NIMDTA considers that visits to Local Education Providers are an important component of its processes to discharge its duties of Quality Management within the Northern Ireland Deanery.
The aims of these visits will be to:
- Monitor that GMC standards are being met in the LEP through collection of primary, independent, qualitative data that can be triangulated with information from Deanery Self-assessment LEP Reports and Deanery Trainee Surveys.
- Explore good practice and concerns within the LEP through face-to-face interviews
- Promote good practice and developments
- Facilitate local problem solving
- Provide verbal and written feedback to the LEP on areas of concern and actions necessary to improve postgraduate medical education and training. These areas of concern and actions will be risk stratified as green, amber and red.
- Promote collaboration, partnership and personal relationships between NIMDTA staff and staff in Local Education Providers.
The conduct of these visits will be:
- Fair, balanced and ethical (To be treated as you would want to be treated; showing respect for senior management, trainers and trainees; involvement of external lay and professional visitors)
- Collaborative – exploring what can be done to improve relationships and communication between the Deanery and the LEP and what can be done by the Deanery to help the LEP to improve postgraduate medical education and training
- Well organised, efficient and considerate (notice of 3 months for planned visit; single point of contact in NIMDTA and in LEP for organisation of visit; recognition of complexity of clinical environment; awareness of impact of visit on service delivery)
- Confidential – allowing trainees and trainers to discuss issues openly and freely; but with need to discuss individual concerns if they are associated with Patient Safety Issues.
- Characterised by clear, prompt and practical Communication (emphasis will be on developing practical solutions to practical problems).
- Characterised by open and transparent processes (with aim of sharing good practice and learning from previous experiences).
Types of Visits
The Deanery will conduct 3 types of visit:
Cyclical Monitoring Visit
Cyclical Monitoring Visits to an LEP will be an important component of the Deanery’s Quality Management processes allowing it to obtain primary, independent, qualitative data to triangulate with information obtained from Deanery Self-Assessment LEP reports and from Deanery (and GMC) Trainee surveys. The Deanery will plan visits to LEPs to cover 2-3 specialties per year so that all specialties will be covered within a 3-4 year cycle. The order of specialties chosen to be the focus of these visits will be based on Risk Assessment as red, amber or green on the basis of information from Deanery Self assessment Reports and Deanery and GMC Training surveys.
Interim Visit
This Interim Progress Visit may be necessary after an interval of 3-6 months (depending on risk stratification of area of concern) as a follow up to a Cyclical Monitoring Visit to review progress on an agreed Action Plan arising from the Monitoring Visit.
Problem-Solving Visit
If an issue of concern is brought to the attention of the Quality Management Group which is sufficiently serious to be highlighted as a ‘red issue’; a meeting will be organised urgently between a member of the GM group and the Director of Medical Education in the LEP to develop an action plan to address this concern (Rapid Planning Meeting). Regular updates against the plan will be expected.
If the Rapid Planning Meeting fails to provide a satisfactory outcome, an Urgent Problem-Solving Visit will be organised within 2 weeks.
Request of RQIA
Quality Management Group after review of submitted evidence sufficient to justify investigation and not suitable for investigation at Trust or Specialty School level