Health Management and Policy Alert

The NHS bursary scheme new rules: 8th edition for the academic year 2019 to 2020

Department of Health and Social Care -
This guidance contains information for students and higher education institutions about the NHS Bursary Scheme rules that apply for the academic year 2019 to 2020.

• Guidance
• Department of Health and Social Care - publications

Enhancing supervision for postgraduate doctors in training

Health Education England -
This report sets out what high quality supervision looks like for doctors in training and provides a practical toolkit to assist trainees and supervisors. It forms part of a suite of resources including a handbook, a standards document and animation film and aims to provide trainees, trainers and supervisors with easy to understand information to ensure supervision is delivered and received in the best possible way.

• Report
• Health Education England - resources

National training surveys 2019: initial findings report

General Medical Council (GMC) -

More than 75,000 doctors in training and trainers took part in this year's GMC surveys. This initial findings report outlines the key trends across the UK. 

• Report
• More detail

Promoting professionalism, reforming regulation: government response to the consultation

Department of Health and Social Care - 

The original consultation set out proposals to make professional regulation faster, simpler and more responsive to the needs of patients, professionals, the public and employers. In this response, the government states it will take forward legislative changes to the regulators’ fitness to practise processes and operating framework. It believes these changes will deliver: modern and efficient fitness to practise processes; better supported professionals; and more responsive and accountable regulation.

• Response
• More detail

Right-touch assurance for sonographers based on risk of harm arising from practice

Professional Standards Authority - 

This report, commissioned by Health Education England, assesses the risk of harm arising from the practice of sonographers. The role of a sonographer requires a high degree of skill and clinical knowledge across a range of areas, and individuals often practise with significant autonomy. The report concludes that statutory regulation would need to be considered in future, if the changes to routes of entry to the profession and to the practice of sonography identified in the report materialise. Currently, risks appear to be well controlled because most of those practising as sonographers are already regulated in other professional roles and they hold postgraduate qualifications.

• Report
• Press release

Being fair: supporting a just and learning culture for staff and patients following incidents in the NHS

NHS Resolution - 

This guidance highlights the need for the NHS to involve users of care services and staff in safety investigations. It aims to help the NHS to create an environment to better support staff when things go wrong and to encourage learning from incidents. Key challenges include: fear, equity and fairness; and bullying and harassment.

• Guidance
• Press release

Voluntary reporting on disability, mental health and wellbeing: workforce report 2019

Department of Health and Social Care -

The voluntary report sets out work the department is doing to support staff and promote good practice around disability, mental health and wellbeing. It highlights the support that DHSC has in place for all employees, including for those with disabilities, support for people with mental health issues, and the wider initiatives in place for all staff to promote their wellbeing.

• Report
• More detail

Fair to refer?: reducing disproportionality in fitness to practise concerns reported to the GMC

General Medical Council -
Employers and health care providers refer black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) doctors to the GMC at more than double the rate of their white counterparts. This means they have more chance of being investigated and, in turn, receiving a warning or sanction. This research finds that disproportionate referrals of BAME doctors to fitness to practise processes could be driven by poor induction and support, working patterns which leave them isolated and poor feedback by managers.

• Report
• General Medical Council - press release

Enhancing Junior Doctors’ Working Lives: annual progress report 2019

Health Education England - 

The Enhancing Junior Doctors’ Working Lives programme was established in March 2016, to address a range of issues that were having a significant negative impact on the quality of life of doctors in training. This progress report outlines the expanded opportunities for training less than full time, flexible portfolio training and development of Out of Programme Pause, cementing the flexible training agenda at the forefront of this programme.

• Report
• More detail

Fair to refer? Reducing disproportionality in fitness to practise concerns reported to the GMC

General Medical Council (GMC) - 

This research was commissioned to understand why some groups of doctors are referred to the GMC for fitness to practise concerns more, or less, than others by their employers or contractors and what can be done about it. In particular, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) doctors, overseas graduates, older male doctors and some non-specialist doctors are more likely than their counterparts to be referred to the GMC by employers or healthcare providers.

• Report
• Press release