NHS Education for Scotland
Minutes of the meeting of the Scottish Specialty Board for Training in Diagnostic Specialties held at 11.00 am on Wednesday 17 September 2014 in Room 6, 2 Central Quay, 89 Hydepark Street, Glasgow
Present: Dr Peter Johnston (PJ) (Chair), Dr Celia Aitken (CA) part meeting, Dr Raj Bhat (RB), Dr Daniel Ho (DH), Dr John Hood (JH), Dr Wilma Kincaid (WK), Dr Marie Mathers (MM) deputising for Dr Paul Fineron, Dr Shona Olson (SO), Dr David Summers (DS) part meeting.
In attendance: Ms Helen McIntosh (HM).
Apologies: Dr John Bremner (JB), Dr Paul Fineron (PF), Professor Stewart Fleming (SF), Dr Peter Galloway (PG), Professor Graeme Houston (GH), Dr Ronald MacVicar (RM), Dr Hamish McRitchie (HMcR), Professor Gillian Needham (GN), Professor Rowan Parks (RP), Ms Karen Shearer (KS), Ms Janice Soroka (JS), Dr Jennifer Tolhurst (JT), Dr Emma Watson (EW), Dr Jonathan Weir-McCall (JWM).
Item / Action1. / Welcome and apologies
The Chair welcomed all to the meeting and apologies were noted.
2. / Minutes of meeting held on 9 July 2014
The minutes were approved as a correct record of the meeting and will be posted on the website.
3. / Matters arising/actions from previous meeting
3.1 / Membership update
The Chair welcomed Dr Raj Bhat (RB) to his first meeting as EoS Radiology representative. He will seek confirmation of a NoS replacement representative and also a replacement lay representative. He noted recruitment for lay representatives was currently taking place. / PJ
3.2 / ST6 Paediatric Radiology post
Following discussion the STB agreed it would be helpful to establish Fellowship posts which would provide training posts for the development of trainees and for the benefit of the service. PJ noted there was precedent for this ie Remote and Rural GP Fellowships. He will highlight the STB proposal in his report to MDET. / PJ
3.2 / Influencing the Histopathology undergraduate curriculum: update
PJ noted the recent survey of undergraduates in Pathology training which produced a list of what undergraduates should be exposed to in training. The research was well organised and he hoped it will soon be published.
3.3 / Conclusion of Reshaping Project
PJ acknowledged the helpful input to specialty data from Dr Tom Taylor for Radiology and information provided by Dr Lee Jordan for Histopathology and by the Managed Pathology Network. He thanked all for their input. HM will check the status of the information sent to MDET for its response to Scottish Government. To date no new funding has been received for Diagnostics specialties other than that for the 2 Interventional Radiology posts. PJ also noted the report submitted on behalf of the Diagnostics Steering Group’s short life working group which had produced no apparent result or action.
Noted: the Reshaping Project was now concluded. / HM
3.4 / Scottish Shape of Training Transition Group: Terms of Reference
The document was received for information. PJ will highlight concerns around consultation in his MDET update report. / PJ
3.5 / Future of National Recruitment
PJ’s response to the College stated that as an advisory body the STB could not comment on the email. He had encouraged TPDs as individuals to respond directly to the College email.
3.6 / Higher Specialist Scientist (HSST) training in NHS Scotland update - for information
Discussion at previous meeting was noted.
4. / Scottish Training Survey (STS)
Niall MacIntosh (NM), NES Quality Improvement Manager, highlighted the work of the survey. This has replaced PAQs and will be conducted at the end of post using Pinnacle extracts for trainee data. The survey was piloted last year and questions revised. It ran this year in July and August and although not compulsory participation was encouraged and it had an 83% response rate. The survey was still being refined and a Quality Improvement Data Manager will be appointed later in the year to take the work forward.
Core questions were now set and they were seeking suggestions from STBs on specialty specific areas – suggestions received so far included Educational Supervisor input; the number of clinics attended in Geriatric Medicine training; experience in specific areas such as clinical trials and chemotherapy. This was an indicator based survey and if required one could be added to the survey for Diagnostics specialties. He noted awareness that trainees in some specialties did not leave post until the end of training and hoped that the replacement system for Pinnacle will allow the survey to be sent once per year and in future as an automatic process.
Space for free text response was available. While all responses made to the survey were anonymous if particular issues were flagged trainees could be asked if they were happy to be identified to allow these to be taken further.
WK noted the Royal College of Radiology conducted its own annual regional survey which produced good data. NM said that while not wishing to create extra surveys he asked for feedback to him or PJ on any specific areas specialties would like explored. Once the QI Data Manager was in post it was hoped to run the STS in February 2015 so any comments and issues flagged up in the next month would be helpful to allow questions to be worked up for inclusion. A reporting tool was being developed which will be web based and based on Indicators.
It was agreed to ask specialty leads to circulate requests for specialty specific areas to include in the STS - JH and Pota Kalima for Medical Microbiology; PG for Chemical Pathology; CA for Virology and SO for Radiology. PJ will also ask Histopathology leads to discuss it at the leads meeting arranged for later in the afternoon. Feedback to be sent to PJ/HM by the beginning of November. / JH/PK,
PG, CA,
SO, PJ
5. / Recruitment update
PJ asked TPDs to consider recruitment numbers per specialty/per programme by the end of September and to send information to PJ for discussion at the next STB meeting. He will continue to make the case for an increase in numbers.
PJ will check with MDET what the process was regarding Inter Deanery Transfer/Inter Regional Transfer relating to ST1. / TPDs
PJ
6. / Scottish Medical Training Careers Fair 2014
PJ stressed the need to ensure materials were available on the specialty stand on the day. Training Ambassadors will be present and participate in the event. The event will be reviewed and a decision made on whether it will become an annual event.
7. / Decommissioning the 3 subspecialties of Histopathology
PJ confirmed Neuropathology, Paediatric Pathology and Forensic Pathology were now specialties rather than subspecialties. However as there were still people in existing programmes these could not be decommissioned until they finished training and this could take some time. There was no suggestion of people transferring to the new specialty curriculum and so this should provide reassurance for those subspecialty trainees.
8. / Update reports
8.1 / Liaison Dean
PJ reported on GN’s behalf there were no particular issues to raise.
8.2 / Histopathology
PJ noted an issue in NoS relating to Neuropathology. As NHS Grampian had not filled the post it was not possible to train some early year parts of the curriculum in NoS and training was being provided in Edinburgh instead. This has raised some issues regarding travelling expenses for attending compulsory training. The training itself carried no fee and the only cost was travel and subsistence. RB said that Dundee had a similar arrangement and it provided funding for expenses from the departmental budget. As part of the curriculum this should not come from the study leave budget.
8.3 / Radiology
No additional information was received.
8.4 / Medical Microbiology
JH reported on the meeting held in WoS on 22 August to discuss with ID colleagues the implementation of the agreed curriculum which has been approved for August 2015. Every ID trainee will spend a year in Medical Microbiology/Virology and vice versa in the first 2 years of training. Recommendations from the meeting were:
· National Programme – West/East.
· Application to GMC for programme as soon as possible – particularly for new sites to accommodate new trainees in ID.
· National TPD – appointed from the 3 specialties – however this was not a new specialty but a new curriculum and there will be no common CCT.
· Strong support for recruitment to dual training – no single specialty training posts however an extra year in GIM/ID which had financial and service implications.
· Triple CCTs – would this be allowed as there was no support from the College.
PJ said felt it would be logical to have one national Scottish programme with one TPD plus local programme leads instead of TPDs in each area. The programme will comprise 41-42 people so could easily split into 2 programmes however as smaller units sat underneath training could become fragmented. He felt it would be easier to co-ordinate one structure rather than 2 in terms of programme design. Ultimately MDET would decide based on advice from the STB.
The recommendation from the STB was agreed – a national programme with one TPD and local arrangements and local role to be defined. JH will discuss the recommendation with colleagues and how to put in place local arrangements.
In terms of recruitment, the decision on which programme individuals were placed in would take place at recruitment at Year 1 requiring confirmation of the number of places for February 2015. Runthrough Medicine had followed a similar model based on numbers required for HST however this had proved difficult due to the number of people who dropped out of programme, failed exams or moved into other specialty training. It was agreed that for 2015 recruitment the advice of the STB was to recruit to a combined output and all trainees to be dual eg ID/GIM or ID/Virology. There were 2 posts in EoS in ID/Virology to recruit to this would not be an issue. PJ will include this in his MDET update report. This would mean that existing trainees would not be able to undertake ID or Acute Medical take.
JH confirmed that those in transitional arrangements would continue with the assessment process for their current programme and those in the new curriculum will undertake whatever was the required assessment. / JH
PJ
8.5 / Virology
8.6
8.7
8.8 / Chemical Pathology and Metabolic Medicine
Trainees
Academic issues
8.9
8.10 / Service issues
Lay representative
No additional updates were received.
9. / AOB
9.1 / TPD appointment
WK reported the appointment of TPDs in Paediatric Pathology and Forensic Pathology and suggested consideration of STB representation.
9.2 / Paediatric Pathology recruitment
WK noted there was a recruitment crisis in Paediatric Pathology; the new TPD has produced information on retirals etc.
9.3 / ARCP consistency
WK reported that in interviewing for IR subspecialty posts it became apparent that ARCP outcomes varied between different parts of the country. She felt it would be helpful to have a structure for what was required for ARCP and an outcome template to be used across all Scotland. SO noted the Royal College of Radiology had a decision aid for ARCPs however this was guidance only. It was agreed she will bring the decision aid to the next STB meeting for discussion and seek evidence from TPDs regarding ARCP consistency.
Noted: Radiology representatives agreed it would be useful to re-instate Scottish Radiology TPD meetings. / SO
10. / Date and time of next meeting
It was agreed to change the date of the next arranged meeting on 5 November 2014.
[Subsequently the meeting was cancelled – the next meeting will take place at 10.30 am on Tuesday 16 December 2014 in Forest Grove House, Foresterhill, Aberdeen (with videoconference facilities).
The STB agreed to reduce the frequency of meetings in 2015 to 6 meetings per year and to reduce the number of face-to-face meetings to one per year.
Summary of actions arising from the meeting
Item no / Item name / Action / Who3.
3.1 / Matters arising/actions from previous meeting
Membership update / To seek confirmation of NoS replacement representative and replacement lay representative. / PJ
3.2 / ST6 Paediatric Radiology post / To highlight the STB proposal for establishment of Fellowship posts in MDET report. / PJ
3.3 / Conclusion of Reshaping Project / To check status of MDET response. / HM
3.4 / Scottish Shape of Training Transition Group: Terms of Reference / To highlight concerns around consultation in MDET report. / PJ
4. / Scottish Training Survey (STS) / Specialty leads to circulate requests for specialty specific areas to include in the STS; to ask Histopathology leads to discuss at meeting later in the afternoon. Feedback to be sent to PJ/HM by the beginning of November. / JH/PK,
PG, CA,
SO, PJ
5. / Recruitment update / To consider recruitment numbers per specialty/per programme by the end of September and send information to PJ for discussion at the next STB meeting.; to check IDT/IRT process with MDET. / TPDs
PJ
8.
8.4 / Update reports
Medical Microbiology / To discuss STB’s advice re programme and local arrangements with colleagues; to highlight in MDET report. / JH
PJ
9.
9.3 / AOB
ARCP consistency / To bring the RCR decision aid to next STB meeting for discussion; to seek evidence from TPDs regarding ARCP consistency. / SO
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Diagnostics STB/Minutes of meeting held on 17 September 2014