The report highlights O&G surgical training in the UK needs sustained investment and reprioritising to meet the needs of professionals delivering care in an evolving landscape. It also identifies areas for improvement to take forward in phase two of the project commencing in early 2025.
The O&G landscape is undergoing significant transformation due to evolving clinical practices, technological advances and shifting workforce demands. Access to surgical training is a vital part of the workforce model, but increasingly UK doctors face significant difficulty meeting their basic, intermediate and advanced surgical training competencies with the only 50% of senior O&G doctors who undertake operative Advanced Training Skills Modules (ATSMs) feeling ready for independent practice. The need for a well-trained, adequately supported obstetric and gynaecology workforce in the UK is more critical than ever, as service demands continues to grow.
Gynaecological surgical training must be reprioritised in the specialty in the face of long gynaecology waiting lists, workforce shortages and increasingly complex surgeries. These factors are putting pressure on the current workforce and limiting Trainees exposure to surgical skills practice and training.
The COVID-19 pandemic and challenges in maternity services have also exacerbated training issues with the postponement of elective procedures and increased medical cover needed in obstetric areas, limiting time and resource for gynaecology training.
More experienced doctors need better support and protected time to allow them to keep delivering high-quality training. Many reported finding it difficult to dedicate adequate time to teaching, mentoring more junior doctors and staying up to date with the latest changes in the field.
To lead the transformation to a digital health service, O&G professionals must be able to access innovative advances in clinical care. This includes harnessing new technologies, such as the use of robotics and AI training methods in complex surgical care, as a vital part of the solution. An important element this is expanding access to simulation training, the RCOG report found. Simulation training is a vital tool for surgical skills acquisition, providing a safe, controlled environment where doctors can practice procedures without risking patient safety.
This project has been developed in conjunction with key stakeholders including surgical trainers, policy makers and technology partners and is funded by Hologic.
Dr Ranee Thakar, President of the RCOG said,
“Investment in the surgical skills of our O&G workforce is essential. Working in the NHS, I know first-hand the challenges facing O&G professionals and have experienced changes to the landscape that we are delivering care in. There is a need for our Trainees to access better surgical training at all levels and training must be able to keep up with a changing environment to provide the necessary resources and infrastructure to foster a supportive training atmosphere across the specialty.
“One my priorities during my Presidency was to tackle this issue head on and I’m pleased to see this report identify the ‘baseline’ for O&G surgical training and provide a set of recommendations that we can look at addressing in Phase two of this project. This project is essential to future-proof O&G surgery in the UK.”
Tim Simpson, General Manager at Hologic UK and Ireland said,
“As medical technology and surgical techniques are constantly evolving, it is important that obstetric and gynaecological surgeons are able to access the training they need to build their experience and develop their skills. We hope that this report will help to attract the investment that is needed to achieve this. The impact that investment in training will have for current and future generations of surgeons and ultimately on the care they are able to give to women, cannot be underestimated.”
- Read the report here.
- Read the infographic summary here.
- Read more about the RCOG’s work to improve surgical training in the UK and beyond here.