An evaluation of clinical fellow programmes in an acute teaching hospital trust

Abstract

Background/Aims Clinical fellows support the hospital workforce while gaining experience in different specialities, research, leadership and teaching. The authors aimed to assess the impact of clinical fellow programmes in an acute teaching hospital trust. Methods An anonymous electronic service evaluation was sent to clinical fellows to investigate their views on whether the programme had improved patient safety, doctors' clinical performance, training and wellbeing. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the free-text responses. Results A total of 95 out of 144 clinical fellows responded to the evaluation survey. The clinical fellows believed that the programme had improved patient safety, clinical performance (time to manage acute patients), foundation and internal medicine training, undergraduate teaching and junior doctors' wellbeing. Four similar themes emerged from the free-text responses: career development, patient safety, training and doctors' wellbeing. Conclusions Clinical fellow programmes may improve patient safety, clinical performance, training, undergraduate education and doctors' wellbeing.