An open letter to the BMJ.
An open letter to the BMJ.Our NHS struggles to identify cost savings without impairing quality and efficiency. Sometimes its sheer scale can make it difficult to see how any one person or team can make a significant difference.
In a recent edition of BMJ, David Oliver correctly points out: ‘To become an effective consultant, learning through clinical practice isn’t sufficient: it increasingly requires grounding in leadership, management, research, appraisal, and quality improvement. These skills are taught by existing consultants, taking time away from direct patient care.’
Developing any quality training event takes considerable time and effort. One-hour sessions require several hours of preparation. Creating a one-day course implies significant time away from direct patient care – unless this work is undertaken voluntarily ‘out-of-hours’.
How many doctors are at any one time developing teaching sessions on the exactly same subject? What are the associated costs and time away from patients? With each of these doctors inventing their ‘own version of the wheel’, how variable are the standards?
The attempts of numerous Trusts to save costs through staying in-house collectively cost the NHS dearly, both in time and money, with variable quality results. Other options are available.
Letter sent to the BMJ by Stephen McGuire, Training Manager, Oxford Medical Training, on 13th September 2016 in response to Don’t undervalue non-clinical work; David Oliver; BMJ 2016;354:i4656
Oxford Medical Training specialise in developing teaching, interview, communication, leadership and management skills for doctors.
