Staff training at our Doctors’ surgery.

LizH13

Theexwife

How do hospitals cope with all the new information without closing for an afternoon?

All hospital staff have to complete regular mandatory training. As there are more of them it can be done on a rota basis, and nowadays much of it is done online. Just because they don’t close doesn’t mean it isn’t done.

Hospital clinical specialties also have a weekly training session. It’s not as obvious to patients because it isn’t the same session of the week for each specialty so the outpatients clinics, theatres etc. are still in use - just not on, say, a Thursday afternoon by Orthopaedics.
No service can operate without keeping staff up to date with clinical changes and developments, drug and medical equipment changes, changes to IT and recording systems, etc.etc.

Biddysue

Our surgery closes once a month on Wednesday afternoon as do all other surgeries in our local area. The advice is to ring 111 speak to a pharmacist ( if there still is one near to you) or dial 999 in a life threatening emergency . We call it half day closing day heaven’s knows what training goes on !

Read some of the responses on this thread, which will give you some idea what training goes on.

GrannyGravy13

I appreciate they have to be up to date with the latest innovations, but closing completely, is this totally necessary.

When we have new computer systems, when we have product updates, issues relating to Health & Safety we do not close, but manage a rota system of updating/staff teaching.

So when would you rather they do it? In their own time?

All public services have regular staff training. They have to in order to keep up with new developments and new IT installations, as well as Health and Safety and a whole lot of other stuff. Receptionists need to be trained in the latest procedures and protocols. Doctors and Nurses already do masses of reading in their own time and attend courses to keep up to date. Sometimes I really think people just expect things to carry on year after year without training. And to suggest that every week the staff are having a jolly tells me so much about the level of some people’s understanding.

heaven knows what training goes on

I despair, I really do. I’m lost for words at this level of lack of understanding.

Thank goodness for the accurate and reasonable answers from some posters who understand.

My GP surgery has a Practice Manager, an IT “ expert” and 6 admin/ reception staff. I don’t know how many GPs as I have never been lucky enough to get an appointment, only a telephone consultation during lockdown. the one and only time my telephone call has been answered by a receptionist and the GP called back, they no longer do repeat prescriptions over the counter, the patients have to request on line, all patient records are on the computer so very little filing or paperwork as it’s all instantly available so how do they spend their working hours I wonder………

Hobbs1

My GP surgery has a Practice Manager, an IT “ expert” and 6 admin/ reception staff. I don’t know how many GPs as I have never been lucky enough to get an appointment, only a telephone consultation during lockdown. the one and only time my telephone call has been answered by a receptionist and the GP called back, they no longer do repeat prescriptions over the counter, the patients have to request on line, all patient records are on the computer so very little filing or paperwork as it’s all instantly available so how do they spend their working hours I wonder………

Oh dear. I do despair. I really do.

Well Hobbs I have an answer for you. All the staff in GP surgeries are lazy people who sit drinking coffee and gossiping all day. That’s why you can’t get an appointment!

Not sure how our surgery could have meetings they all work parttime and no one overlaps !

Protected Learning Time is once a month and staff who don't work that particular day of the week come in for it and are paid or have time off in lieu. Everyone is expected to attend.

mumofmadboys

Protected Learning Time is once a month and staff who don't work that particular day of the week come in for it and are paid or have time off in lieu. Everyone is expected to attend.

Quite, well said.
Although as my daughter was a Practice Partner, she sometimes had to go into the Practice for meetings during her time off and didn’t get paid for it. But all staff who were not Partners got paid. That’s as it should be.

mumofmadboys

Protected Learning Time is once a month and staff who don't work that particular day of the week come in for it and are paid or have time off in lieu. Everyone is expected to attend.

What I can’t come to terms with is why every practice with a Health Trust has the same protected training tie, leaving 111, the Urgent Care Centre (average waiting time 4 hours) and A&E as the only alternatives.
Surely it would make more sense for half the surgeries to be open one week, while the other half had their INSET and vice versa?

“Within” not “with”

I am pleased for those of you who have good medical support. Our surgery today has just informed patients via Facebook (heaven help those who don’t have access) they can now only order repeat prescriptions on 3days a week during two hour slot am and pm. We patients cannot make any appts without speaking to a GP by telephone first. We can do econsult which opens at 8am and is unavailable by 8.10am as all slots taken. It is the same with phone calls opens at 8am when you will be in long queue! Lowest number I’ve ever been is 17 before giving up. Definitely not progress in my eyes. We live in a very pleasant market town which has only on GPs practice so we can’t go elsewhere as nearest town is 17miles away. I really feel for people who don’t have mobiles, do not have internet access, those who cannot hear to use the telephone, anyone who has no family to assist them with the most basic function of getting medical attention. Sad sad state in 2023. The local authority keep giving planning permission for more houses and the infrastructure is simply not there! Rant over.

Foxygloves

mumofmadboys

Protected Learning Time is once a month and staff who don't work that particular day of the week come in for it and are paid or have time off in lieu. Everyone is expected to attend.

What I can’t come to terms with is why every practice with a Health Trust has the same protected training tie, leaving 111, the Urgent Care Centre (average waiting time 4 hours) and A&E as the only alternatives.
Surely it would make more sense for half the surgeries to be open one week, while the other half had their INSET and vice versa?

They don’t all have the same protected learning time, certainly where I worked. However, logistically it makes sense for closely located practices to be available when there are joint meetings, external speakers, and training which is relevant to all. Otherwise people would be moaning because consultant x the orthopaedic surgeon isn’t available ever on a (say) Thursday afternoon because he or she has to go individually around the 50 practices in that area to talk to them individually about (say) the knee referral pathway. Honestly, it’s much, much more complex and important to the practices than people realise.

Oldbat
Sadly there are not enough GPs in the country, and with an increasing population, roughly half a million a year, and many doctors leaving the country to work elsewhere where working conditions are better, this will be an increasing problem, not a decreasing problem. That is the reason it’s hard to access GP appointments. Having said that, I’m more than happy to speak to my GP on the phone and much prefer it to actually going into the surgery. Obviously some face to face visits are needed, but mostly they’re not necessary and the doctor can treat more patients by phone than face to face.

maddyone

GrannyGravy13

I appreciate they have to be up to date with the latest innovations, but closing completely, is this totally necessary.

When we have new computer systems, when we have product updates, issues relating to Health & Safety we do not close, but manage a rota system of updating/staff teaching.

So when would you rather they do it? In their own time?

It should be possible to organise that half of the practice trains in the morning, the other half in the afternoon. That way the surgery can remain open for its patients.

Staff should of course be paid to attend training hours if they occur on a day when they are not usually at work.

NanKate

Each month our surgery closes on a Tuesday afternoon for staff training.

There appears to be no improvement in the services we get from the surgery. We wonder what they are actually doing.

Any idea ?

I have no medical or GP Administrator knowledge but have always thought the GPs would be sat behind their computer, more often than not, being updated on the latest on asthma or whatever. I also imagined that the medical and administrative staff would need to know of any changes in their area, updates on systems in the Practice, etc.

What do the people, who make the type of comments the OP does, recognise as training, I wonder?

GrannyGravy13

maddyone

GrannyGravy13

I appreciate they have to be up to date with the latest innovations, but closing completely, is this totally necessary.

When we have new computer systems, when we have product updates, issues relating to Health & Safety we do not close, but manage a rota system of updating/staff teaching.

So when would you rather they do it? In their own time?

It should be possible to organise that half of the practice trains in the morning, the other half in the afternoon. That way the surgery can remain open for its patients.

Staff should of course be paid to attend training hours if they occur on a day when they are not usually at work.

But that's not an efficient use of time because whoever is doing the training would need to double up and be present for both sessions. It's far better for everybody to be present at the same time and raise questions/concerns just once.

In any case, how often do people really need to see their GP within hours? If something is really that urgent, it probably needs attention from emergency services.

I don't know about other practices, but we get a text every month warning us about the closure for training and can work round that.

It's the monthly PTI meetings.
All counts towards the QoF points

My gp surgery is very good and yes they do have training days which as you say are necessary. They triage your call at reception and give you an appointment or call back with the appropriate clinician, which could be gp , nurse practioner. paradmedic or pharmacist. I think my surgery do very well considering the amount of patients and the clincians do see you face to face.

Hobbs1

My GP surgery has a Practice Manager, an IT “ expert” and 6 admin/ reception staff. I don’t know how many GPs as I have never been lucky enough to get an appointment, only a telephone consultation during lockdown. the one and only time my telephone call has been answered by a receptionist and the GP called back, they no longer do repeat prescriptions over the counter, the patients have to request on line, all patient records are on the computer so very little filing or paperwork as it’s all instantly available so how do they spend their working hours I wonder………

Sounds like our Practice! Last year we were waiting up to THREE WEEKS for a repeat prescription. It is now down to 7 working days which could still mean 10 days if there’s a weekend involved.

They always say there is a shortage of Pharmacy staff and dispensers. If you query why you can’t get a GP appointment it’s because they are extremely busy due to the shortage of doctors. I look at the list on the door and most of them have gone part time!

When you do get an appointment or have to go for blood tests the whole place is like the Marie Celeste!! I have been the only person in the waiting area at times and friends tell me they have experienced the same.

The phone system is dire. We have to listen to about 5 mins of a GP explaining that they are receiving an unprecedented number of calls, why don’t we contact them online (err, because we can’t make appts online) and after listening to all this stuff which sounds like a WWII warning, we then get told we are 19th in the queue!!

Training constitutes different things within GP practices. It could be training with new functionality with the GP Clinical system, first aid training or it could be to clear the backlog believe me it’s beneficial for them

There’s a huge amount of mandatory training required to keep up to date and work safely. Perhaps some of you don’t understand how quickly things can change in medicine.
Also lots of admin to be done.
And deep cleaning of clinical areas. The list is endless.

I work in the health service. Training is endless and mostly mandatory such as safeguarding adults and children, manual handling and basic life support etc. etc.
This is largely 'invisible' (like spending a fortune on having your house rewired which no one will notice) and both clinical and admin staff alike will be expected to do the same. Much of it also has to be repeated on a yearly basis.
Audit and governance also comes under the 'training' banner. The department I work in has audit every month and governance every quarter.
It is also linked to the insurance premium paid by the establishment. About 90% compliance needs to be achieved or additional payments are added.