The annual review of medical education and training for junior doctors in the Isle of Man has found the opportunities and the level of support provided to be “extremely good”, with the majority of doctors choosing the Island “based on recommendations made by previous trainees”.
The review visit, by a team from Health Education England, took place in June and was led by Professor Jacky Hayden, Dean of Postgraduate Medical Studies.
The report highlighted several areas of “noteworthy practice” at Noble’s Hospital, a method used by reviewers to draw attention to education and patient care delivered at the very highest standard that is worthy of sharing more widely. The reviewers were impressed by: the level of involvement junior doctors have in quality improvement projects; the opportunity for junior doctors to learn about transfer medicine through the Island’s air ambulance service; and the accessibility and quality of the patient simulation facilities.
Minister for Health and Social Care, Kate Beecroft MHK, said:
“The medical education team at Noble’s Hospital, the consultants and many other professionals, have worked tirelessly over recent years to up the Island’s game when it comes to our training programme for UK junior doctors, investing a considerable about of time and effort. Clearly, we are reaping the benefits.
“The Island’s reputation for good quality medical education grows in stature each year, highlighted by the fact that junior doctors applying for training posts in the Isle of Man generally do so because of recommendations from former trainees. The Island is ‘punching above its weight’ and new facilities such as the Medical Education and Clinical Skills Centre, the extension to Palatine Health Centre and new patient simulators have helped achieve this.
“Given the competition to attract good quality doctors, particularly to an island setting such as ours, we hope that by continuing to nurture our reputation we can ensure the Island is all the more appealing when seeking to recruit doctors from the UK to work in our health service.”
The majority of junior doctors were very positive about their training experience, describing Noble’s Hospital as a “very supportive, friendly environment with good levels of supervision”. It was noted that junior doctors highlighted that they as trainees, as well as patients, were treated with dignity and respect.
Dr Adrian Dashfield, Director of Medical Education at Noble’s Hospital, said:
“This is an excellent result and all thanks to the hard work of individuals across the Island’s health service – doctors, nurses, administrators – a real team effort. We are proud of our reputation as an excellent place to train both undergraduate and postgraduate trainees.”
Each year the Island has around 40 junior doctors in post at various stages of training, supporting colleagues in providing healthcare to patients and so playing a vital role in delivering services. Earlier in 2016 it was revealed that the Isle of Man is ranked amongst the top 25% of hospitals in Britain for junior doctors’ core medical training.
Doctors spend many years in training. After up to six years at medical school it takes a further five years for a junior doctor to become a GP and eight to 10 years to become a consultant. Following graduation from medical school junior doctors become increasingly involved in the treatment and care of patients for much of their practical ongoing learning.
