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We may well believe that the state of the nation’s health and the methods of care provision are top priorities.  This would appear to be supported by the many regular news stories in the media and even by the unexpected celebration of the NHS at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.  Yet a recent report from The King’s Fund highlights the fact that the NHS was not a key issue in the 2010 UK election.

At a time when major change and transformation is ongoing, when public satisfaction in the NHS has fallen from 2010’s record high, and when devolution has created four distinct healthcare systems, the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management has posed the question: “How much more divergence can we manage before the free transfer of staff between the countries starts to present issues?”  No surprise then that The King’s Fund’s assessment of opinion polls concludes that the NHS is the most important issue facing Britain today.

Health appeared to play little part in the campaigning and debate preceding the European Elections.  With the previously mentioned issues, is it likely that health will take centre stage ahead of the Scottish Independence Referendum in September, or before next year’s UK General Election?  Is it safe to leave the subject in the hands of the politicians?  As front line providers of the service, at what level should doctors actively participate in the debate: passive bystanders; providers of information; active debaters or pro-active lead influencers?

We regularly receive feedback from the doctors attending our 3 Day Leadership and Management Courses that they do not feel equipped to be able to effectively contribute to the discussion.  Many are surprised by what they discover about the history, structure and finances of the NHS which are explored in detail on the third day.  Gaining clarity of such information is particularly challenging at present because of the aforementioned transformation.  Only doctors who take proactive steps to keep up with the changes are likely to understand and be able to develop well considered opinion.

If the NHS is to be higher on the political agenda over the next year or two, it’s worth asking: How well equipped am I to understand and participate in the debate?

Have you ever wondered how the application process works for Consultant Interviews?

After submitting your application the short-listing process occurs. Each candidate is assessed according to the person specification that was published with the job advert. Essential and desired criteria are awarded points with varying degrees of importance. Each candidate’s application is scored and the score allocated by each member of the appointments advisory committee is averaged to rank the candidates.

This process normally takes in the region of 3 to 4 weeks. You will be informed by the Human Resources department either by telephone, email or post, of your invitation to attend interview. Invitations for interview are often sent with no more than 10 days’ notice.

If you have never worked in the hospital or department before it makes sense to find out more about both and therefore you should arrange to have a look around the department during a “pre-short listing visit”.

You will need to arrange this appointment before you plan your journey. It is common to have many applicants for an advertised job and the department will make a decision about whether to allow candidates to visit before the shortlisting process.

The interview itself doesn’t formally start at this point but impressions made by you during your visit will stay with you if you decide to apply.

The pre-interview visit is a formal part of the job application process. It gives you an opportunity to meet departmental team members and gives them an opportunity to assess how you might fit in. The interview process formally starts during the pre-interview visit.

You should prepare for this visit with the same degree of effort as you would for your AAC panel interview. Details of how to prepare, dress, communicate, and more are discussed in detail in the Oxford Medical Consultant Interview Guide.

You should make appointments to see the Clinical Director, Medical Director and Chief Executive and whilst you are there it will do you no harm to say hello to as many prospective consultant colleagues as you can. Once you receive your invitation to interview it is not a bad idea to get straight on the phone and arrange your appointments to hopefully be accommodated within one day, thereby saving you having to make multiple journeys.

Dress as you would for the interview itself and take several copies of your CV on good quality paper, as it is common that these managers will see you between meetings or clinical commitments and may not have your CV to hand. Do not attempt to contact the Chairman, the Royal College representative or the University representative before the interview as this is considered canvassing and is not allowed by the AAC panel. Whilst visiting try to investigate what the strategic, topical and management issues are in the department and trust, possible future direction of the trust and the department’s clinical interests. These can then be brought into discussion during interview demonstrating informed knowledge and enthusiasm for the Trust.

Find out more about the Consultant Interview itself on our Consultant Interview Course page or downloading our Consultant Interview Guide.

The chief executive of the General Medical Council (GMC) has said that more needs to be done to support foreign doctors coming to the UK and to help them adjust to different social and cultural attitudes, the BBC reports.

Mr Niall Dickson said, “They need to be supported and helped, and I don’t think that the NHS or indeed we as a country have done enough to support them when they are coming into this country”.

He went on to praise foreign doctors who provide a “fantastic service” for the UK’s national health system.

His comments follow the results of a study conducted by University College London, which concluded that pass marks for entry exams sat by international doctors should be set ‘considerably higher’ as a ‘performance gap’ between international and UK-based medical graduates was found.

The research, commissioned by the GMC, suggested that the pass mark be raised from 63% to 76% after it found that 1,300 foreign doctors passed competency exams each year, but their performance following this showed that half of them should not have qualified.

“Overseas doctors have contributed tremendously to the National Health Service,” said Umesh Prabhu, national vice-chairman of the British International Doctors Association (BIDA) “The NHS wouldn’t survive without their contribution, but it’s important that we protect patients”.

Dr Chandra Kanneganti of BIDA said that the higher referral figures of foreign doctors to the GMC could also be a result of issues such as communication differences and racism.

The UK is home to over 95,000 foreign-trained doctors, amounting to a quarter of the total number of doctors.

Mr Dickson explained that foreign doctors need guidance; he said, “Doctors are a bit like flowers. We can’t just take them up from one garden and plonk them down in another and expect them to thrive.”

Oxford Medical currently works to support overseas and UK doctors, on a non-clinical and personal level, and in their career development. “In order to help overseas doctors develop in the UK, communication training, and essentials in leadership and management are the most appropriate skills to develop” said Stephen McGuire, Training Manager at Oxford Medical.