Pioneers in patient care: consultants leading change
North East
Innovation: A mentoring network to support new consultants
Dr Nancy Redfern
Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne
Job title: Consultant anaesthetist
Speciality: Anaesthetics
Earlier this year Dr Nancy Redfern set up a mentoring network in Newcastle to support new consultants and to help each other manage problems and develop opportunities.
Dr Redfern says: “We have run a mentoring training programme for several years. The training makes us better listeners and better at giving patients time to explain their concerns.
“It helps us care for the patients by giving us the opportunity to reflect on our practice. Some of us felt increasingly pressurised, isolated and unsupported, with responsibilities for patient care, education and clinical governance. It makes us work better in teams, respect other people’s views and work together with the patients to provide good care.
“Our patients are mainly unaware that we have had this training. However, some comment positively and say ‘The doctor took time to understand why I was worried’”.
The training programme was paid for two-thirds by the hospital’s Department of Postgraduate Medicine and one third by the Trust. “Others who have completed the programme have set a similar system up in their Trusts and we have systems for GP mentoring and co-mentoring. Around 200 people have completed the programme, of whom about 120 are consultants,” says Dr Redfern.
She adds: “The care we give patients has been improved by mentoring and I now feel I am better able to manage my time. As more people are trained and use the network we hope to have a positive influence on the Trust culture. If all consultants received this training the macho culture would be replaced by a more open, questioning culture in which innovation and creativity can flourish.
Medicine is a fascinating, varied, ever changing and worthwhile job – but you need resilience and the ability to balance life and work.”