News and opportunities

Breaking news

• Many trainees are understandably concerned about the recent #BawaGarba case. Please read statements from the MDU, AoMRC, GMC and the BMA. As trainee Reps we advise you to review your reflections on your ePortfolio and consider removing any information you would not wish to be used against you in the event of an SI. We understand the value of reflection, but advise that if you have any concerns about written reflection specifically, you should write minimal details about the clinical incident in questions and a statement such as “I have reflected on this event and discussed with my educational supervisor”.
• HEE is currently undertaking a consultation. It is a long document, but is very important as the results of this consultation will ave a huge impact on future training. Please do take the time to review it and respond individually. We are drafting a response on behalf of Respiratory trainee Reps collectively. https://consultation.hee.nhs.uk
• We have had clarification from the STC for those nearing CCT. In the past it was assumed people would take up their grace period unless they stated otherwise. Recently much fewer people have been taking up their grace period, which has led to problems in planning rotations and has left gaps. In future, the grace period will be opt-in. Please give 6 months notice of your plans, just as you would for OOP. If you know that you will take up your grace period if you do not have a Consultant post at this point let your TPD know. If you then get a Consultant job, you will need to give the usual 3 months notice to leave and take up the new post.
• Changeover is just around the corner once again. Please consider writing a handover document if one does not already exist for your post. Please use this template and annotate with all the essential information to make the transition for the SpR who follows you easy–> Resp guide for SpRs template.
• Now is also a great time to fill in the hospital trust update form (which is very short) about your most recent post. Some places still have incomplete information – eg Barts, Broomfield, North Mid (who are the Consultants? What are NIV arrangements?), Southend (who are the Consultants? What are NIV arrangements?). Please help us keep this information up to date so that trainees can request placements to meet their needs.
• Remember that you should be using the new standardised logbook to document bronchs, pleural procedures and NIV setups. Trainees do not have to transfer data already collected, but should use this template from now on to log all procedures. You can find the logbook on the JRPCTB website, or download directly here –>  Respiratory Logbook_2017
• We have updated a number of sections of the website, including: FAQs, ARCP and PYA, Leadership and Management, and Research. Please take a look and let us know what else should be on there.

Respiratory Training Programme

• We have some training days coming up and are hoping more dates for training days in 2018 will be confirmed soon. Why don’t you ask your clinical lead to confirm the date for the training day at your hospital? Why not offer to help find a speaker or two, or suggest a topic to help make it relevant to your training needs?
  • 7th Feb Royal Free
  • 9th March UCLH
  • April  ?Queens and King George ? Pan-London training day – date tbc
  • May ?North Mid – date tbc
  • 6th June Whittington
  • July Barts Health (Barts, Whipps X, Newham) – date tbc
  • Aug no training day (holidays)
  • Sep Basildon Pan-London training day – date tbc
  • Oct Homerton – date tbc (plus Bronch training at Royal Free for new ST3s)
  • Nov Pan-London training day?
  • Dec no training day (Winter BTS)
  • Jan Barts Health (Barts, Whipps X, Newham) – date tbc

The latest version of the curriculum map can be found here: . Have a look at what has been covered most recently, and share with your Consultants in order to plan topics that have not been covered for a while, or are unique to your service. You can also find our proposal for an annual rolling programme here: RespNet_proposal_annual. Share with your consultants and encourage everyone to plan ahead so we can all arrange leave and plan the service in good time.

These are the topics we suggest would be good to cover in the next few training days:

• tracheostomy care
• optiflow (evidence, indications)
• Radiology – bring back the quizzes
• sleep-disordered breathing, particularly keen on a masterclass in sleep study interpretation
• pulmonary rehab – evidence, quality, impact
• sarcoidosis management
• physiology
• palliative care – pharma/non-pharma management, evidence
• management and leadership

All these dates are supposed to be on synapse, and we are supposed to sign up for them in the same way as GIM days. Unfortunately there is no relevant information on the Respiratory page of synapse (Dashboard -> Respiratory Medicine –> NENC Regional Training days):  https://secure.synapse.nhs.uk/pages/group_1486/daf4a0be587639d67cfa511963bdcc7b 

GIM Training Programme

• The next regional GIM teaching day on an unknown date at an unknown location! UCLP are no longer running GIM training so there is no information on their website. UCLP now only do professional development (see below). Instead it has been taken back by HEE and you (unfortunately) need to use Synapse to get information on training days. Despite feedback that Synapse is terrible, the powers that be have decided to continue to use it. To make sure you get GIM training day info you need to:Click My profile, Under My training programmes clicked ‘Add another’, There select KSS Schools of Medicine and in the next drop box General internal medicine north sector. Saying that, there is currently no information on the GIM pages on future training days…. Here is the direct link once you’ve logged in https://secure.synapse.nhs.uk/pages/group_1502/19b4fea9f443618a00d3c1fc6554b17f    
• The next monthly acute medicine teaching sessions, run by registrars for registrars at UCLP on Tottenham Court Road is on 15th February (they are on the 2nd Thursday of every month) 4-6pm, Tottenham Court Road. Book via Eventbrite. The theme is Toxicology and Ethics/Resource Management.
• A number of UCLP training sessions are available, focused on professional development. These include sessions on quality improvement, leadership, self-care and resilience, and cultural health factors.  Find details, dates and links to book via Eventbrite on the UCLP pages. The trainee Reps have been on several of these so ask them about which ones were particularly good.
• Please make sure you arrange your placements in Pulmonary HTN, CF, OcLD, and your management course so that they are spread out throughout your training. They should not all be done in the last year, and there are advantages to taking some earlier, pre-SCE. Have a look at FAQs on tips on how to arrange.

External/Additional Training

• Upcoming Teach-Ins at the Royal College of Physicians include: Diabetes on 6th February, and Cardiology on 6th March.  The RCP are streaming some events, including Teach-ins, and has an archive so you can catch up with events you missed.
• Sign up to the PLAN (Pan-London Airways Network) newsletter to hear of free educational events open to the entire Respiratory MDT. A great opportunity to learn alongside MDT colleagues and sign-off curriculum competencies – why not invite your specialist nurse and physio colleagues?
• Follow @resptrainees and take a look at the Respiratory Futures Trainees website. Resources are being added all the time, and a podcast series on Respiratory careers is planned for the end of this year. Recommend your own resources and share the love with your fellow Respiratory trainees
• HEE (what was The London Deanery eons ago) provide some funded courses, free career advice and individual support. Make the most of these great opportunities by having a look at the website and booking yourself onto something

Jobs/OOP/Opportunities

• The ERS has a number of fellowships on offer.
• The BTS highlights a number of funding opportunities relevant to Respiratory trainees on its’ pages.
• Remember that even if specific research jobs are not advertised, Consultants with academic positions are always looking for enthusiastic SpRs to join them. They may have pots of money for projects, or may have ideas that could become an MD/PhD. You’ll never know if you don’t ask. Ask around, and get in touch with anyone on the research pages for more info. Wondering whether you want to pursue a future in academic Respiratory medicine? Why not watch the BTS video featuring Dr John Hurst?

Committees

• TPMC –> now Pan-London STC
  • Please get in touch to raise issues you want us to bring up at the next STC meeting. In the new model, with HEE at the helm, we are meeting with all London TPDs.  Let us know what concerns you so we can be an effective trainee voice on the committee.

Conferences

• ATS 18-23rd May (San Diego)
• BTS Summer 14-15th June (Manchester) – accepting abstracts. Submit your QIP, case reports and research!
• ERS 15-19th Sep (Paris)
• PCRS 28-29th Sep (Telford)

Other

• Have a look at the COPD audit forum on the Respiratory Futures BTS site. It brings together information, learning and QI resources. Don’t reinvent the wheel – use the experiences of others to improve care for patients with COPD in your Trust.
• Please send us info on your current or previous jobs directly by email, or through the updated and shorter anonymous update form. If you are currently out of programme please send information on your most recent, most liked or most hated post!