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An online forum to support consultant psychiatrists in their first five years of practice, introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

T. Maclaren ,
N. Ahmed  and
S. Edwards
T. Maclaren*
Affiliation:
Faculty Of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom Liaison Psychiatry, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
N. Ahmed
Affiliation:
Medical Staff, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
S. Edwards
Affiliation:
Medical Staff, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

In the United Kingdom, the move from trainee to consultant psychiatrist can be both exciting and daunting. Trainee psychiatrists have access to support and weekly supervision that is not available to consultants. Having an organised meeting for new consultants could help bridge this gap with peer-led support.

Objectives

Improving support and guidance to new consultants Networking with peers Promoting wellbeing, good clinical practice and career development

Methods

We identified a group of 85 consultants in their first five years of practice. Meetings were held online using videoconference. Senior leaders presented at each meeting, with a group discussion at the end. We surveyed attendees using an online platform.

Results

We had excellent attendance rates from the group, with 30 to 45 consultants attending each webinar. Over 60% of attendees had been a consultant for less than a year. For 90%, this was their first experience of a new consultant forum. Attendees gave excellent feedback (Table). Being able to meet consultants from different specialties, hearing career stories from senior leaders and how they have managed the COVID-19 pandemic were cited as benefits.

Table: Feedback scores (0 = not useful to 100 = very useful)
StatementScore
The forum helped me feel supported75
Topics covered are relevant to me79
I feel more connected with colleagues71

Conclusions

The forum was popular and the feedback was excellent. Using an online format worked well and made it easier to organise and plan sessions. There is potential to implement similar fora for other senior psychiatrists across Europe.

Keywords

wellbeingStaffSupportpsychiatrists
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S471
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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