FSRH consultation response: Leadership skills and knowledge on governance will be crucial for doctors to lead multi-disciplinary teams

We respond to call for evidence by Health Education England (HEE) about the remit of the doctor in the future, including the skills, knowledge and behaviours doctors will need to perform their role. We argued the Community Sexual and Reproductive Health (CSRH) Consultant role can be a good example of what this will entail.

In our response, we argue that:

• the doctors’ remit will likely shift towards providing leadership and support on clinical matters rather than basic care themselves, which will be increasingly delivered by non-medical professionals such as nurses, pharmacists and associate medical professionals;
• doctors will likely become systems-leaders responsible for clinical governance issues, training and support for other healthcare professionals;
• every doctor in the future should develop optimal communication skills to work effectively within multi-disciplinary teams. Communication skills are also key to improve the doctor-patient relationship;
• the doctor of the future will need effective communication skills in SRH, focused on contraception and pregnancy options, including the ability to discuss abortion care;
• an important competency, relevant for all healthcare professionals, is the understanding of conscientious objection. Doctors need to be aware that opting out of training or treatment that is legally available and clinically appropriate is a serious decision which has the potential to adversely affect patient care;
• flexibility is important for the workforce and that we support the ability of healthcare professionals to move in and out of training as well as their right to train less than full time for diverse reasons. We believe the doctor of the future should be able to move between different roles and settings throughout their careers, building flexible working patterns;

According to HEE, the call for evidence will inform a national consultation to be launched in November 2019. Read more about the call for evidence here.