P245 Understanding a regional perspective of endoscopy workforce challenges

IntroductionThe workforce needs to expand rapidly and develop at pace. The Endoscopy Training Academy needed to understand the region to develop strategies to optimise services and staffing. Whilst there had been patchy unit self-reporting information exercises, a detailed qualitative exploration of every unit had not been completed.MethodsWe visited each endoscopy unit in the region and sought views about workforce, training & education. 19-unit visits were carried out between April and August 2022.All unit visits were in person, flexibly timed and lasted 2 hours. We maintained consistency by utilising a crib sheet proforma & took notes of the conversation in real time with consent. We collated themes & outliers into a regional report.ResultsWe spoke to unit & service managers, clinical leads, endoscopists, practice educators, nurses, & healthcare assistants. Half the endoscopy units had JAG accreditation & unfilled vacancies were reported in 57% of units.Many units had expansion plans, and all acknowledged the need for rapid change. Those with experience in endoscopy were most confident of their ability to lead the team. Most leaders were very interested in providing educational and training opportunities and many wished to train to deliver courses. Many articulated that they wanted to lead their team based on values of respect, fairness, equality, and equity, and believed that this would have a positive effect on patient care. Few units had long-standing, well-funded educational programs, but these units were associated with high team morale. Many managers displayed great commitment & innovation to the specialty and their staff and were pivotal in the JAG accreditation process. In these units there appeared to be increased vision optimism, and happiness.Newer managers expressed difficulty in acclimatising to their roles with little practical preparation for leadership. Many managers expressed that the last 2 years had reduced their team resilience, a few said they felt burnt out. Isolation was an issue discussed by many with reports that they felt their managers did not understand endoscopy. Many complex issues were reported that in combination proved difficult to manage i.e., environment dysfunction, staff shortage and turnover, managing insourcing, waiting lists, poor investment, & on-call, and opportunities to release staff for personal development, training was hampered. A very small minority of units had hugely complex difficulties.ConclusionsBy un