Trust Generic/Specialty Information

Glenfield Hospital , University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL)

The Cardiothoracic Unit is sited at the Glenfield Hospital. UHL is a university teaching hospital affiliated with Leicester University Medical School. At present the Cardiac Surgical Unit has 49 surgical beds, 23 adult intensive care beds and 10 paediatric intensive care beds. There are five operating theatres. The Cardiothoracic Unit serves the southern half of the East Midlands SHA, which comprises a population of 2.8 million people. The Unit provides a comprehensive medical and surgical service for patients with cardiac and thoracic disease, including congenital heart disease, but excluding transplantation. The annual cardiac surgical workload comprises over 1000 operations for acquired heart disease, 300 operations for congenital heart disease. 80 patients were treated at the regional unit for extra corporeal membrane oxygenation based at this hospital.

The Thoracic Surgical Unit has 24 beds including 6 integrated HDU beds. The full range of pleuropulmonary, chest wall and mediastinal surgery is performed for Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, South Staffordshire and South Derbyshire together with national referrals for mesothelioma surgery. Annual workload comprises over 1000 thoracic surgical procedures including 50 radical mesothelioma resections and 45 LVRS procedures. Over 30% of all major lung cancer resections are performed by VATS. Trainees carried out 60% of all lung cancer resections last year.

Nottingham University Hospitals, City Hospital Campus

Nottingham University Hospitals is a major provincial teaching hospital. There are 1207 beds on the City campus. The City Hospital provides a wide range of specialties but there is no Accident and Emergency Department on the campus. When current developments are completed, it will have over 1,400 beds, making it one of the largest hospitals in Europe. All these beds are located on one 85 acre campus, with outpatient facilities and all support services. The hospital employs 4,500 staff, deals with 55,000 inpatients per annum, including day patients, and over 180,000 outpatients per year.

There are several regional specialties: Cardiac Surgery,Thoracic Surgery, Renal Dialysis and Transplantation, Burns and Plastics, Cytogenetics and neonatal Medicine and Surgery.

Over 750 major thoracic operations are performed each year including 60 major oesophageal resections. Over 800 cardiac cases are performed each year through a 16 bedded critical care unit which is staffed by nurse practitioners allowing the trainee surgeons to run a non-resident on-call rota.

Teaching

In addition to the local MDTS and weekly departmental teaching sessions the rotation has an organized, comprehensive regional teaching program including a biannual Midlands Cardiothoracic Surgical Meeting which encompasses hands-on training and abstract competition.

The programme boasts off cadaveric wet-lab facilities in Nottingham and wet and dry lab facilities in both the units. Leicester offers the TOE Course and one Lung Course.

Trainers

General

All the consultants of the rotation have completed TtT, Trace and have registered with ISCP. The chairman of the Joint College Intercollegiate Examination (JCIE), Prof David Richens is Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Nottingham University Hospital. The SCTS Education Secretary, Mr Sridhar Rathinam is a Consultant Thoracic Surgeon in the Leicester who co designed and implemented the SAC SCTS Curriculum based courses. Messrs Duffy and Rathinam are Intercollegiate Cardiothoracic Examiners. The newly appointed Consultants in Nottingham and Leicester are all recent NTNs with an interest in training.

Our faculty are actively involved with national educational events including;

1. Essential Skills Course in Cardiothoracic Surgery
2. Core Thoracic Surgery Course
3. Professional Development Course
4. Birmingham Review Course
5. Introduction to Cardiothoracic Training
6. RCSEd Training the Trainer Course
7. EACTS Thoracic Course
8. SCTS University
9. Cardiothoracic Trainees National “Boot Camp”

Trainees

All trainees are offered an educational contract with their AES, this is periodically reviewed by the AES as well as by the HEEM and STC at annual and interim ARCPs.

ISCP

The educational programme and assessments are carried out in keeping with the ISCP work based assessments. The trainees are expected to attend the SCTS courses pertaining to their levels. The deanery has mechanisms in place to support trainees in difficulty with the professional support unit. The programme offers opportunities for flexible working and in an equal opportunities employer. We have offered maternity time off and reduced flexible working on return.

EWTD rota compliance (inc effect of EWTD on training)

These rotas have been authorised as compliant by an SHA wide group ensuring EWTD is implemented.

Appropriate and safe learning environment and procedures (facilities, handover, consent etc).

Handovers are facilitated by nerve centre, excel spread sheets passed from doctor to doctor. Level of Deanery support and engagement in quality assurance of training. The program is integrated into the East Midlands Postgraduate School of Surgery and is therefore subject to the Quality Assurance program of the School. The Specialist Training Committee has regular representation from the School and Deanery. Equality and diversity issues within the training programme (inc flexible training provision and uptake). All appointments have been supported by the Deanery’s equality and diversity process. We have supported two flexible trainees in the last 7 years. Level of trainee feedback within training programme. The RTC has co-opted a trainee rep (Mehmood Jadoon) who reports issues directly. Trainees complete placement assessment forms.