The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) welcomes the findings and recommendations of Professor Sir John Temple’s report Time for Training on the impact of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) on junior doctor training.
Clearly, the report recommendations may not chime with each specialty as service demands and patient expectations differ from specialty to specialty. However, many of the recommendations put forward by Professor Sir Temple are in line with the College’s own views.
There is broad recognition within O&G that consultant working patterns in the labour ward will need to change in order for safe and good quality services to be provided. This includes flexible working hours and the provision of consultant-led out-of-hours care. Appropriate remuneration, statutory rest periods after a night shift and mentoring and support for new consultants are required if these changes are put into place.
The RCOG has stated in the past that in order for the EWTD to work, junior doctors need to maximise their training opportunities by treating each clinical session as a lesson. Alongside this, the use of new technologies via simulation and through e-Learning will make it easier for junior doctors to train and the RCOG has already developed a basic practical skills simulation course aimed at Foundation up to ST3 levels. It is currently exploring intermediate skills simulation packages and has been working with e-Learning for Healthcare (eLfH) on an online training programme over the past year.
Professor Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, RCOG President said “We are pleased to see that many of the recommendations in today’s Temple report resonate with the College’s own solutions to the EWTD.
“With the increasing birth rate and more complicated pregnancies, there is real urgency for us to ensure that NHS maternity services are consultant-led. This has been shown to improve clinical outcomes and junior doctor supervision.
“We can only provide a safe service if our junior doctors get the best training available to them. The EWTD has imposed certain restrictions on us and we have had to think carefully and creatively on how we can improve training without compromising on our high standards. We will work with the Department of Health to ensure that our trainees receive the support they need to advance to the CCT stage and beyond.”
The RCOG will publish its own trainees survey and views about the EWTD in due course.
9 June 2010
Notes
To view a copy of Time for Training: A Review of the impact of the European Working Time Directive on the quality of training please click here.