5 4 Welcoming international doctors of the future Dozens of international medical graduates (IMGs) are set to benefit from a new clinical attachment programme which will see them spend two weeks in a RFL department. The programme is open to graduates who complete their education in medicine abroad, and provides them with a first step into the NHS, an opportunity to interact with teams and meet other people in a similar position to them. Zarina Khan, head of quality, postgraduate medical education, said the programme fills a gap in London. “My inbox gets at least three or four requests a week from doctors overseas or who recently moved to the UK who are looking for an attachment or an observership, and consultants in the trust also let me know they’ve had similar requests,” Zarina said. “A lot of senior doctors in the trust want to give back and help others into the system so we thought it would be a good idea to create a coordinated scheme to offer that.” The programme was piloted in February and saw over 580 applications for just 20 places on the programme. Those who were chosen to participate were matched with their area of interest as much as possible, ranging from general surgery, neurology, oncology, to obstetrics and gynaecology, epidemiology and trauma and orthopaedics, amongst others. Wahidul Khan, from London but educated in Bulgaria, took part in the pilot. He spent two weeks in general surgery with a focus on colorectal surgery. “When I came in I was expecting to just be shadowing doctors, but Where can we improve While the results are positive overall, they also show that work is still needed to address areas such as discrimination; raising concerns; bullying and harassment; and engagement with our bank staff who continue to feel their voices need to be heard. Other areas that require improvement include staff morale and appreciation; health and wellbeing; and unwanted behaviour and sexual harassment. RFL group chief executive Peter Landstrom said: “It’s great that we have heard from more of our staff than ever in the latest annual NHS staff survey. This is not about hitting a percentage; it’s genuinely wanting to hear from as many of you as possible, ensuring feedback reflects the experience of everyone who works at the trust. “There are some really clear messages in this year’s results. Colleagues feel like there are more staff around and some of the big vacancy gaps have improved. We also know that staff are feeling like they can contribute to the organisation and feel supported to reach their potential. there was a full introduction on the first day with presentations about what to expect,” he said. “While we can be proud of this progress, there’s still important work to do in other areas, such as discrimination experienced by staff; speaking up; unwanted behaviour and sexual harassment. “We will focus our efforts on these areas going forward, and build on the initiatives already underway, such as our Freedom from Racism programme, health and wellbeing support, and our efforts to ensure staff feel confident to speak up when they have concerns.” Next steps We will be taking steps to act on your feedback and improve your experience of working at the RFL. This includes identifying areas that performed particularly well and encouraging the sharing of best practice across the organisation. We will continue to listen to staff feedback throughout the coming year and work with you to address areas that can be improved. The detailed results can be read on Freenet. Staff survey: progress made but work to do The staff survey results are in The results of the 2023 NHS staff survey have been published and show we have made improvements across every key area compared to last year and we need to do more to address your feedback. The staff survey identifies areas where the trust is performing well and where improvements need to be made, providing a valuable snapshot of what it’s like to work at the RFL. Wahidul Khan who took part in the pilot Mahnoor Bokhari, who found the pilot “really helpful” Participants and staff involved in organising the pilot “On the ward I really enjoyed getting to know the first year junior doctors as they are on a similar level to me. Everyone made me feel as if I was part of the team which has helped me build confidence in applying for a role in the NHS. I was also in theatres for a six-hour abdominal reconstruction surgery, and as a junior doctor that is amazing to witness. “There are lots of us who are born and raised in the UK but graduate from abroad and an opportunity like this is very special to learn more about the NHS. We sometimes feel imposter syndrome, but once here you realise you are more than capable of working in the NHS. The RFL is definitely somewhere I can see myself working in the future.” Mahnoor Bokhari, also took part in the programme, being placed in cardiology. “The NHS is really different to what I’m used to in Pakistan, particularly the digital systems so the two weeks have been really helpful. I now know more about the structure of the NHS and how everything works, and what is required of a junior doctor in applying for future jobs. “It was also quite a social experience,” she said. “I met a lot of people in the same boat as me. During lunch breaks we would meet up and discuss the wards and how things were going.” Application details for the first official cohort of the programme will soon be shared on our website. “ The RFL is definitely somewhere I can see myself working in the future”
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