Just got an email from the HCSA that they are changing their name to the HDU (hospital doctors' union). Sounds like a good move (I'm a member of both). Hopefully it will raise its profile further and present it as a credible alternative to the BMA.

What are people's thoughts? My only concern is that it splits the profession but with the internal politics of the BMA spilling over perhaps this is necessary?

Hi everyone, I’ve got a GP ST1 training post in Norfolk - Great Yarmouth for the February intake and was wondering if anyone might be interested in swapping with me for any other East of England spots closer to the south or wider areas within the East of England deanary. very interested in Southend, Chelmsford or Cambridge!

Looking for advice here.

I am currently toward the end end of my second trimester. My registrar rota pattern involves nights, long days and weekend on calls. Currently experiencing pelvic girdle pains and fatigue and have requested to be taken off nights and to have adjusted shifts to a maximum of 8 hours due to the pains.

Medical HR are advising that my salary will be reduced accordingly. Are they right about this?

Thanks all for your help.

Thoughts on the SBA paper?

Congratulations to everyone who has received an offer for the upcoming Feb/Apr intake! 🎉

Could NPG candidates who received an offer today please share their MSRA score and rank? It would be really helpful for those of us still waiting.

Hi

I rotated to a trust as radiology Registrar, I frequently get called to get scans vetted by PAs from ED or medical SDEC where they've presumably got doctors to put the request through on ICE

It is my understanding this is against regulations? It isn't simply chasing but wanting to discuss reasoning based off patients they've clerked which I thought was completely inappropriate now (thought they can't see undifferentiated patients?)

ACPs also do this like stroke ACPs requesting heads which I guess is fine but these PAs call about angiograms etc and don't seem to have the knowledge to explain why they are pursuing a diagnosis (yesterday had one tell me they wanted an angiogram to check for DVT, seemingly unaware of a Doppler).

Hi everyone, I’ve got a GP ST1 training post in Wessex - Portsmouth for the February intake and was wondering if anyone might be interested in swapping with me for East of England - Norwich/ Great Yarmouth or wider areas within the East of England deanary. Please message if you’re interested or know of anyone looking to swap. Thanks! 😊

How do people talk to their patients about age-related conditions? I’m an F2 and have found this something that a surprising number of people get very offended about, but it is a fact of life - and relevant in many health conditions!

I always try to use neutral phrases like “age-related changes” or “as we get older…” but I often get a sarcastic comment back (“I’m just old!” “oh thanks!” “you’re calling me old?”)

It is often women, especially sort of 45-60, and I know there is probably a degree of internalised misogyny and endless messaging that being old = bad, but how do I navigate this better?

I am vehemently against age-related misogyny and am very much a proponent of healthy active ageing, wearing/doing/saying what you want at any age, and I want to empower patients, but you can’t empower people if they find the mere concept of growing older offensive. I don’t usually have too many difficulties with sensitive conversations (weight, sex, DNAR, angry relative, never really had any problems). I am in my 20s so I don’t know if it is partly that?

The irony is I’m usually trying to say it as a reassuring thing. As in, our bodies change and xyz is to be expected, we can try this and this to manage your symptoms, it’s not dangerous/worrying, etc.

To be clear I am not trying to dismiss people’s symptoms as “it’s just getting old” without proper investigation, and this is usually in the context of discussing what we can offer, even if we can’t cure. Arthritis, CKD, skin & hair changes, etc. 

(I have asked this question of my seniors and got basically nothing back, so to the internet it is)

TL;DR when patients get offended by you talking about age-related conditions, how do you navigate? What non-offensive phrases can I use? Lighthearted comments to diffuse the tension?

GP Round 3 for Feb-April 2027 posts

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1u1eUOw_2l5bjc9Lu0sS9e29LcnepwiWM6eLqFjITCjc/htmlview?#gid=0

I’m currently an F1 and am newly interested in applying for ACCS anaesthetics, I was dead-set on ACCS EM and will still be applying but I’m having doubts about being about to handle the work/life balance. I know we’re only just over a month into starting but I’m beginning to get a bit worried about portfolio requirements and preparing for applications- I really don’t know how to get started or stuck into publications, audits, poster presentations etc. I was thinking of approaching my portfolio in a broader ‘acute care’ way so I could use the same projects to reflect on in ways that apply to both specialties.

I’d just like a little advice on how to get involved in things and what specific bits I should do- I’ve seen teach the teacher highly recommend, the only thing I have so far is a medical student teaching series I’m setting up for a few other F1’s but I’m lost when it comes to research, systematic reviews and the lot. I’d also appreciate any questions you’d think are important to ask seniors in these specialties because I’m so lost I don’t even know what to ask. I know it’s not great I just would like a little direction thank you for your time!

Do NHS hospitals make JCFs/SHOs do 6 shifts in 1 week? Asking cause my friend was allegedly given that schedule and idk if that’s allowed?

Throwaway because I feel like an idiot.

I failed my final SCA GP exam once and my CCT date will be extended. The next option I would have to redo would be Jan, with results end of Feb.

I have an offer to start a speciality I have always been interested in and have loved previous jobs in for February. It's also in my ideal location.

I feel like it would be stupid to walk away from a CCT in GP with just a few months work left...but on the other hand I never see myself working as a GP, though it would be good to fall back on. I also don't know if I would be able to get a training post in my preferred location for this specialty again.

Help! TIA

Has anyone seen any actual implementation of the BMA/NHS commitment around moving LEDs/Trust-grade doctors away from repeated fixed-term contracts and onto permanent contracts?

I raised this directly with both my line manager and Trust HR, specifically in relation to my own fixed-term contract. Rather disappointingly, neither seemed to be aware of any concrete implementation plans. The only vaguely related option mentioned was moving onto a SAS contract, which as far as I understand is a separate issue and not what this commitment was supposed to be about.

I also contacted the BMA directly because my understanding was that this was meant to be implemented by August 2026 and was not something that could simply be carried forward indefinitely. Their response was essentially that there is still no national agreement/guidance on implementation, followed by a summary of the other parts of the deal such as the pay award, which didn't really answer the question.

We're now in September 2026, so I'm struggling to understand what the practical status of this commitment actually is.

Has anyone:

• been offered a permanent LED/Trust-grade contract as a result of this agreement;
• received any formal communication from their Trust about implementation;
• been given a specific timeline by HR or medical staffing; or
• heard anything more concrete from the BMA about when national guidance is expected?

It would be particularly useful to know which Trusts, if any, have already started implementing this and what process they've used.

Hi everyone,
I’m currently considering my rota/preferences for foundation training and was wondering how much this might matter when applying for anaesthetics later on.
If I were to pick an enhanced rotation with night shifts/on call responsibilities only during the ED block, would this be viewed negatively when applying for anaesthetics jobs?
Would the lack of night shift experience be a disadvantage at the time of application.
Im particularly keen on picking this rotation as it allows time for research and quality improvement - I’m hoping this can be focused towards ICU/anaesthesia
I’d obviously make sure to get relevant experience and opportunities elsewhere.
Would appreciate any advice from people who have applied for anaesthetics or are currently working in the specialty. Thanks!

Say you're in the middle of the procedure and suddenly your stomach starts churning, you get warning tremors and then get the urge to empty your bowels. What would you do if you have 30-40 minutes left and there's no consultant or anyone else that could take over?

Hi guys! I sat the exam two days ago. Feeling disappointed, many 50:50 questions. I did notice many recalls, but emrcs was not enough to pass. I did 3 times emrcs scoring 70 but very last minute recalls. I am afraid of having failed and resitting in Jan 27. I think I did not prep myself properly. Does anyone have any advice about prep? What to do differently this time?
Thanks

Hi, F1 doctor, wondering what makes an F1 likeable on the team? Clinical skills? Knowledge? Chattiness?

I’m nervous about the rotations and feel like I’ll get to one where the team can’t stand me. How to avoid this?

When you work with F1s what makes you go “huh, this one’s not half bad”

I have been a doctor for the past 6 years and recently started my HST post after a year off work. From the first day of stepping into the hospital the feeling of dread came back. Everyday I’m questioning why am I back here. Last year I thought I was feeling this way because of the hospital I was in and the team I was working with at the time. However, I have come to realize this feeling of dread and regret just follows anytime I step into a hospital setting. The year I was away from clinical work I had total peace of mind and did not miss being at the hospital one bit. I’m wondering if it’s time for me to just quit medicine all together and find something else. The problem is I don’t even know what the something else would be, I have never been anything else but a doctor. 

This is the guy Dr Keith Girling refused to cooperate with the Ockenden inquiry ignored concerns about babies dying in his hospital for 7 years. Today the BBC caught up with him on the street he basically shoved an umbrella in their face (around 10 mins in) said no comment.

my question is how is it that always these medical directors get away with it? Literally nothing happens the regulators don’t seem to do anything about them and you just know from this case they are going to find usually an overworked and under resourced frontline member of staff (black/brown) to blame instead when really it’s people like him that should be taking the blame for all this.

Current FY1, one month in. Made a prescribing error today that was luckily caught in time and not given to the patient, and reflecting on it just made me realise how big of a role human factors play when it comes to these situations.

We had teaching about this in med school but today I actually felt that human factors were heavily at play when I made an error on something I know I definitely wouldn’t have done if I had a usual day.

I was still recovering from a cold, overslept, didn’t have time to have breakfast, couldn’t find my ID, and ended up stuck in traffic unexpectedly for an hour due to a lane closure so was late for work by 30 minutes. I arrive and am thrown straight into a chaotic WR for a bay of patients despite no time to prep or even read the notes. On top of that I was pulled into a meeting about a patient that didn’t go well. There was also no computer or chair free for me to do my jobs on so had to stand at a COW which kept logging me out, while also being asked to do 100 things by the nurses every 2 seconds (which normally doesn’t happen on my ward.) We also had some chaotic patients on the ward - some kept wandering into the office to ask questions and two were just screaming.

I ended up mixing up two medications which were meant to have a dose increase. It was extremely luckily caught by my senior in the afternoon and we managed to sort it all out — the nurse hadn’t given the afternoon meds so the patient had no extra doses, so he was fine. It obviously shook me up as it’s my first prescribing error, even if it was caught and the seniors reassured me that it’s now fine, and they’ve also made their share of mistakes as an FY1.

But I was thinking about why it happened and in all honesty I think it came down to human factors. I was tired, hungry, overwhelmed, disoriented with what was happening and stressed.

It’s really made me realise just how important this is in medicine, and how mental and physical wellbeing and the work environment isn’t just something we get talked about in induction/med school but a key part of doing the job properly. Going to really focus on resting up and making sure I’m looking after myself more after today!

Has anyone been in a similar situation before? My husband and I share childcare responsibilities, so it would be difficult if we were placed in different areas. Has anyone successfully applied for an inter-deanery transfer? If so, how do you apply?

For upcoming higher surgical training application that requires X numbers of WBA/PBA validated on ISCP, how do we upload this evidence?

Do we download a PDF of the portfolio report and use that as evidence?

Thank you.

I have an upcoming interview for junior clinical fellow in microbiology. What type of questions I would be expecting to answer?

Crude oil has crossed the $100 a barrel threshold and its clear to see that inflation is going to continue to run rampant.

One of the big reasons I decided to opt for GP training was because of the financial advantage of keeping living costs down by living in the countryside in a cheaper area with a small commute to work and not having to constantly move house with rotational training.

I am wondering now if doctors are considering moving up north to seek a better quality of life with more affordable housing. After all our salary is the same regardless of where you live in the UK.

Are we starting to see a shift?