CMT Training Programmes - Pontefract
Ackworth School
The surrounding area
Pontefract is a market town situated on the eastern edge of the industrial West Riding of Yorkshire. The nearest major city is Leeds, which is only 13 miles away. Up until the 1990s the coal mining industry was one of the biggest employers in West Yorkshire, particularly in the Pontefract area. With a population of around 38,000 this historic town is renowned for its liquorice ‘Pontefract Cakes’ confectionery. Pontefract Race Course draws visitors from all over the country and is one of the best-appointed courses of its kind in the country. The area boasts prehistoric and Roman settlements and Pontefract has had a long and colourful history since the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Pontefract General Infirmary
Pontefract General Infirmary is a District General Hospital based on the eastern side of The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust patch. The hospital traditionally serves Pontefract and Castleford along with several small towns, totalling a catchment population of approximately 183,000. The hospital, with just under 400 beds, provides a good range of general medical and surgical specialties, including the provision of maternity services for both Pontefract and Wakefield. A new Ante-Natal Day Unit is now up and running and provides an excellent service to women with complications of pregnancy in a modern and well-equipped unit. The hospital is part of the Hospitals Developments Project, which will bring major redevelopment of the Pontefract site including new ACAD facilities, the development of a rehabilitation institute and 24-hour A&E provision. There are currently 211 acute medical beds at Pontefract General Infirmary. These include a Coronary Care Unit with five monitored beds and a 27 bed Medical Admissions Unit.
The medical education centre offers a comprehensive range of Postgraduate and undergraduate training services. Core curriculum lectures are held most Thursdays. MDT meetings are held on a regular basis in Lung; Respiratory/Pathology, dermatology/Histopathology. MRCP and MRCGP Tutorials are held weekly. The Integrated Medicine team meet on Monday lunchtime. Medical Audits are held monthly. Occasionally these are conducted Trust wide via video conference links. CMT trainees are expected to participate in any research & audit projects being undertaken by the Consultants. Junior and Senior staff collaborate in presentation and discussion at a monthly half day audit meeting. X-ray meetings are held on Friday lunchtime. There is an opportunity for the CMT trainees to take part in the management process by acting as the junior representative on the management team. Regular appraisal and career guidance is considered an integral part of the training. An appointee’s consultant carries out the appraisal, taking also the role of educational supervisor. Counselling is offered by two of the consultants if any points raised by the appraisal require further discussion. In addition a mentoring opportunity is offered to all junior staff in the hospital.
Pontefract Medical posts
All acute medical admissions enter the hospital via the medical admissions ward, however GP’s and paramedics have direct access to CCU for patients with suspected myocardical infarction. There is no age related admissions policy, but internal protocols are in place so that specialist ward areas are created. The following posts are part of CMT:
Cardiology, Elderly Medicine, Gastroenterology, MAU & Medical Short Stay Unit and Respiratory Medicine
Consultants participating in the acute on-call:
Dr P Brooksby - Cardiology
Dr L G Copeland - Elderly Medicine
Dr Bangad - Elderly Medicine
Dr A Das - Elderly Medicine
Dr A O C Johnson - Respiratory Medicine
Dr R V Lewis - Cardiology
Dr G Smith - Respiratory Medicine
Dr C White - Diabetes and Endocrinology
Dr Abassi - MAU
Dr Michalak - MAU
A team approach to patient care is encouraged and this may mean that, from time to time, a Senior House Officer may be expected to provide support for other teams when they are under particular pressure. The CMT trainee is always on duty with a registrar and a consultant, both easily available for advice. There will be occasional need to review patients in the Accident and Emergency Department if the Registrar is busy. The CMT trainee will be part of the hospital wide cardiac arrest team. There is always a Night Nurse Practitioner on-call. She filters all calls to juniors doctors except those coming from ITU and cardiac arrest calls. Many routine problems are now dealt with by these specialist nurses. There may be the requirement for cross site working with due notice. All of the CMT posts involve one or two outpatient sessions per week and the opportunity to attend sessions when various procedures are carried out.