Consultant physicians working with patients - Royal College of ...

Consultant physicians working with patientsareas of practice such as cardiac computed tomographyand more generic areas such as medical leadership.Paediatric cardiology has its own Certificate ofCompletion of Training (CCT) and SAC with a recentlyupdated curriculum. Possible subspecialties includefetal cardiology. Care of adult congenital heart disease(ACHD) is open to trainees in paediatric or adultcardiology in 1–2 years of ACHD, depending on theultimate level of service.Mentoring and appraisal of medical and otherprofessional staffAnnual appraisal, assessment of contribution toimproving quality and working towards revalidation isan increasing responsibility for consultant cardiologists.Mentoring of junior consultant colleagues, as well asjunior doctors, is also increasing. Mentoring forprofessionals allied to medicine also helps to develop ahighly skilled, clinically competent group of healthcareworkers who will contribute to the delivery ofhigh-quality cardiovascular care.Continuing professional developmentContinuing professional development (CPD) forcardiologists is regulated by the Federation ofthe Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK, and isprovided by the BCS, which is now accredited by theEuropean Board for Accreditation in Cardiology(EBAC), through its annual scientific meeting, theEducationinheartseries and European Society ofCardiology textbook.Clinical governanceCardiology has been at the forefront of development ofclinical governance at both national and local levels (seeabove, and Specialty and national audit below).Research – clinical studies and basic scienceThe British Society for Cardiovascular Research (BSCR)is an affiliated group of the BCS that recognises theimportance of basic science. It recently held its annualscientific conference jointly with BCS. Nationally,clinical and basic science research is supported by theBHF through project grants, chairs, and senior,intermediate and junior fellows. The medicaldirector of the BHF is a member of the council of theBCS. Consultant cardiologists are encouraged toconduct high-quality research individually and incollaboration with their whole-time academiccolleagues. There should be encouraged activeengagement with the new academic health sciencenetworks.Local management duties and regional andnational workA consultant may be the clinical director or hold someother leadership or management role within the healthservice, NHS trust, network or clinical senate.Alternatively, she or he may be elected to the deanery’shigher specialist training committee.The BCS is run on a day-to-day basis by the presidentelect,secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer and chair ofthe Programme Committee. Affiliated groups addressthe subspecialty areas of echocardiography, nuclearcardiology, heart failure, intervention, pacing andelectrophysiology, congenital heart disease andrehabilitation, and they represent professional groups ofcardiac nurses, cardiac physiologists and primary care.Council representatives also represent colleagues fromthe DGHs, female cardiologists and patients. The BCSalso has a system of regional representatives andnetwork advisers. The Joint Specialty Committeeprovides an essential link between the RCP and BCS.In England, the NHS Improvement Heart team, thenational director and clinical leads/advisers haveprovided the impetus for change within the specialtyover the last decade. Wales, Scotland and NorthernIreland have also developed programmes for improvingservices.Specialty and national guidelinesCardiology practice has responsibility for theobservation of multiple clinical guidelines,interventional procedure guidelines, technologyappraisals and other advice issued by NICE. Table 2includes additions to previous summaries from 2008edition of Consultant physicians working with patients. 9As a constituent member, the BCS endorses andsupports guidelines published by the European Societyof Cardiology.Specialty and national auditNICOR now hosts MINAP, BCIS, SCTS and BritishCongenital Cardiac Association (see above). Althougheach audit looks at a specific aspect of heart disease,they can be linked together to follow a patient’streatment and outcomes throughout their lifetime. Thisdoes not depend on where the patient receivedtreatment, who provided their care or what treatmentthey received. NACR works with the NHS Information54 C○ Royal College of Physicians 2013