Key Contacts
IMT Tutor(s) for (hospital/Trust): Dr Tina Mehta
PGMC IMT administrator: Ms Anna Robertson
Head of School of Medicine: Dr Ananthakrishnan Raghuram
Associate Dean for Medicine: Dr Geoff Wright
Education programme Manager: Louise Peckham
Education programme coordinator: Faye Price
Health Education South West Severn supervises all postgraduate medical specialist training in the region.
Information about the Hospital
The Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Foundation Trust provides acute treatment and care for a catchment population of around 500,000 people in Bath, and the surrounding towns and villages in North East Somerset and Western Wiltshire. The Trust is based at the Royal United Hospital (RUH) which is situated close to Bath city centre.
The hospital provides 732 beds and a comprehensive range of acute services including medicine and surgery, services for women and children, accident and emergency services, and diagnostic and clinical support services.
The Trust employs around 5,100 staff, some of who also provide outpatient, diagnostic and some day case surgery services at local community hospitals in Bath & North East Somerset, Somerset and Wiltshire. This fulfils part of the Trust's aim to provide high quality care to people in their local communities.
The hospital provides healthcare to the population served by four Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs); Bath and North East Somerset CCG, Wiltshire CCG, and Somerset CCG (Mendip Federations), as well as one social enterprise, Sirona Health & Care CIC.
Bath is a beautiful World Heritage city with a number of excellent restaurants, bars, shops, spas and galleries. The city itself is surrounded by rolling open countryside, with the Cotswolds and south west coast in easy reach for daytrips. London is easily accessible with direct trains to Paddington taking only eighty-five minutes. The RUH doctors’ mess hold regular events, including monthly payday parties and an annual summer ball at the Roman Baths in the centre of Bath. The University of Bath campus has one of the best sports facilities in the country, including an Olympic size pool and even the national tobogganing/skeleton centre.
Specialties at the Hospital
Medical Admission Unit / MAU
The MAU team work on a full-shift rota managing the acute medical take throughout the week. All patients admitted under the Medical take are seen on one of several post-take ward rounds throughout the day and there is always someone around ask for advice including the MAU registrar, the Medical registrar and any one of the Acute Medical Consultants.
The ambulatory care area within MAU carries out a variety of roles including seeing new referrals from primary care, follow-ups from ward discharges, and many semi-elective day case admissions for transfusions, ascitic drains etc. The Nurse Practitioners oversee this area and can provide invaluable advice.
There is an excellent opportunity to see and manage a variety of different conditions and enhance your procedural skills, including the use of ultrasound guidance for inserting lines or drains. There is also weekly departmental teaching session and audit within acute medicine is strongly encouraged.
Gastroenterology
The inpatient Gastroenterology ward is a 24 bedded unit which specialises in looking after patients with a variety of conditions including Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Liver Disease and GI bleeds as well as other inpatient GI problems. There is one IMT trainee, one F2, three F1s and five registrar grades on the ward in addition to 2 Medical Nurse Practitioners. There are twelve Consultants who are all very approachable when you need senior advice. The job provides a great opportunity to enhance procedural skills, particularly ascitic tap and drain insertion.
Clinics in gastroenterology run Monday to Friday, both in the afternoons and morning. These include general follow up clinics, liver clinics, liver nurse (viral Hepatitis), IBD nurse and new patient clinics. The opportunity to observe a variety of endoscopy lists including the GI bleed list, colonoscopy and ERCP is available to all trainees. There is weekly departmental teaching and audit or QIPAT is strongly supported.
Respiratory
The department includes 8 respiratory consultants with a supporting team of 3-4 ST3-7s, 1 IMT, 1 F2, 3 F1s and a number of medical nurse practitioners. All inpatient work is carried out in a 33-bed ward which includes a Respiratory High Care Unit where acute non-invasive ventilation can be delivered.
In post there is the opportunity to take part in regular outpatient respiratory clinics and a pleural procedures clinic. Educational meetings are held within the department and a number of opportunities are available to complete audits and become involved in ongoing service development.
The Respiratory Department runs clinics every day. These include general and specialist respiratory clinics in Bronchiectasis, Interstitial Lung Disease, Lung Cancer, Pleural disease, Pulmonary Hypertension, Sleep and Ventilation.
Geriatric Medicine on the Older Persons Unit
There are 13 Geriatricians at the RUH leading a multidisciplinary team providing the geriatrics service. The post provides an opportunity to learn about all aspects of acute elderly care medicine, while also appreciating the wider multidisciplinary nature of long-term conditions and their associated disability.
During an attachment you will also have the opportunity to gain experience in the following subspecialties:
- Frailty and front door geriatric medicine
- Stroke
- Dementia
- Falls & syncope
- Orthogeriatrics and bone health
- Movement Disorders
There are weekly educational meetings, a weekly stroke related X-ray meeting, a teaching programme and a stroke journal club.
Neurology
There are 3 Neurologists with a supporting registrar and MNP, who work together as part of a multidisciplinary team, looking after the neurology inpatients. There is a weekly IMT led LP clinic on Monday afternoons and weekly IMT outpatient clinics seeing 2 new patients (supervised by a consultant) and you are also welcome to attend the consultant specialist outpatient clinics, including EEG sessions. Clinics in neurology run afternoons and mornings Monday to Friday, except Wednesday morning and Friday afternoon. These include general clinics, Multiple sclerosis, first fit, movement disorders, headache and botulinum toxin for dystonia.
In post you work closely within the MDT, starting the day with the MDT board ward rounds. The ward care for complex neuro-rehab patients, this includes people with tracheostomies. There is a weekly x-ray meeting; audits and projects are encouraged
Rheumatology
‘The Min’ RNHRD is a specialist hospital with a strong tradition in teaching and research and offers experience in a broad range of rheumatological disorders. The rheumatology team consists of 10 consultants who sub-specialise.
IM trainees undertake regular outpatient clinics and are involved in the care of inpatients. There are opportunities to attend speciality clinics in connective tissue disease, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and metabolic bone disease. There is a weekly postgraduate education programme and radiology meeting.
The rheumatology team have a wide range of outpatient clinics available to which IMTs are welcome including general rheumatology, early synovitis and ultrasound clinics, and clinics specialising in Connective Tissue disease, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Osteoporosis/Metabolic bone disease, and Psoriatic Arthritis.
Oncology
There are 8 Oncology Consultants supported by 3 registrars, two MNPs, 2 junior doctors in acute oncology and 2 ward junior doctors. IM trainees will be caring for patients undergoing varied, often complex treatments, and managing admissions varying from life threatening complications of treatment to end of life care.
Outpatients is a large part of our clinical work. IM trainees will attend a regular supervised outpatient clinic during their 4 /12 attachment.
There is the opportunity to learn about the multidisciplinary management of cancer through MDTs and outpatient clinics as well as gain valuable experience in radiotherapy, chemotherapy, clinical trials and palliative care from directed teaching and educational meetings.
Endocrinology
There are 5 Consultant Physicians who each lead a dynamic multi-professional team in diabetes and endocrinology and share responsibility for a general medicine/endocrinology ward base.
There is a weekly team education meeting and a weekly radiology meeting. Trainees are encouraged to spend time with the multidisciplinary diabetes team to gain greater insight into the management of diabetes for both in and outpatients. Trainees have a weekly dedicated outpatient list and are also encouraged to attend a range of specialist clinics. There is opportunity to gain experience in performing a range of dynamic endocrine testing & learning how to interpret those results.
Endocrinology runs daily outpatient diabetes or endocrinology clinics. There are weekly thyroid/parathyroid joint surgical, antenatal diabetic foot clinics and monthly specialist weight management.
Cardiology
There are 8 cardiologists and 2 registrar grades. Alongside looking after inpatients there are opportunities to attend echocardiography, observe angiography and exercise tests. There is a weekly ‘drug of the week’ pharmacy teaching, departmental teaching on Fridays and departmental Consultant teaching.
Clinics run most days in Cardiology and are mixed New Patients and Follow-ups.
ITU
This busy and well supported unit offers a broad range of intensive care experience. Constant senior support means there are lots of learning opportunities throughout the day, and you are always made to feel comfortable to ask questions however small. There are plenty of opportunities for procedures, and attaining DOPS form assessments. After night shifts there is the opportunity for feedback on the morning ward round. There is also a weekly teaching session which you are encouraged to attend.
Education and Training
The RUH Grand round is on Monday lunchtimes. There is a weekly one hour bleep free programme of consultant led teaching for IM trainees, that around monthly is replaced by SIM training. PACES teaching is coordinated by the Associate College tutor for IMT.