Humber Generalist School presents at RCS engagement event

(Published 3 March 2023)

Last month, the enhance Humber Generalist School was delighted to present at the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) England & Yorkshire Surgical Club Conference. The event, chaired by Mr Arin Saha, RCS Regional Director, included presentations on themes such as addressing health inequalities, improving environmental sustainability, and education and career development opportunities – all of which align closely with the enhance domains.

Miss Helen Cattermole, lead for the enhance Humber Generalist School & Consultant orthopaedic surgeon, delivered an inspiring presentation about the enhancing generalist skills programme and its relevance within surgical specialties. 'The breadth and depth of the topics covered in the enhance programme apply to surgeons as much as anyone else - we are seeing this in our current cohort of learners where we have surgeons participating at all levels from core to consultant, and learning valuable skills to enhance patient care, interdisciplinary working, and service delivery'

The talk was well received by the audience comprising a range of Allied Healthcare Professionals from extended surgical teams, surgeons, trainees, and medical students - many of whom visited the Health Education England stand afterwards to find out more information and how to get involved.

Conversation highlights from the day included:

‘Surgeons can and should be involved in managing the whole patient. There is a sense that this is the sort of stuff surgeons are unconsciously incompetent about. A focus on the importance of generalist skills can help broaden and strengthen professional skills’

‘You learn a lot about generalism as a student and Foundation doctor, but I think there is an important perspective about coming back to generalism as an experienced specialist, bringing with you the experience you have gained to date.’

enhance is an educational development offer available to all healthcare professionals to embed and develop generalist skills with a focus on systems leadership and collaboration to provide holistic person-centred care and manage complex multi-morbidity. To find out more about the enhance programme in the North-East & Yorkshire region, visit https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/enhancing-generalist-skills/how-get-involved