The paediatric team in King’s Lynn is celebrating after winning the “Best Training Hospital” title at a prestigious regional award ceremony.
Junior doctors who have worked in Rudham Ward, the Neonatal Unit and Roxborough Children’s Outpatients at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital have nominated the paediatric clinical team into The East of England Paediatric Awards for Training Achievements (PAFTAs).
The team was presented with the Best Training Hospital award during the PAFTA ceremony in Cambridge on Friday, February 2.
Clinical Director for Children and Consultant Paediatrician Dr Glynis Rewitzky said: “We were delighted and surprised to receive this award, which has been a big boost for the department.
“We are hoping that this award will help to put King’s Lynn on the map and encourage more junior doctors to make us their first choice for paediatric training.
“The unit has always had a reputation for providing good quality training so we hope this award will further enhance that.”
A total nine out of the 17 hospitals which provide paediatric training in the East of England were nominated for the awards.
The paediatric clinical team at the QEH had received five nominations for the Best Training Hospital Category from junior doctors.
Nominations referred to the unit as an “inspirational” hospital to work for and praised the learning culture in which consultants and registrars help trainees to develop and gain confidence.
One nomination stated: “Working in the paediatric department at the QEH is a lovely experience, it’s a warm and welcoming hospital and you very much feel part of the team.
“All members of the department from consultants to nursing staff to play specialists are friendly and supportive. There is a big teaching culture here with opportunities to impart knowledge regularly being taken on ward rounds as well as lots of encouragement for junior staff to learn procedural skills, also regular teaching sessions which are relevant and educational.”
Another nominated added: “This is the most supportive paediatric department I have ever worked in. The emphasis is on teaching, simulation training and team work, which encompasses the wider multidisciplinary team, including physio, pharmacy, dietitians and play team. The development of one’s own path in paediatrics is nurtured and supported.”
Each academic year, the QEH welcomes around 200 undergraduates and postgraduates from the University of East Anglia and Cambridge Medical School to spend their work placements in the Hospital’s wards.
Along with providing a professional standard of teaching, the hospital is also considered a ‘supercentre’ for hosting exams by the Royal College of Physicians in London.
Medical Director Dr Nick Lyons has congratulated the paediatric team on winning the PAFTA.
He said: “This is a very well deserved award for the paediatric team who work tirelessly to provide high quality care for our patients but also nurture the students and junior doctors who are training with them.
“As Medical Director, I am not only proud of the Hospital’s role in helping to train the consultants and surgeons of the future but also of our good reputation for providing excellent and supportive teaching.
“Our hope is that by providing a good experience for junior doctors and students that they will consider returning to the Hospital once they have qualified.”
—ENDS—
Pictured: Members of the paediatric team celebrate receiving the Best Training Hospital PAFTA (Picture: Victoria Fear)
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