Responding to today’s publication of the 2018 GMC National Training Survey, Professor Michael Griffin OBE, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh said,
“While we are delighted that most trainees report that they’re satisfied with the teaching and supervision they receive and the hard work trainers do in an ever increasingly busy environment. However, we remain concerned regarding the general lack of satisfaction among surgical trainees at the quality of training, clinical supervision and experience they receive. Proportionally, surgical trainees are the least satisfied. Long hours, an intense workload, short notification of rotas, poor handover arrangements and insufficient time designated for training are among a range of concerns cited.
“Surgery is also perceived to be the speciality least supportive of less than full-time training.
“The NHS needs to address these issues urgently if it is serious about creating a world class working environment and develop the next generation of skilled and motivated surgeons. Our report on Improving the Working Environment for Safe Surgical Care makes a number of recommendations in this regard, and we seek action to support trainees now and in the future.”