The regulator has imposed conditions on the training programme in the emergency medicine department after it was found that there was inadequate clinical supervision.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has imposed conditions on the training programme in the emergency medicine department at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, part of Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. 

The health board has been instructed to strengthen oversight of the programme, with clear board-level accountability, timely and transparent communication, and a more responsive approach to concerns, after it was found there was inadequate clinical supervision for doctors in training and insufficient time for trainers to meet their educational responsibilities.

“We have taken this action because we are not satisfied that sufficient progress has been made to address longstanding concerns within the emergency department training programme,” said the GMC’s director for education and standards, Pushpinder Mangat. 

The latest report on the Emergency Department from Health Inspectorate Wales dates to November 2023, which found poor patient flow impacting the timeliness of care. 

It found two areas where it required the health board to take immediate action. 

Inspectors identified gaps in the records of emergency equipment checks. Inspectors were not assured that checks were being conducted to confirm the necessary equipment was available in the event of an emergency. There was also poor compliance with mandatory resuscitation training, and inspectors were not assured that a sufficient number of staff had the required up-to-date skills in resuscitation of patients.