On Wednesday, thousands of newly qualified medical graduates start work in hospitals across the country. Research shows that the influx of inexperienced staff leads to a 6% rise in patient death rates during the month of August. Two years ago, the NHS introduced a mentoring system to try to provide support to new doctors in an attempt to improve safety during August, the first Wednesday of which, when junior doctors traditionally start their new job, has been dubbed “Black Wednesday”. Junior doctors are supposed to work with a senior colleague for four days before changeover day, to settle into their role before being expected to take on responsibility. We want to know your experiences of giving and receiving care in August. Are you a junior doctor who is starting work this month or one who is starting a new rotation? How did your first shift go? Do you feel you have enough support? If you are a healthcare professional working in a hospital with new staff, how have you found working with newly qualified medical graduates? What would you like to see introduced for new members of staff? Or, if you’re a patient, were you treated by any junior doctors on the first day of their new job? What did you think of the treatment you received? We want to know your experiences of giving and receiving care in August – this year or in previous years. We want to hear from you. Share your story by filling in the form below. We’ll use a selection in our reporting. Source
