late collegue Flashcards
You are a CT1 and have covered a busy on call day shift. The night SHO is already 30 minutes late and you have 2 patients waiting to be reviewed in A&E.
Seek information: it is important to fully assess the situation – establishing if the colleague is running late or completely absent;
patient safety : while also considering clinical urgency of ward and A&E patients.
Initiative: it would be paramount to contact my colleague
. If my attempts of contacting their phone fail, I would contact flat mates or partner. In the meantime I could make a list of jobs in order of urgency and manage any emergencies.
Escalation: update my registrar and/or consultant
ast minute cover or cross-cover may be available and safe.
You eventually reach your colleague who informs you they are unwell and will not be able cover their shift. How would you proceed?
I would update the registrar, consultant on call and site manager of the situation
and plan how the shift could be covered
Locum cover
Cross-cover: this may be possible if another specialty has a small clinical workload and they agree to cross cover.
Most trusts have ‘step-down system’ which should be discussed with the consultant on call
Is it ever acceptable to just leave the hospital in a situation such as this?
No, leaving right away without taking any action to arrange cover of the shift and care of the patients is not acceptable and goes against your duties as a doctor
However it is important to know your limitations in terms of tiredness and over working, which is a risk to patient
early escalation
Cover is arranged for the shift but another SHO tells you this colleague has been late several times over the last few weeks. How would you proceed?
