Allowing the voice of junior medical staff to be heard in the organisation

Trainee and Management Forum

Established in 2015, the Trainee and Management Forum was formerly known as the DICE Forum (Doctors for Information, Communication and Engagement Forum). However, the forum was relaunched in December 2016 with a new name – the NHS Lothian Trainee and Management Forum (LTMF).

Email LothianTraineeManagementForum@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk (link below) to subscribe and receive MS Teams meeting links.

 

The Forum was established with the aims of improving channels of communication between doctors in training and senior management within NHS Lothian, allowing the voices of junior doctors to be heard within the organisation.

We have representatives from across the different sites and specialties in NHS Lothian, but we are always keen to welcome more people to the group!

Click HERE to join the next meeting!

How can you participate?

We welcome any junior doctors working in NHS Lothian – so, if you are interested simply email: LothianTraineeManagementForum@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

You can also get in touch by joining Trickle - details of meetings, discussion and feedback are shared on the app. All doctors-in-training should already have access to Trickle (please email ea0292f3.scottish.onmicrosoft.com@uk.teams.ms if you haven't yet).

The current format is a 1 hour meeting every month, with updates on individual work streams and guest speakers who facilitate discussion on issues relevant to junior doctors working in NHS Lothian. We recognise that the shape of training makes regularly attending meetings difficult. If you would like to be involved but are unable to attend, you can join our mailing list to keep up to date with activities of the group.

What does “participation” mean?

Participation will take different forms – for our representatives, attendance at meetings whenever possible is encouraged, however our meetings are open to all junior doctors and clinical managers in NHS Lothian.

By agreeing to participate, you can expect to be asked to comment on issues brought to the group by different areas of the organisation who seek the feedback of junior doctors. One example would be the TRAK team who often want feedback from TRAK users, but find it difficult to get feedback from junior doctors. This is where the Trainee and Management Forum members come in!

Sometimes you will be asked for individual feedback, whilst at other times you will be asked to get wider feedback from your colleagues in your specialty or area of work. This may be related to a proposal from the Clinical Management Group that will affect NHS Lothian as a whole or may be more department-specific.

We are continually looking to improve/evolve this forum. One of the main roles for our representatives this year is to help ‘spread the word’ about who we are and what we do. Try and find out what matters to people.

What do you get in return?

Involvement in the Trainee and Management Forum allows you the opportunity to act as a voice for the junior doctors working in your clinical area or specialty, and allows you the opportunity to share good practice, raise concerns and to interact with the management of NHS Lothian.

The Trainee and Management Forum allows you the opportunity to better understand the role and processes of management within NHS Lothian, and will be valuable experience for those interested in pursuing management roles in their future careers.