Trainee doctors 'scared to come to work'

Some trainee doctors and consultants at one Welsh health board are "scared to come to work", a report has found.

A report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) described "frightening experiences" staff faced at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. Chronic understaffing and excessive workloads at the Grange hospital in Cwmbran were causing "very serious patient safety concerns", it added.

The Health Board said it had taken the findings of the report very seriously.

The report, obtained by BBC Wales, said that some trainee doctors and consultants were worried about working in case they lost their licence to practise. It also said the problems had caused some consultants to feel demoralised and on the brink of leaving.

One trainee told the authors of the report: "On one overnight shift, I treated a four-year-old with seizures. The ambulance took six hours. Colleagues treated an 18-month-old with burns. Lots of kids come in with respiratory distress. Paediatric cases are not uncommon. We've treated stabbing victims. Colleagues delivered a baby earlier in the minor injuries unit. These things shouldn't happen at all."

Another trainee said: "There's so much patient movement with [this] model. I recently sent someone from Nevill Hall to the Grange to get a scan, then to the [Royal] Gwent to get a follow-up procedure, then back to Nevill Hall.

"That's three bed moves, three ambulance crews and three medical people dealing with the same patient. It's extremely inefficient."

And another added: "I worry about the safety of the patients coming into this hospital."

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Source: BBC News,