Each year the Trust takes part in the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Training Survey, the results of which help the organisation to monitor the quality of medical education. Looking at all aspects of education, the questionnaire this year was completed by over 51,000 doctors in training and 19,000 mentors in England.
DBTH’s Intensive Care Unit placed second out of all NHS providers across the country for ‘overall satisfaction’. Scoring high amongst learners and mentors alike the team were praised for the feedback given, clinical supervision as well as the supportive environment fostered within the department, amongst many other indicators.
Elsewhere in the Trust, Stroke, Geriatrics, General Internal Medicine and General Surgery were named as first, or joint-first, in Yorkshire and Humber. Notable improvements have also been seen in nine other specialities ranging from Anaesthetics, Cardiology and Endocrine to Obstetrics, Renal and Otolaryngology.
These results cap a particularly successful number of years for education within the Trust, with region-topping results in the same survey in 2017. In January 2018 the organisation celebrated its first full year as a Teaching Hospital and now trains more than 25% of all medical students in the area.
Karen Barnard, Director of People and Organisational Development at the Trust, said: “We are pleased to have had another fantastic year of feedback from our learners, underlining our clear and determined commitment to training and education.
“I want to thank each and every member of Team DBTH for making the Trust not only a fantastic place to work, but also to learn, welcoming our students and creating a supportive environment in which to develop as clinicians and health professionals.”
Since becoming a Teaching Hospital, the Trust has maintained a focus upon innovation, improvement, inclusivity, person centered care and leadership. To complement this, there has also been an increased emphasis on educational and clinical supervision, with an enhanced consultant presence from 9am to 9pm which has helped to create a supportive environment for learners. Mentors are also around more often, improving relationships between supervisors and learners.
Going forward DBTH intends to use this feedback to ensure learners receive high quality training in a safe and effective clinical environment as well as improving certain departments and services to reach their full potential. It is the Trust’s ambition to do even better next year.