Junior Doctors Workforce Review – Obstetrics & Gynaecology RIE

Following a deterioration in the National and Scottish Training survey results across all cohorts of trainees and a triggered Deanery visit in 2021, our Clinical Directors commissioned a short life working group to objectively assess the junior medical staff workload and its impact on training. We recruited medical students to collect quantitative prospective data by recording task requests from incoming bleeps or other sources. Interruptions and whether or not junior doctors achieved natural breaks were recorded. Qualitative data was obtained by doctors being shadowed completing a feedback form on their experience of the shift, and by medical students submitted comments on their observations.  

The data demonstrated that there is a huge disparity in workload across the on-call bleeps. Sources of calls and times of day associated with particularly high workload intensity have been identified and this will form the basis of developing strategies to promote a more effective training environment and to improve the wellbeing of our junior doctor workforce in Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 

This work was presented to the MedEd Team in NHS Lothian and to the Scottish DME Group. Our method of data collection and results generated was met with great interest and will now be trialled in other departments within NHS Lothian that have been highlighted as being areas of high workload intensity for junior doctors.  

Thanks to Dr Flo Fankam, Dr Rosie Townsend and Dr Alex Rice; Consultants who led and had oversight of this work.     

Dr Laura Stirrat
ST7 Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Trainee Representative STB