Infectious Diseases

Infectious Diseases

The challenge to combat clinical problems of healthcare acquired infection and worldwide pandemics of HIV, hepatitis and malaria,  to respond to emerging infection problems such as swine flu and Ebola, and to rationalise antibiotic use in the light of increasing microbial resistance, makes the Infection Specialties of Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, and Virology exciting and contemporary specialties.


The Traditional Background of ID, Microbiology and Virology

Traditionally, infectious diseases was quite distinct from the laboratory based specialties: ID physicians had clinical responsibility for patients with mostly communicable diseases; microbiologists/virologists organised and supervised laboratory diagnostic services for infection, led on infection control services, and gave advice to other clinicians about management of various infections, often by telephone, with limited ward reviews. 

Changing Specialties 
This separation of duties is becoming blurred over time. ID physicians deal with fewer communicable diseases, whilst with technological advances, laboratory supervision is slowing moving over to clinical scientists. The work of ID physicians and microbiologists and virologists has more overlap, particularly in areas of healthcare acquired infection, and antimicrobial resistance. 


Combined Infection Training
As a result of this change, and looking to the future, August 2015 saw the combined Royal Colleges introduce “combined infection training”(CIT) curriculum which all trainees in these infection specialties undertake in their first 2 years of specialty training. This will be extended by 6 months for ID-GIM trainees, to accommodate GIM training during this time. CMT & MRCP are essential for entry into CIT. CIT is followed by higher specialty training (HST) in later years. All programmes are 5 years overall, except for Tropical Medicine-GIM which is 6 years. 

 

Further Information: contact details

Dr Andrew Woodhouse  - Head of Specialty Training, Infectious Diseases, Health Education England working across the West Midlands.

Dept. Infection, Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham B9 5SS email: [email protected]

Dr Savita Gossain co-Head of Specialty Training, Microbiology, Health Education England working across the West Midlands.

Dept Microbiology, Public Health Laboratories, Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham B9 5SS email: [email protected]

Dr Donald Dobie, co-Head of Specialty Training, Microbiology, Health Education England working across the West Midlands,

Dept Microbiology, New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton, WV10 0QP email: [email protected]

Dr Husam Osman, Head of Specialty Training, Virology, Health Education England working across the West Midlands.

Dept Microbiology, Public Health Laboratories, Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham B9 5SS email: [email protected]

Dr Michael Riste – Trainee Rep – [email protected]

Dr Aimee Johnson – Deputy Trainee Rep – [email protected]

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