There were many training opportunities in leadership, management, finances and trust-wide projects which were under-utilized by doctors.

It was apparent that most of the Junior doctors were not aware of such opportunities, nor how to access them.

The inspiration to start this network began from my journey in exploring leadership. I was unaware of ample opportunities at our trust, and felt I needed to explore externally, I wasn’t alone in this thinking.

By involving local leadership trainers, we explored ways to disseminate the information better.

We carried out a survey to assess the trainee’s perception of the trust, as well as how much knowledge they have of the opportunities available:

• Only 54% had any understanding of the learning opportunities available to them

• Only 26% felt it was easy to access relevant information from the trust

• Only 43% felt supported in exploring new ideas and lead change

• Only 37% felt enthusiastic about their future role in the NHS

In addition, the comments from the trainees suggested being ‘undervalued’, ‘forgotten about in hospital wide conversations relating to learning/change’, and ‘felt junior doctors are left to get on with it’.

The Network features

• Trainee leads from each speciality

• All network members in contact via email and WhatsApp

• Periodic newsletters with opportunities at the trust, circulated by the network members

• Extra training slots were generated to facilitate trainees in existing training workshops, such as in finance and management.

• Allows for cross speciality collaborations in projects, and also a direct access for trainees to the trust leaders.

• Trainees could share other opportunities available to them, such as committee reps.

The Network featuresThe network is growing with increasing numbers of volunteers to take up the lead roles. We hope this is a step in the right direction in finding our future leaders.