Foundation doctor receives national recognition for improved patient outcomes
A Foundation Doctor from University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has received two national awards in recognition of his role in improving outcomes for patients with testicular torsion.
With support from UHNM’s Urology and Emergency Medicine teams, Dr Paul Ingley, Simulation Teaching Fellow, helped to develop a new seven-point tool to evaluate acute scrotal pain which has since been adopted as national guidance.
Dr Ingley’s oral presentation won first prize at the Bristol Patient Safety Conference, whilst his poster was awarded second prize at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh’s Foundation Trainees Surgical Society National Conference. He has credited his success to the support received while in training at UHNM.
Dr Ingley said: “I had a less than conventional route into medicine. Having wanting to study medicine from a young age, family health issues became a barrier, so in a change of direction, I decided to do a Medical Science degree, masters degree in Toxicology, a PhD in Biochemistry and a PGCE, before starting working as a teacher. Having achieved the role of Director of Learning in a large high school and having always wanted to follow my dream, when the opportunity presented itself, I grasped it with both hands. It’s not been easy by any stretch, I even sat the GAMSAT entry exam with acute appendicitis.
“UHNM was my first choice of placement, and I couldn’t have been happier when I matched. Firmly of the mind that Emergency Medicine was for me, my rotations were chosen to support this. Whilst I loved my time in ED, and the team were fantastic, when I started my General Surgery job, I knew this is what I wanted to do. The training and opportunities offered were fabulous. I had regular theatre time, opportunities to assist, frequent skills tuition and a solid grounding in surgical presentations through SAU. My F2 educational supervisor Mr Chandra Cheruvu, Consultant Bariatric, Upper GI and Laparoscopic Surgeon, has been amazing.”
“Mr Cheruvu established the Stoke Surgical Research Society (SSRS) during Covid. He has been incredibly supportive and has blown me away with the opportunities he’s found for me and other junior doctors. SSRS is a great idea, conceived to bring together consultants and juniors of varying grades in clinical training providing an fantastic opportunity as an introduction to research. Without it, more junior colleagues would struggle to find research projects and make progress on them. SSRS helps with this, helping to drive standards forward. I’ve never encountered such support as I’ve had from Mr Cheruvu and the SSRS in my professional life.
“I presented my audit on testicular torsion at a regional conference, proposing a way to risk stratify patients in ED. With the Urology and Emergency Medicine team’s support, I began to promote a seven-point scoring system for patients experiencing scrotal pain. Within four months, as a combined effort, we had exceeded the NICE guidelines target in all cases. I have presented this work at the Bristol Patient Safety Conference and Royal College of Surgeons winning first and second prizes respectively.
“I have two abstracts accepted for oral presentations at conferences in Manchester (AUGIS) and Derby (ALSGBI) on the Medicolegal Implications of Bile Duct Injury in Cholecystectomy, which I’m very excited about as well as several other projects with the support of SSRS.”
In his current role as a Simulation Teaching Fellow at UHNM, Dr Ingley is part of the team that delivers simulated learning sessions for other foundation doctors Extended Reality Laboratory (ERL) at the Postgraduate Medical Centre at County Hospital, Stafford.
Dr Ingley said: “I have absolutely no regrets about leaving teaching and coming to UHNM, I absolutely love my job. Since starting work at UHNM in 2022, I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with every team I have worked with. I learned so much with every one of the teams I've worked with at Stoke including Acute Medicine, Trauma and Orthopaedics, Urology, Emergency Medicine and General Surgery. I’ve encountered so many colleagues to name but all have been incredibly supportive and have given their time to teach and help, to all I say thank you so much and I am proud to say I work at UHNM.”