Concerns over non-specialist trainers

The <strong><em>Medical Independent</em></strong> (<strong><em>MI</em></strong>) understands that the Group provided the Council with a list of trainers at clinical training sites last November. A check of the Medical Register revealed that an average of 4 per cent of trainers were in the General Division, but this was as high as 15 per cent in one hospital. Trainers should be registered in the Specialist Division, according to the Council.

A SSWHG spokesperson told <strong><em>MI</em></strong> it “recognised the importance” of postgraduate training inspections and remained committed to the full implementation of recommendations in a recent Council publication on the inspection.

“Hospital consultants have a defined role in the training of the medical workforce and are actively engaged with same across the SSWHG, and at this time the SSWHG is currently recruiting two training leads whose remit will focus on medical workforce training-related issues across the Group.”

Last week, the Council published reports on inspections carried out across the Saolta University Health Care Group and SSWHG.

It found that Saolta was 64 per cent fully compliant with intern training standards, while the SSWHG was 34 per cent fully complaint. Saolta was 30.5 per cent fully compliant with specialist training standards, while SSWHG was 23 per cent fully compliant.

The area of protected training time was a particular concern, according to the Council.

Other findings included interns being asked to perform duties above their grade, and “allegations of bullying being observed by interns which went unchallenged by other members of a multidisciplinary team”.