Initial feedback is collected for each block of study.We encourage and welcome all students to be “fair, constructive and professional in your feedback and make comments based on your own experience”. We can then use this feedback to improve the learning experience and to identify areas of good practice. Please see the guidance on Professional written & verbal communication as a medical student on the MB ChB Moodle home page.

Summary reports and comments are returned to block leads and reviewed via Phase Management Groups. Updates, action plans and outcomes are shared via “You said, we did”, on your Moodle phase pages and via lecturers.

As part of WMS quality assurance processes and to ensure that the GMC standards for teaching MB ChB students are being met and maintained, WMS undertakes cyclical trust and GP practice visits. These visits are coordinated by the Education Quality Team. These visits serve a number of purposes. They:

• Allow us to gather evidence regarding the teaching experience and education governance at partner trusts and GP practices
• Provide an opportunity for the sharing of good practice
• Strengthen links and maintain channels of communication between WMS and local education providers
• Allow us to touch bases with students, clinical educators and administration teams during placements.

After the visit has been completed, a report is written by the visit panel, commending any areas of good practice identified and identifying any required actions by either WMS or the education provider. We welcome student panel visit members (ideally Phase II and III) and you will be contacted during the year when this opportunity to participate arise.

All courses in all departments of the University operate within a system of Student-Staff Liaison Committees (SSLC), which are an integral feature of the University’s quality assurance framework. SSLC’s provide a forum for students and staff to discuss issues relating to a course, department or centre. They are student-led committees that form the basis for the representation of students’ views within the department and at higher University committees.

The SSLC Chair and Secretary are students registered on the MB ChB course and there are student representatives for each of the four phases of the course. Full information and support materials relating to the University’s SSLC system are available from the Students’ Union webpages.

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The WMS Director of Student Engagement, Employability and Progression (DSEP), Emily Róisín Reid, will act as a champion for the student voice in the department and is responsible for working with you to enhance the student experience. This includes a focus on building a learning community, supporting student learning, and developing department policies and practice to improve student experience. The DSEP works closely with the WMS Student Staff Liaison Committees and is always keen to hear your views and feedback.

The MBChB Faculty Development team provide a range of initiatives to train and develop WMS-based and clinical teachers for their teaching roles, including CBL Facilitator Training, Inductions for Clinical Teachers (run at each NHS trust), teaching observation schemes and an annual MBChB Education Conference for everyone involved in the MBChB (including students) to share good practice developments in learning and teaching.

Peer observation of teaching is an important and commonly used mechanism in UK higher education to inform and promote a teacher’s own reflection and enhancement. It is an important means to promote effective teaching, provide opportunities for professional development for teachers and to allow institutions to demonstrate teaching quality assurance and enhancement.

The Academic Lead for Faculty Development is Dr Catherine Bennett and the Senior Teaching Fellows (Faculty Development) are Dr Imogen Davies & Dr Emily Unwin

An important mechanism in maintaining and improving the quality of medical education at WMS, and a means to celebrate excellence, is our awards scheme. We fundamentally believe that showcasing the best teachers and recognising the contribution they make to your learning is one of the most effective ways to improve education within the School and our NHS partners. We award excellence and achievements in a wide variety of categories here at WMS and across our partners in education delivery. This scheme is regularly reviewed to ensure we continue to identify and share best practice. Once again, student voice is essential here in highlighting positive experience and contributions by individual members of our community at WMS. Students will be contacted during the academic year to nominate those who have contributed significantly to their experience here at WMS. Every person you nominate receives a personal letter of thanks.

The GMC suggests that systems for monitoring professionalism have the advantage that they can also be used to recognise and promote exemplary professional behaviour (Professional Behaviour and Fitness to Practise). At WMS we provide a mechanism for recognising excellent professional behaviours and encourage feedback when exemplary practice is observed. Commendations are submitted using the online nominations form

The NSS is a survey of all final year undergraduates in the UK and it’s a great opportunity to tell us what has made your time at university a success, and what you’d like to see improved. The survey makes a real difference to the experiences students and future students have at university and college.

At WMS we rely on your feedback to identify what needs improving within the student experience. As a result of previous feedback from the NSS, we have worked with you to implement changes which have really made a difference. This has included ensuring that students have opportunities to apply for annual leave while on clinical placements, provision of optional student support drop-in sessions and additional, optional Phase 1 drop in sessions. More information is available on the NSS website

The University has established the Teaching Excellence Group to have oversight of how each department is maintaining academic standards, continuously improving the underlying quality of the student learning experience and improving student outcomes for UG and PGT courses. The Group’s approach to oversight is evidence- and data-led, drawing on a focused set of information about student outcomes and the quality of the student learning experience.

The Teaching Excellence Group (TEG) operates through a single meeting with each department. This is intended to take place in the autumn term of each year. TEG meetings operate in the intervening periods between 5 yearly Institutional Teaching and Learning Review. This process reviews teaching and learning provision across all departments, with a focus on quality assurance and quality enhancement.

It is important that medical students know how to raise a concern if they see or experience something that disturbs them, including concerns regarding patient safety or the inappropriate behavior of others whether at the University or on clinical placement.

We recognise that it can be difficult for students to raise concerns for a variety of reasons. If you are unsure whether to raise a concern, please speak to someone to discuss it in the first instance.

The WMS Raising Concerns webpage will guide you through the process including how to raise a concern.Most concerns are raised through the online raising concerns reporting form and submissions are regularly monitored by a member of staff. Updates on the numbers and types of concerns raised will be regularly communicated to students by the MBCHB Director of Medical Studies.

At WMS all concerns raised will be addressed professionally and confidentially.

We aim to ensure that you will find your time with us satisfying, challenging and rewarding and encourage you to use the various methods described above to help us improve and develop our courses.

However, there may be occasions during your studies when things do not go as expected.We are very receptive to resolving any issues you may experience and would encourage you to contact us to raise any concerns.You can do this in the first instance by informing any of the following:

• The staff member responsible for the activity in question. This would be the Block Lead/Theme Lead/CBL Facilitator
• Your Personal Tutor
• Your Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) representatives.
• The Director of Medical Studies
• Your Phase Administration

The department takes all complaints and feedback seriously. We will respond to all points raised either by changing our practices or by explaining why this is not possible.

While we are committed to providing high quality services to all our students throughout their University experience, if there is something that goes wrong and you want assistance to resolve, we have an accessible and clear procedure which you can use to make a complaint: Student Complaints Resolution Procedure

The aims of the Student Complaints Resolution Procedure are:

• to resolve complaints in a timely, effective and fair manner; and
• to resolve complaints as close as possible to the academic or service area in which they arise

A complaint is defined for this Procedure as “an expression of significant or sustained dissatisfaction where a student seeks action to address the problem”.