Recognise educational opportunities in smaller units
We believe that the educational opportunities afforded by smaller units, particularly in delivering a broad range of care with a high personal level of responsibility, have been insufficiently recognised and exploited. We recommend that a review be carried out of the opportunities and challenges to assist such units in promoting services and the benefits to larger units of linking with them. Action: Health Education England, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Royal College of Midwives.
- Health Education England committed to using its quality management of placements to explore training opportunities in smaller hospitals such as Furness General (Learning Not Blaming, Cm 9113, Department of Health, July 2015).
- No published report of the Health Education England working group's findings on training in smaller and isolated units has been identified.
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
Accepted19. We accept this recommendation in principle. Work already underway by Health
Education England addresses this recommendation. Health Education England is
committed to supporting efforts to improve the quality of patient care by ensuring that
its quality management infrastructure ensures the delivery of high quality training in
sites where safe services are provided.
20. Health Education England recognises that there are particular challenges in
attracting and retaining students, trainees and learners to work in smaller and/or
isolated hospitals and that this can exacerbate problems such as those described at
Furness General Hospital.
21. They have established a Working Group to consider the issues raised by the
Investigation in relation to making best use of smaller units in the provision of
training. While focussing on maternity services this group will look at the broader
issues for trainees from other professions. Health Education England intends to
complete its initial review by the spring of 2016.
22. Health Education England will also use its wider work on quality management
of placements and training posts to explore opportunities to improve training
provision and take-up in hospitals such as Furness General.
Investigations: 23