Summertime, and a big welcome from the RCP Cymru Wales team to all our new doctors – whether you have grown up locally or are new to our NHS in Wales, I hope it’s the beginning of a long and fulfilling career. 25 years in, I still love the challenge clinical medicine brings; particularly working with my team to help our patients navigate the twists and often so unexpected turns of their health. Sadly, many cancers remain incurable but supporting our patients to navigate their journey, which often is far too short, remains a huge privilege. Any new start can be daunting, but one thing I am sure about in NHS Wales is that it’s always okay to ask and a helping hand is rarely too far away.
Next month sees the RCP virtual poster competitions taking place. I was delighted to learn that, outside of London, Wales had the highest number of abstracts shortlisted for presentation. Good luck to those of you who have been successful.
It is always a better day when I switch off the laptop, jump on my bike and catch the last of the sun. The reality is this doesn’t happen enough; it’s too easy to faff, have another cup of tea and ponder another email with a brain that’s had enough. But I did manage to jump on and pedal up my local hill only to be swiftly overtaken by a young woman on a ‘fixie bike’. My pride was dented, but to cheer myself up, I told myself that as I get older, hopefully at least I get wiser!
As anyone that reads these blogs knows, the RCP Wales team often ponders how (with the ever-present challenge of service demands, the increased focus on consultant delivered care, and the growing burden of appraisal) we can ensure our locally employed and trainee doctors have the vital opportunities to develop their senior decision-making expertise.
The latest GMC workplaces experiences report is tough reading, and you can read our response. It is easy to feel like a very small cog in a very large wheel, but maybe you could remind yourself to take a moment to remember what is in our control and think about how you can help your less experienced colleagues to develop a vital whole patient approach. I still remember the patients I had time to talk to as a house officer – I don’t remember filling in the CT scan requests (perhaps as you had to actually find the huge heavy previous film packet to request another).
My go-to at the moment is ‘deprescribing’, focusing on reducing polypharmacy in the older patient with cancer; our IMT doctors teach me about new cardiac drugs, and I suggest we should review the blood pressure and statins as life expectancy reduces.
Once a month, the RCP Wales team tries to catch up with each other. I do wonder if MS Teams is the new ‘after work drink’ or ‘round of golf’ the long retired might have enjoyed! We talk, we moan a bit, we plan, we challenge, and it really helps us ground our policy in day-to-day clinical challenges. Dr Karl Davis, the new RCP elected councillor who is based in Cardiff and Vale UHB, also joins us. But as much as we like a catch-up, it’s really all about what we can deliver. We continue to focus on workforce retention right across Wales, ensuring good standards of training, welcoming and advocating for our SAS, locally employed and IMG doctors, campaigning to tackle health inequalities, and most importantly, just listening to our members.
Later this year, Dr Vivek Goel will finish his term as our regional adviser (RA) for south-east Wales, and in September we will begin to recruit for a new RA. If you are a fellow working in Aneurin Bevan UHB and would like to know more, please feel free to get in touch.
Last week, for the first time at the beginning of our Monday morning clinic, I asked our team if they felt safe. The international workforce is fundamental to NHS in Wales and although I am deeply relieved Wales has missed the worst of the racist and Islamophobic violence in cities across the UK, we cannot be complacent. Equally, it’s easy to note the challenge but not deliver any change, so I wanted to highlight the work our RCP colleague, Professor Anton Emmanuel, is doing to deliver Workforce Race Equality Standards Wales, using a data driven approach to support deliver of evidenced based change and embed accountability across Wales.
Don’t forget, you can get in touch with the RCP Cymru Wales team at Wales@rcp.ac.uk
Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Dr Hilary Williams
Vice president for Wales
