)
Read more…
Consultant Emergency Medicine
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
£84,559 to £114,003 a year pa pro rata
The Emergency Department Team are seeking to appoint one enthusiastic and quality driven Consultant colleague. Come and work with us at one of the …
Read more…
A full list of vacancies is available here.
Other newsNHS and social care services are under extreme pressure. There have been record delays for people waiting for ambulances and treatment in hospital.
To provide ongoing support to services managing the current challenges, the CQC have published a new online resource for system leaders and service providers. PEOPLE FIRST presents suggested actions for individual services and the wider system to help:
Developed by our National Emergency Medicine Specialist Advisor Forum with input from representatives from across health and social care, PEOPLE FIRST sets out actions that can be taken by integrated care system (ICS) leaders, staff on the frontline, national oversight bodies (including CQC), and government.
The tool provides practical ideas and guidance to help ICSs and the services within those systems to deliver a truly person-centred urgent and emergency care pathway. It includes suggested actions to increase flow, improve staff retention, and encourage a culture of learning and improvement.
Joint letter to the Prime Minister
The Academy co-signed a letter to the new Prime Minister with the NHS Confederation, NHS Providers, National Voices and the Richmond Group of Charities warning that without urgent action on key priorities the NHS risks being trapped in a relentless cycle unable to meet rising patient need and demand. The letter identifies five key priorities in the short term:-
COVID-19
NHS Pension scheme – Proposed uplifts to member contribution tier thresholds – consultation response
Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) consulted on a proposal to uplift the pensionable earnings thresholds that determine a member’s contribution rate in accordance with the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay increase. The proposal was supported and details are set out here here.
This report highlights findings from a survey of 2,068 people aged 16 years and older in the UK. It finds that the public is pessimistic about the state of the NHS. The majority (55 per cent) think the general standard of care has got worse in the past 12 months. This is echoed by concerns about social care, with the majority of respondents (56 per cent) saying that standards have got worse over the past 12 months. It also finds that the public are concerned about the impacts of rising costs of living on the nation’s health. 57 per cent think rising living costs are a high or very high threat to the health of UK citizens and 72 per cent believe overall health and wellbeing has declined in the past 12 months.
This report highlights some of the biggest challenges affecting the quality and safety of health and social care across the UK today. It describes a ‘fragmented and complex’ patient and service user safety framework and calls for action to address the safety issues. The report’s main recommendation is the appointment of an independent Health and Social Care Safety Commissioner (or equivalent) for each UK country. These commissioners would identify current, emerging and potential risks across the whole health and social care system, and bring about the necessary action across organisations. The report goes on to consider four important themes: tackling inequalities; regulating for new risks; facing up to the workforce crisis; and accountability, fear and public safety.
Nuffield Trust – How much is Covid-19 to blame for growing NHS waiting times?
This analysis looks at access and waiting times before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. While it has accelerated a trajectory of declining NHS performance, Covid is not solely to blame for the current problems.
House of Commons Library – Adult social care workforce in England
This research briefing gives an overview of key issues and policy concerning the adult social care workforce in England. Around 1.5 million people worked in the adult social care sector in England in 2021/22, more than in the NHS. The workforce was more diverse than the population as a whole and the majority of workers were women. Around a quarter of the workforce were on zero-hours contracts, including 55 per cent of home care workers.
NHS Providers – Realising the benefits of provider collaboratives
NHS trusts will play a critical role in delivering the key purposes of integrated care systems (ICSs), often through partnership arrangements that will act as delivery vehicles within ICSs including provider collaboratives, place-based partnerships and neighbourhood multi-disciplinary teams. This briefing: provides a brief overview of how provider collaboratives are developing across England; illustrates some of the emerging benefits that collaboratives are working to realise; explores how trust leaders see the role of provider collaboratives developing within ICSs; and identifies some key enablers and risks trust boards need to consider.
Nuffield Trust – Higher inflation to erode NHS spending power
In a new blog, The Nuffield Trust describe the impact of inflation on the NHS’s spending power. As of March this year, the Department of Health and Social Care in England expected to receive an extra £30.5 billion cash increase over the three years from 2021/22 in its core funding. But given new inflation forecasts, it is estimated that original £30.5 billion cash increase will be equivalent to around £14 billion by 2024/25.
Framework agreements between the Department of Health and Social Care and its arm’s length bodies
The Government has published the framework agreements describing the working relationship between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and its arm’s length bodies (UKHSA, HFEA, HTA, NHS Resolution).
HEE Stakeholder Pulse Survey 2021-2022
HEE has published its stakeholder pulse survey for 2021-2022 which sets out perceptions of HEE from its key national stakeholders.
Best practice Urgent and Emergency Care Discharge materials
As part of the 100 Day Discharge Challenge and as a result of feedback, NHS England have launched a dedicated webpage to support regions and systems in adopting what works around discharge to improve care for patients as systems prepare for winter. For further questions please contact: england.eeci@nhs.net.
New induction programme for international medical graduates now available
The NHS Induction Programme for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) provides guidance for Trusts on how to welcome IMGs to the UK. The overarching aim is to ensure a standardised supportive induction for doctors who are new to UK practice.
The elearning session, developed in partnership with NHS England and Improvement, is aimed at IMGs and outlines expectations regarding their induction into the NHS.
By completing the session, learners will:
This programme will be accompanied by a guidance document aimed at Trusts including HR directors and medical directors and coves the contents of the indicative programme including:
For more information and to access the programme, please visit the NHS Induction Programme for International Medical Graduates webpage.
