Diplomate Member Section

We’re delighted to welcome our latest batch of Diplomate Members by launching a new section of our website dedicated to our diplomates. Here, our Clinical Lead for Diplomate Members, Dr Giles Hazan, talks about some of the exciting content we have planned for diplomates.

 Let me introduce myself – I am Dr Giles Hazan, a jobbing GP in Sussex where I also work in an extended role in a community pain clinic. As part of improving the support for and professional development of clinicians I have the privilege of being the clinical lead for the diplomate membership and want to share with you some of the plans we have for this year and beyond.

It’s an exhausting time to be working in the NHS right now. Increased waiting times, the vilification of primary care in the media, burnout, illness, and uncertainty around the future. Never has there been a greater need for support amongst peers from across specialities and disciplines. The good news is that there have been real efforts to support the professional development of clinicians across the board in MSK and I wanted to get you up to date with the progress being made to support not just GPs working in MSK roles but the whole multi-professional network.

Update on membership benefits

Diplomate members have access to a range of goodies within the faculty and we have now launched a Diplomate Members area of the website with a range of resources and educational materials including;

• Guide to hosting ITP (Integrated training posts) in MSK
• Patient information resources
• Diploma syllabus and exam information
• Events calendar
• Guides and resources for aspiring GPwERs in MSK Medicine and to support appraisal and revalidation
• Resources for clinicians

We hope to build on this offering year on year as we welcome more and more members into our community.

Accreditation for GPs with an extended role in MSK Medicine

The RCGP has published guidance recognising the additional need for governance around GPs working in extended roles (found here), this recognises the need for suitable training, supervision, and provision of evidence of competency and ongoing professional development.

Over the last 2 years we have been working to better define, promote and protect GPs working in extended roles, these have included:

• The creation of a standardised framework and defined career pathway for GPs wishing to pursue a career as a GPwER MSK Medicine that was formally approved and endorsed by the RCGP in September 2021.
• Created and agreed a standardised curriculum for GPs and those working with an extended role in MSK Medicine. This informed the new Diploma in MSK Medicine from the FSEM. The first sitting in Spring 2021 was highly successful; sat by 196 candidates (93 doctors, 101 physiotherapists, 1 advanced nurse practitioner and 1 speech therapist and we have a similar number scheduled to sit the 2022 exam.
• We have created a multi-organisation working group comprising FSEM, BASEM (British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine) and the PCRMM (Primary Care Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Medicine Society). We are working together on shared goals of supporting clinicians from a range of specialities to access quality support and education alongside other primary care organisations.
• We have an ongoing liaison and collaboration with Health Education England with members of the working group involved in consultation on Advanced Practice Pathway. This has informed the approaches to the GPwER pathway and strengthened relationships with the wider MSK community.
• We have active collaboration with allied health professional education groups. This has included liaison with MACP (Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists) and established an annual joint study day and agreed vision with potential for further joint working.

MSK Podcast series

We will be soon launching a series of podcasts, where you can choose the topics you’d like to see covered. We will focus on the questions you always wanted to ask with a focus on what is relevant to the jobbing community clinicians.

Diplomate members can help direct who we ask to be on the podcast and even suggest questions for them via the portal on the website. Who have you always wanted to hear from and what have you wanted to ask them? Let me know and I will hunt them down and bribe them with Faculty branded merch to come onto a future edition.

Awards Ceremony & Annual Dinner

We will be hosting our Awards Ceremony & Annual Dinner at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) on Thursday 29 September 2022, and we’d love you to join us. Come along, meet your colleagues, and welcome the next cohort of Diplomate Members. You should already have received an invite by email – if you haven’t and you’d like to attend, please contact us at enquiries@fsem.ac.uk.

We want YOU to be involved….

We are looking for your help to develop the offering for existing and new members across the specialities and facilitate interprofessional learning and development. We already have input from the likes of Andrew Cuff a leading Physiotherapist and Consultant Practitioner but wish to have more of you involved who are working at the coal face.

Specifically, we’re looking to establish a Diplomate Members Committee to help lead new initiatives, improve our offering, and report back to the Faculty Council.

There are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved in the work we’re doing. We’re also looking for Diplomate Members to join our new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. This vital work affects everyone in healthcare, so we’d particularly like to hear from those of you working in AHP roles. The committee is expected to meet 3 times per year, with one of the meetings in collaboration with BASEM.

To find out more or to register your interest in either of these roles, please get in touch at enquiries@fsem.ac.uk or by replying to this email.

It is no secret that there are discussions between BASEM and the Faculty on our future plans and the longer-term aim is to create a (Royal) College of Sport and Exercise Medicine. This is your chance to get involved and be represented at national and international level including at the Academy of Royal Colleges and other relevant meetings. Other influences include

• Supporting employers with advice and guidance
• Creating a network of clinicians to help with mentorship, appraisal & revalidation
• Provide support for graduates and undergraduates including further development of Integrated Training Posts (GP Training posts in MSK/SEM) and representation on courses/conferences
• Get involved in creating educational content and support

This is an open invitation to have your say and get involved if you work in MSK medicine or rheumatology (not just as a GP but any health professional) and would like to influence the way this process goes. We are looking forward to working with you.

Many thanks,

Dr Giles Hazan                                                        

GPwER Musculoskeletal Medicine

Clinical lead for Diplomate Members

Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK