North East and Yorkshire (NEY) Endoscopy Training Academy

National Context

Endoscopy services have been under intense pressure for many years. Several attempts have been made to increase capacity for both symptomatic and screening endoscopy with some success, however, due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, changes to bowel screening criteria and ever-increasing demand for services, the workforce has reached critical limits.  

Recommendation for Academies  

The Sir Mike Richards’ Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal report (2020) sets out the tipping point reached with regard to diagnostic services, and the need for radical  transformation and investment in equipment, facilities and workforce.   

 For endoscopy, the challenges can be summarised as:  

• observed increasing demand annually for endoscopic procedures    
• increasing demand through changes in the bowel cancer screening programme    
• challenges within estate and workforce availability     
• impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, further exacerbating these challenges, resulting in a significant backlog of patients awaiting procedures.     

Gastrointestinal endoscopy is also an essential requirement in the diagnostic and screening provision for gastrointestinal cancer as well as in the diagnosis and management of other gastrointestinal conditions.   

One of the recommendations of the Richards Report (2020) was the establishment of Training Academies to support acceleration in training, in light of the expected rise in screening demand.  

The academies are designed to meet the training needs of the following staff groups:   

• Postgraduate Doctors in Training (Gastroenterology and General Surgery) 
• Clinical Endoscopists   
• Support workforce (Endoscopy Nurses, Health Care Assistants, Administration & Clerical staff)   

In light of this NHSE is collaborating with the four ICSs across the North and East and Yorkshire (NEY) to develop a deep understanding of the current position and develop options to optimise the provision of endoscopy training, taking into account the challenges and opportunities that affect the region.  

Development of a training approach across a large region enables the ability to spread expertise, share learning and support the workforce with professional development, which are key to retaining staff and grow their expertise. 

The introduction of new roles and delivering high quality training and education to the multi-professional workforce is paramount in meeting growing pressures, as well as developing new ways to deliver training through academy models.  

Academy Design Principles / Vision

Introduction:

The North East and Yorkshire Endoscopy Training Academy (NEY ETA) with two geographical footprints (one dedicated to the North East and North Cumbria and the other to Pan-Yorkshire) provides a range of training programmes designed in line with the needs of the very different geographical footprints and aligned to the two LETBs within the region.  NEY ETA is hosted and co-ordinated within the Radiology Imaging and Diagnostic (RID) Academy.  RID is responsible for assuring, embedding and co-ordinating national cancer and diagnostic programme funding to support excellence in education across the multi-professional workforce. 

The Academy provides accelerated training and education to support a resilient and skilled endoscopy workforce for the NHS and will provide a coordinated approach to the delivery of training linked to workforce and skills gaps, recruitment, Joint Advisory Group (JAG) on GI Endoscopy standards and NHS needs. ​ 

NEY ETA have created a model which meets the following design principles/ NHSE Academy aims:   

1. Providing high quality, multi-professional training offer that is inclusive to Specialist Trainees (ST) doctors, Clinical Endoscopists, Nurses, support staff and administrators   
2. Providing flexible and high-quality endoscopy training environments which utilise available resources across multiple stakeholder organisations, to avoid duplication of provision and supporting access to learning.    
3. Making the best use of the available teaching faculty within NEY and enabling Trusts to ‘make space for training’ for endoscopy staff.   
4. Provide Immersion Training to support the rapid attainment of endoscopic skills for our doctors training in Gastroenterology and Upper/Lower GI Surgery as well as Clinical Endoscopists.   
5. Provide novel/innovative courses that will encourage new entrants to the endoscopy workforce who can support endoscopy provision and upskill those already trained in one modality to expand the colonoscopy and bowel cancer screening provision.    
6. Provide continuous professional development for all endoscopists to ensure both high-quality endoscopy and training are available throughout NEY.  
7. Ensure return on investment by aligning activity and investment with local, regional and national workforce development priorities (Long Term Plan, Endoscopy Strategy, Diagnostics Recovery and Renewal)  

North East and Yorkshire Endoscopy Training Academy Footprint consists of:

• 4 ICSs (Integrated Care Systems): North East and North Cumbria (NENC), Humber and North Yorkshire (HNY), South Yorkshire (SY) and West Yorkshire (WY) 
• 4 Cancer Alliances 
• 2 Post Graduate Dental Medical Education (PGDME) 
• 8 NHS Foundation Trusts within the North East and North Cumbria 
• 13 NHS Foundation Trusts within Pan-Yorkshire 
• Stakeholder engagement with regional HEI’s