Industrial action in the NHS - practical advice for paediatric resident doctors and SAS doctors

Background

Over the past ten years we have seen multiple professionals and unions across the NHS take up their right to undertake industrial action.

As a College we are not a union or employer of resident doctors, and are not involved in the negotiation of terms and conditions of contracts, or pay discussions which is the remit of the unions as highlighted above. The unions have the authority, remit, staff, resources and expertise to take this forward.

Furthermore, as an organisation we are absolutely clear that the decision on whether or not to take industrial action is an individual’s personal choice.

We are aware of specific questions raised by paediatric trainees and SAS doctors through our Trainee Committee about what industrial action may mean for their training. We have therefore put together some information to help paediatric residents navigate the current environment.

This web page contains:

• information to support resident doctors should non-medics, eg nurses and advanced clinical practitioners, consider or take industrial action 
• advice on how resident doctors can continue their training during any periods of industrial action, or severe service disruption.

This is not an exhaustive list and there are a range of organisations that might be able to provide more support and answers to your questions, some of which are linked here. You may also wish to speak with your local training units to ensure your training continues.

We will add to this web page if more information becomes available and known to us. 

General principles during industrial action or unusual service pressures

• If you have any questions or issues do feel free to speak to senior clinicians, consultants and/or managers. 
• You should continue to follow the principles of the General Medical Council (GMC) Good Medical Practice guidance. In particular you should only act within the limits of your competence. 
• You can find out more about the GMC’s position on industrial action in their briefing.

How can I continue my training during any periods of industrial action?

Our Trainee Committee have over time received some questions about the impact on training during possible industrial action within the health service We fully appreciate that as a resident paediatrician you may have questions about the effects of industrial action on you and your training.

As a College we are here to support all our members with their education and lifelong careers.

We have pulled together some general advice from paediatricians: 

• Keeping your ePortfolio up to date. As always, we remind trainees that the best way to manage your portfolio is to keep up to date as you go along. Try to make the most of quieter times to get ahead with assessments and portfolio.
• Maintaining flexibility for arrangements around reflections, note taking or discussions. During busy times there are plenty of opportunities for learning and developing capabilities, but there may not be time for formal assessments or full reflections. You might consider making brief notes after a shift and returning to them later to record full reflections, discuss with supervisors or complete formal assessments when time allows.
• Reviewing your evidence logs and assessment guides. The current assessment table is in our Assessment guide and the number of mandatory assessments remains small. Learning and development can be evidenced in many ways, including reflections and the wide range of developmental logs.
• Exception reporting in England: Postgraduate doctors in training (PGDiT) should continue to exception report for missed training opportunities, even when this is unavoidable due to exceptional service pressures. This helps departments to evidence training and service gaps and work towards solutions.
• Working with training units and schools to ensure your training needs are still met. Some specific and formal training opportunities may have to be deferred during times of service disruption whether that is due to industrial action or unusual service pressures. This may be unavoidable to maintain patient safety, and we know that training often needs flexibility; however, we would expect training units and schools to facilitate catch up of any outstanding training once things settle down. This might include prioritising clinic attendance or rescheduling clinical commitments to take the opportunity to acquire specific technical capabilities. Please talk to your supervisor and/or Training Programme Director (TPD) if you feel your training has been affected.
• Your Annual Review of Competency Progression (ARCP). As a PGDiT, the decision to take part in industrial action per se should not affect your relationship with your trainers or your Annual Review of Competency Progression (ARCP) outcome.
  • Days TOOT since your previous ARCP, as per the Gold guide time out of training (TOOT), including taking industrial action, must be declared on your form R. For those in Core/Speciality training, if you take more than 14 days out of training (when you would normally be at work), a review will be triggered of whether you need to have your CCT date extended. This review would normally occur at your ARCP and extension is not automatic.
  • This applies whatever the reason for time out of training and includes days taken for sick leave or industrial action. If you are concerned that you have missed training opportunities due to time out of training, you should discuss with your supervisor or TPD. As always, progression is capability based, so as in the previous guidance, we would encourage trainees to be evidencing their learning in their ePortfolio and finding training opportunities now, in preparation for potentially missing training opportunities due to industrial action across the MDT. 

We have also put together some general FAQs for all members on industrial action.

Further information 

If you are interested in the work of the Trainee Committee and how to get involved, please check out the Trainee Committee page.