This conference aimed at senior clinicians, clinical directors, responsible officers, medical directors and clinical leads, focuses on managing and supporting doctors in difficulty. Managing colleagues in difficulty and doctors with difficult behaviour is generally seen to be the most challenging element of a Clinical or Medical Directors role.
Managing Doctors in Difficulty, and Doctors exhibiting challenging behaviour
Dr Jeremy Rushmer
Medical Director
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• ensuring open and honest communication
• understanding the root cause of the problem and tackling concerns
• changing the focus from resilience to support
• developing an approach based on values based leadership
• the impact of culture on behaviour and performance
Jeremy started his talk by discussing culture and behaviour.
“Leadership has the single biggest impact on an organisations culture”
He then goes on to walk about compassionate leadership, this is all about paying attention, understanding, empathising, and helping
Jeremy discusses Northumbria’s consultant section interview questions where clinical capability is last. The process focuses on ideas such as empathy, communication, coping with pressure, team working, openness, leading, decision making.
Supporting remedial/development action through regulatory action, and reducing the the mental health impact of complaints and referrals to the GMC
Ms Helen Gately
Head of Provisional Enquiries and Liaison
General Medical Council
• understanding when to involve the GMC for an individual who needs intervention to work safely
• ensuring a fair and consistent approach to managing informal, formal concerns and confirmed poor clinical performance
• enabling and supporting doctors to overcome performance issues and concerns through resolution, remedial and developmental action
• supporting medical leaders managing concerns
Helen started her talk by explaining who the GMC are.
"The GMC was established under the Medical Act 1858. Today, The Medical Act 1983 provides the legal basis for everything we do. It was registered as a charity with the Charity Commission of England and Wales on 9 November 2001."
The overarching objective of the GMC is to protect the public, which includes to:
- protect and promote the health, safety and wellbeing of the public
- promote and maintain public confidence in the medical profession
- promote and maintain proper professional standards and conduct for members of the profession
