Foreword

A warm welcome to the August edition of your Deanery newsletter, particularly to those new to training in Scotland and to all of our new Foundation Doctors. I do hope you will really enjoy what we have to offer and flourish during your time in the Deanery! Over the next year my team will be engaging with you on how to improve the working and learning experience in NHS Scotland. For those new to training in Scotland, we are always keen to hear from you about experiences, thoughts or ideas to improve your own or others experiences.

For all trainees I want you to remember the slide at induction about breaks.

On a full shift rota, or during a day shift, you should have a 30 min break for every 5 hours of work.  Any shift over 9 hours requires 2 x 30 minute breaks.

If you start work at 8am, you should have a 30 min break before 1pm.

No Junior Doctor should work for more than 5 hours without a break.

Breaks are essential and you must take them. It is very busy in healthcare in Scotland just now, and that can seem overwhelming for all of us, try to take a few minutes with those you are working with to check in. It is OK to ask for help – even of others don’t seem to.

I hope you all saw this slide too.

To get you off to a great start the newsletter signposts you to the Scotland Deanery website: a great resource where you can learn all there is to offer and find important guidance, forms and documentation.  On the website we also flag-up our new Paediatric web pages. 

I would like to highlight the imminent launch of our new Turas Study Leave App that will make applying for, approving and receiving study leave funding easier- we would like to hear your experience of using the app after it goes live.

Turning to wider practice, we are pleased to introduce our new Human Factors Online Hub, a one stop area where you can learn more about how healthcare can be made safer through design and technology. We also feature some of our work to improve equity, diversity and inclusivity, outlining the key messages we want to promote amongst our multi-professional teams.

Returning to work after a period of extended leave can be difficult for everyone, but it can be especially hard for doctors in training grades and we are pleased to summarise the output of a short life working group established to look at the process and what could be improved to allow successful returns to work. A very worthwhile piece of work that should make a difference.

COVID-19 remains an issue and we update you on the latest guidance for pregnant employees. For doctors in training grades with experience of shielding or supervisors with supervising trainee doctors who were shielding during the COVID-19 pandemic are asked to participate in a study regarding this issue.

There is also an interesting article on value management and its role in healthcare, as well further information on our work to support you in the difficult area of grief and bereavement.

I want to acknowledge again how busy the NHS is right now, and how daunting it feels going in to winter, I don’t have the solutions but remember you are part of  a team, it is ok to ask for help and remember to take care of you.