- Editorial
- The
PTC
- 2008
Recruitment
- Allocation from ST3 to ST4
- WPBAs
and HcAT
- New Ways of
Working
- Tooke
Review
- IMG
Issues
Editorial
Welcome to the first
e-newsletter of the Psychiatric Trainees’ Committee (PTC) of the
Royal College of Psychiatrists. We are aware of the need to
improve the two-way communication between the PTC and local
trainees and these newsletters aim to keep both trainees and
trainers up to date with our activities within the College and
wider organisations on behalf of psychiatric trainees.
This newsletter gives an
overview of the PTC and the work we are doing. The Tooke
report and the 2008 recruitment process are discussed and some of
the specifics of the new training structure are explored: the
results of an online survey regarding trainees’ views about ST3 to
ST4 speciality allocation and an update on WPBAs and HcAT.
The PTC’s work exploring the interactions between training and New
Ways of Working (NWW) is outlined, including suggestions of how to
ensure training develops alongside the various ways in which NWW is
implemented.
Further information about
training issues can be found on our website pages www.rcpsych.ac.uk/training/traineessection.aspx.
Please feel free to email us at ptc@rcpsych.ac.uk about any training
issues – we would also appreciate any feedback about this
newsletter so that we can improve subsequent editions.
Back to top
The PTC
The Psychiatric Trainees’
Committee consists of 40 elected members representing all the
regions of the UK and Ireland and the armed forces. At least
one member per division must be a pre-membership psychiatric
trainee. Elections are held in half of the Divisions every year,
with members serving a two-year term with the possibility of being
re-elected for a further two years. The Committee meets at the
College four times a year and has an annual residential meeting for
the new Committee members. The agenda of meetings are focused
on various training issues and working groups of four or five
members are frequently formed in order to formulate ideas about
particular training issues.
The PTC sends a
representative to almost every Committee in the College, including
the Central Executive, the highest College Committee. Trainee
representatives do far more than observe the workings of these
Committees, and take an active role in influencing College
policy. The PTC is represented at the Academy of Medical
Royal Colleges via the Academy Trainees Group and a representative
attends the Junior Doctors Committee of the BMA.
Committee representatives also attend meetings of the European
Federation of Psychiatric Trainees and are involved in various
working groups looking at training issues across Europe.
Promoting psychiatry as a career is an important part of our work
and Committee members frequently attend careers fairs and respond
to specific career enquiries.
Membership of the PTC
provides a range of valuable opportunities for trainees, and
fulfils an important function of the College. The last year has
clearly demonstrated the need for the profession’s active
involvement in determining our future. Working within the
committee also allows the opportunity to experience first hand the
challenges that the profession is facing as a whole. There are also
significant opportunities to work alongside those who are charged
with improving postgraduate medical education and help to raise the
standard of training. Details of how to become involved are
available on our webpages - we would recommend this to
any interested trainee.
Back to top
2008
Recruitment
For 2008, recruitment into
psychiatry is being managed by local deaneries. The process runs
between 5th January and 16th May 2008 for
entry into specialty training on 6th August 2008.
Trainees can apply for as many posts in as many deaneries as they
like and are advised to check deanery websites for up to date job
adverts and information. The British Medical Association
(BMA) has already warned it expects the recruitment situation to
worsen this year, with three applicants set to compete for every
post in 2008, up from two applicants in 2007.
You can find further information
about recruitment in 2008 here: www.mmc.nhs.uk/default.aspx?page=315.
Back to top
Allocation from
ST3 to ST4
The original structure of
Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) was based on run-through training
for all specialities. For specialities such as medicine,
surgery and psychiatry, training continued to be divided into core
training for 2 or 3 years followed by specialist training in one of
the various CCT specialities.
Trainees who secured a
run-through training post in 2007 have been appointed to train in a
specific deanery until ST6, subject to satisfactory progress.
However, there was little consideration about how trainees will be
allocated into CCT specialities at the end of the ST3 year (ST2 for
medicine and surgery).
In order to ascertain the
views of psychiatric trainees the PTC conducted an anonymous
nationwide online survey in November 2007. 627 trainees
responded. Key results include:
A more detailed report of
the survey can be found here.
Although it was difficult
to draw specific conclusions, these findings were presented to the
College and also to the MMC Programme Board via the Academy
Trainees’ Group. The Board decided that CCT speciality
allocation should occur within deaneries, but with the provision
that if a trainee receives an allocation which is not a preferred
choice they may provisionally accept the offer and retain this
while attempting to gain their first choice specialty as part of an
open national competition process. Interviews to rank
trainees are currently occurring in deaneries – please contact us
if you have any concerns about this process.
Back to top
WPBAs & HcAT
Workplace-based
assessments (WPBAs) are now compulsory for all trainees in ST1-6.
They form part of the eligibility requirements for the New MRCPsych
exams and will be considered at each trainees’ Annual Review of
Competence Progression (ARCP). Their introduction requires a
steep learning curve for both trainees and trainers and a shift in
culture. It is hoped that they will prove to be valuable
tools for directing trainees’ learning and development.
Further information about WPBAs and the practicalities of using
them can be found
here.
The College have
introduced an online system for delivering WPBAs in collaboration
with Healthcare Assessment and Training (HcAT). This allows
permanent secure storage of assessments and the production of
summary reports of completed assessments. Over 2000 trainees
have registered with the College to use HcAT so far. Any trainees
who have not yet registered for HcAT should do so at www.rcpsych.ac.uk/training/e-formsforwpa.aspx.
The PTC have successfully
argued that there should be no charge to trainees for this service
until January 2009 while development of the system is ongoing. We
are aware that some people have experienced difficulties with the
system and we are working closely with the College and HcAT to
rectify these problems and improve the usability of the
system. There is extensive guidance on completing the WPBA at
www.rcpsych.ac.uk/training/wpba.aspx
but if this does not resolve your query then please contact:
hcat@sheffield.ac.uk.
Please continue to send
your feedback and comments to rjackson@rcpsych.ac.uk to
enable effective development of the system.
Back to top
New Ways of
Working (NWW)
New Ways of Working is a
joint collaboration between several bodies including the College,
several other professional bodies, and the Department of Health via
the Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) and the National
Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE). NWW was
initiated from the concern that consultant psychiatrists are
overworked and burnt-out, resulting in recruitment
difficulties. It has developed into changing the practice of
all members of the MDT, but particularly psychiatrists, with the
emphasis on reducing caseloads and routine reviews of patients by
providing more of a consultative role to team members.
Further details can be found at: www.newwaysofworking.org.uk/.
NWW has been implemented
in various ways throughout England and whilst it has been
successful in several areas there are also many who believe that it
is undermining the role of the psychiatrist and are concerned about
patient safety and lack of continuity of care.
The potential conflict
between New Ways of Working (NWW) and postgraduate psychiatric
training is becoming increasingly recognised. There are two
areas of concern: firstly, the role that trainee psychiatrists are
training for is changing under NWW. The content of training
therefore needs to reflect this changing role to ensure that future
consultant psychiatrists have the necessary skills to be successful
practitioners. Secondly, NWW has contributed to changes in
mental health service provision, alongside other policies including
the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) and National Service
Framework (NSF). One of the effects of these changes in
service provision is a significant change in the way trainees work,
as roles traditionally undertaken by junior psychiatrists are now
completed by other members of the multidisciplinary team.
The changes resulting
from NWW coincide with Modernising Medical Careers. The fact that
these changes are occurring within the same time frame presents an
opportunity to analyse the training of psychiatrists and ensure
that there are opportunities for the achievement of competencies
that are required for the modern day consultant psychiatrist.
The PTC is represented on the College’s NWW Steering Group and has
helped to ensure these training implications are recognised.
Steps are being taken to ensure that sufficient competencies of
leadership, management and supervision are included in the core and
generic components of the new postgraduate curriculum that is being
developed by the College.
The interaction between
NWW and psychiatric training also needs to be considered on the
local level, particularly as there are variations in the way NWW is
being implemented. The role of trainees in the MDT, ensuring
exposure to routine cases, out of hours working and the utilization
of consultants time for training all need thought both in the
implementation of NWW and the planning of postgraduate psychiatric
training.
Back to top
The Tooke
Review
The final report of the independent
inquiry into Modernising Medical Careers (the Tooke Review) was
published in January 2008. It states that the introduction of
Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) had been rushed and lacked
cohesion. Recommendations include widespread changes to the
structure of postgraduate medical education, with the removal of
the Foundation Year 2 and the reinstatement of core and higher
training for many specialities. The report also recommends
that the government should cease its responsibility for overseeing
the training of junior doctors and calls for an independent body to
control the recruitment of junior doctors, arguing the Department
of Health should not be in charge of funds for their training.
Included is a recommendation for the formation of NHS: Medical
Education England (NHS:MEE), which will be able to articulate the
principles of postgraduate training and help to ensure successful
implementation. The report warns that training could suffer
when the European Working Time Directive comes fully into force
next year. There is a suggestion to enable doctors to
continue to work legally for more than 48 hours a week by
separating work on the wards from training time.
You can read the final
Tooke report here (please note: this links to a PDF file
which will open in a new window).
You can read the College’s response to
the Tooke report here.
The Department of Health have
responded to Sir John Tooke’s independent inquiry into
MMC. Their response can be viewed by clicking here (please note: this
links to a PDF file which will open in a new window).
The press release by Sir John Tooke
can be viewed
here (please note: this links to a PDF file which will
open in a new window).
Back to top
IMG
issues
The PTC and the wider
College realise that, while this is a difficult time for all
trainees, those of you who are International Medical Graduates are
having to cope with the added stress of the Department of Health’s
continued drive to take away your eligibility to apply for training
posts. The government have appealed the recent court ruling
that those with HSMP visas have equal rights of application as
European Area applicants. The most up to date information on
this can be found at: www.dh.gov.uk/en/News/Recentstories/DH_082728.
The College recognises
what a large contribution IMGs make to psychiatry in this country
and continues to support the ongoing ability for HSMP holders to
apply for training posts. Full details of the College
response can be viewed at: www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/RCPsych%20view%20IMGs.pdf.
(Please note this is a PDF file and will open in a new
window).
The most up to date pragmatic
information on applying for training posts can be found at
www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/img_qa.shtml.
One particular issue,
whether IMGs can apply for training posts if their HSMP expires
prior to the expected end of the training post, is not clear from
the official guidance. The College’s position on it, however,
is:
‘The guidance on HSMP
remains subject to a legal process. Currently the deaneries are
appointing trainees whose HSMP does not cover the entire duration
of the contract. There is however a possibility that this may
be reviewed and IMGs should keep an eye out for information in the
medical and education press and the Home Office website’
The Board of International Affairs
are keen to gain a better understanding of the reasons IMGs leave
their countries of origin. They have put together a questionnaire
to better understand this. It can be found at:
www.rcpsych.ac.uk/college/internationalaffairsunit/questionnaireforimg.aspx.
Back to top
PTC newsletter editorial team
Christian Hosker, Newsletter editor
Elena Baker-Glenn, Website editor
Ollie White, Chair
Clare Oakley, Vice Chair
Paul Henderson, Honorary Secretary
Back to trainees' home
page
Page last updated on 1st
March 2008