For all of surgery: RCSEd’s new guidance portal

This month, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is excited to launch SupportEd. This is the RCSEd’s hub offering support to individuals working in dental and surgical teams and to organisations involved in the development, delivery and regulation of surgical services. As part of the new-look College website, SupportEd will be the entry portal to the assistance and guidance the College provides its membership as well as healthcare organisations.

Staff experience 

SupportEd uses the expertise of staff and trained clinicians within the College to provide help for healthcare institutions concerning patient outcomes and safety, teamworking, interpersonal behaviours and non-technical skills, compliance with national/international standards and guidance as well as training and development.

Royal Colleges are frequently commissioned by healthcare leaders, usually representing trusts or health boards, to review and evaluate aspects of their surgical services. Historically, these reviews have focused on diagnosis, with any suggestions for improvement being presented as a ‘to do’ list. External reviews are often perceived by clinicians to be punitive and restrictive.

Through SupportEd, RCSEd is offering a full professional review service. In addition to providing the usual review and evaluation of surgical services, a key part of our offer will be to collaborate with individuals, surgical multidisciplinary teams and healthcare leaders to implement bespoke change over the medium term. On occasion, the commissioning institution will have targets that are easily attainable, such as the purchase of specific items of equipment or the employment of additional team members. More often, however, the suggestions for improvement are more difficult to attain, with interpersonal behaviours and team dynamics often being at the core of the recommendations for change. The SupportEd team can support the production of business plans and provide help with workforce challenges with our links to the Faculty of Perioperative Care and the International Postgraduate Deanery, plus the provision of external assessors for consultant appointments. SupportEd may also signpost teams or individuals to some of our excellent training courses, such as NOTSS, ACT (Addressing Conflict in Surgical Teams) or TBQR (Teams Based Quality Review for Clinical Practice), or to our anti-bullying, sexual harassment and team resources. SupportEd will work with departments on their journey to change.

Supporting individuals

The platform aims to support all members of the dental and surgical team to achieve their full potential. It provides a gateway for individuals who are seeking assistance, advice and guidance from the College. 

In many cases, the hub will direct the user to further resources on the College website, such as educational courses, exams, FAQs or an e-learning package. Sometimes, the query may lead to an individualised response from a member of the College team. SupportEd will not seek to advise doctors on specific episodes of clinical care, employment or medicolegal issues.

Education and examinations

We anticipate that education and examinations will be one of the most frequently viewed areas of the hub. SupportEd will signpost users to resources to support their education and their development, such as membership of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers or the sign-up pages for specific courses. The Patient Safety Committee’s content will also be available via SupportEd. The SupportEd hub will also link to information about the College’s suite of examinations, with useful information about application deadlines and FAQs. 

Careers

RCSEd offers a range of career advice opportunities but it has not always been easy to find the help you need. SupportEd will contain a plethora of information to guide all members of the surgical team in their chosen career pathways. For those seeking ongoing support or those with more individualised queries, SupportEd will be the key gateway for access to our Surgical Mentoring Scheme for trainees. It will also be the point of contact with our teams of regional and international surgical and dental ambassadors, who are able to offer career advice as well as act as conduits of information to and from the College.

Personal development

SupportEd is there for anyone involved in surgery or dentistry, from medical students to retiring consultants. The hub highlights opportunities to become involved in College activities at all levels, from our medical and dental student skills competitions to membership of our surgical specialty boards or Council. SupportEd also promotes the links to our various faculties, such as the Faculty of Surgical Trainers and the Faculty for Remote, Rural and Humanitarian Healthcare, as well as our work on sustainability. It will guide the application processes for our Clinical Leadership Fellows and to our foundations in surgical leadership programmes. SupportEd also directs users to sources of travel and research funding plus our foundation trainees’ surgical societies. 

You can access SupportEd by scanning this QR code.