The GMC in Wales - News

Welcome to the Wales news page.

Good medical practice update roadshows

Beginning in early May, Rachel Podolak (Head of Welsh Affairs) will be out and about across the country speaking to doctors about the GMC’s updated edition of Good medical practice. It’s extremely important that all doctors are familiar with the guidance as it sets out the core standards expected of all registered doctors.  

Working with post-graduate education centres, we have arranged the following events (VC denotes videoconferencing facilities in use): 

Date	Time	Venue
09 May	11 am–12 pm	Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli (VC: Bronglais Hospital)
10 May	1-2 pm	Neath Port Talbot Hospital   (no VC)
22 May	2-3 pm	Hafan Derwen, Carmarthen (VC: Glangwili & Withybush)
24 May	12:30-1:30 pm	Princess of Wales MPEC, Bridgend (VC: Morriston)
11 June	12–1 pm	Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport (VC: Nevill Hall)
13 June	11 am-12 pm	Royal Glamorgan Hospital, Llantrisant (VC: Prince Charles)
14 June	12:30–13:30 pm	Singleton Hospital  (VC: Cefn Coed Education Centre)
24 June	2–3 pm	Llandough Hospital, Penarth (VC: UHW)
28 June	2-3 pm	Wrexham Maelor Hospital (VC: Bangor & Bodelwyddan)

There is no need to register, but if you have any queries about the above events, please contact the GMC Office in Wales on 02920 504060 or at gmcwales@gmc-uk.org.

We hope to see you at an event.

GMC attends Welsh Labour Conference  

Despite the snow, our Head of Welsh Affairs, Rachel Podolak made it to Llandudno to attend the two day event. 

It was a great opportunity to for us to engage with the newly appointed Health Minister Professor Mark Drakeford, who hosted a health and social care roundtable session with Vaughan Gething AM and Jenny Rathbone AM. It was a well-attended session with representatives from trade unions, professional associations, the third sector and regulatory bodies. 

While most questions focussed on the specifics of the Social Services and Well-Being Bill, the Health Minister did get a chance to outline his priorities for his term:  

• addressing concerns about unscheduled care,
• seeing the reconfiguration process through to a conclusion
• and ensuring legislation on organ donation and the draft Social Services and Well-being Bill.

Professor Drakeford also talked about the partnership between patients and professionals and moving this toward a more equal and valued relationship.   With reference to Mid-Staffordshire Inquiry, Vaughan Gething AM said that the Health and Social Care Committee recognised that this was not an ‘England only’ issue. He noted that there needed to be discussion and open recognition, but also warned against reading the recently released mortality data in isolation.

The Health Minister added that he had already met with the Chair of each Health Board and suggested that senior leaders spend time with the service on ‘the shop floor’. Whilst he acknowledged that staff were the NHS’ ‘biggest asset’, he wanted to address the ‘disconnect’ and amplify the voice of the patient within the NHS.  

Throughout the weekend we also attended the First Minister’s address, a roundtable on devolution and a wider debate on health policy within Wales.

Above: A roundtable debate session at the Welsh Labour Spring Conference featuring the Minister for Health, Prof. Mark Drakeford AM and Vaughan Gething AM, Chair of the Health & Social Services Committee

GMC attends Plaid Cymru Conference  

Plaid Cymru's spring conference was held in the surroundings of Beaumaris castle on Ynys Mon, with views of Snowdonia just across the Menai Straight. Gareth Williams, our Welsh Affairs Officer, attended the event on 1st and 2nd of March.  

During the weekend we were able to meet with several important key interest groups, such as the Older People's Commissioner for Wales, and had some interesting conversations about how we could work together in the near future. We also engaged with several key people from Plaid Cymru's health team and and distributed leaflets about how we'll be protecting patients in 2013.  

The Royal College of Nursing in Wales sponsored a debate on the current pressures on the NHS in Wales and the ongoing reconfiguration consultations, which featured Elin Jones AM. The need for an appropriate mix of experience and skills amongst nursing staff was emphasised strongly during the debate by all participants."

Above: Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey, the backdrop for the Plaid Cymru Spring Conference

IWA Conference – Making Sense of the NHS in Wales

The GMC Office in Wales was proud to be a co-sponsor of the Institute of Welsh Affairs’ event Making Sense of the NHS in Wales, in conjunction with the Royal College of Nursing Wales. The event took place on 16 January 2013, and was attended by delegates from across the health care spectrum and beyond, including members of the public.

Rachel opened the conference with a presentation on How NHS Wales Compares (pictured), while GMC’s Welsh Office staff operated the promotional stand and helped spread the news about the State of Medical Education and Practice 2012 report.

Attendees were able to participate in discussions about the on-going need for change in NHS Wales and hear from eminent speakers including Prof Marcus Longley, Dr. Ceri Phillips and Dr Stephen Monaghan. The afternoon session involved a Q&A session with Assembly Members from the Health & Social Care Committee, namely Mark Drakeford (Labour), Kirsty Williams (Liberal Democrats), Darren Millar (Conservatives) and Elin Jones (Plaid Cymru).  Full details are available on the IWA website.

Above: Rachel Podolak addresses the crowd at the Institute of Welsh Affairs conference entitled "Making Sense of The NHS in Wales"

GMC and Wales Deanery host revalidation roadshows

Alongside the Wales Deanery, the GMC Office in Wales arranged a series of revalidation roadshows in November and December 2012 which took in all seven health boards in Wales. The events provided an opportunity for doctors to ask any questions they had about how revalidation would work in practice.

In total, over 430 doctors attended the roadshows. Through the use of videoconferencing, we were able to cover 13 sites across the country. Despite this, we still travelled over a total of 780 miles in getting the message across!

The presentations delivered at the roadshows are available on the Revalidation Wales website, alongside video footage of the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg UHB event on 3 December. The resources can be found by the link below:

Wales revalidation roadshow 2012

Above: Doctors at Royal Gwent Hospital attend the Aneurin Bevan Health Board Revalidation Roadshow.

GMC Chair & Chief Executive visit Wales

On Monday 19 November 2012, Professor Sir Peter Rubin and Niall Dickson, Chair and Chief Executive visited the GMC Office in Cardiff.

They spent the day catching up with key stakeholders in Wales including the Wales Deanery, the Royal College of GPs in Wales, the Academy of Royal Colleges, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, the Welsh NHS Confederation and the Board of CHCs.

They also met with Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Health & Social Services, Dr Ruth Hussey, the Chief Medical Officer and Dr Chris Jones the Deputy Chief Medical Officer.

We then hosted an evening reception at the St David’s Hotel, Cardiff Bay in order to thank our partners in Wales for their continued support for our work. In his address, Professor Sir Peter Rubin thanked all present for their ongoing support for revalidation.

 

Above: Professor Sir Peter Rubin addresses invited guests at an evening reception at the St David’s Hotel, Cardiff Bay.

GMC engages with Welsh medical students

The Wales Office has been busy engaging with medical students over the last few months. Firstly, Rachel Podolak, Head of Welsh Affairs, attended the Professionalism Awareness and Development morning at Cardiff University Medical School to speak with Year 3 students about the importance of professional values and fitness to practise for medical students.

The team has also had a presence at both Swansea University (13 September) and Cardiff University (27 September) Freshers Fairs. We had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of students about the GMC and outline our role in influencing their medical education. In addition, over 350 students signed up to the GMC’s regular Student News e-newsletter; a great success!

Above: GMC at the Cardiff Fresher's Fair.