Seen, Not Sinking: Nurturing Resident Doctors in a Pressured NHS - The Right Chamber - Ep 27

In this episode, we welcome back Dr Richard Alleyne, palliative care consultant and Resident Doctors’ Wellbeing Champion, to explore one of the most overlooked pillars of healthcare: how senior clinicians can meaningfully support resident doctors in an increasingly pressured NHS.

Drawing on years of clinical experience and wellbeing advocacy, Dr Alleyne offers a candid look at the hidden struggles resident doctors face. The silent pressures, the instinct to say “I’m fine,” and the fear of appearing weak in high-stakes environments. To address this, he introduces his practical toolkit, a simple five-step framework designed to help senior colleagues recognise distress early, initiate compassionate conversations, and guide resident doctors toward the right support. Through relatable stories and real clinical scenarios, he demonstrates how small moments of care, noticing a change in behaviour, asking the second “Are you okay?”, or offering a few words of reassurance, can prevent burnout, improve team culture, and even safeguard patient care.

Listeners will learn how to spot early warning signs, hold supportive conversations that don’t take hours, nurture confidence in developing doctors, and use escalation pathways wisely. Whether you’re a consultant, trainee, nurse, or allied health professional, this episode equips you with tools to build a more compassionate, resilient healthcare team.

00:00:00 Introduction to The Right Chamber
00:00:49 Meet Dr. Richard Alleyne: Wellbeing Champion
00:02:56 Challenges facing today's resident doctors
00:05:44 Barriers to senior support & "Diffusion of Responsibility"
00:08:43 Formal reviews vs. brief ward connections
00:11:17 S - Spot the signs of struggle
00:14:14 H - Hear and listen actively
00:15:26 I - Inquire: The power of the "second question"
00:18:35 Why supporting staff is a time-saver, not a time-waster
00:20:12 Personal stories: The impact of supportive leadership
00:22:45 N - Nurture through affirmation and feedback
00:26:43 E - Escalate: Signposting to further support
00:32:02 Applying SHINE to students and the whole MDT
00:33:57 Final thoughts and wrap-up

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Produced by the RGUC Digital Media Team - https://iclinical.co.uk/digital-media...

Music credit: Kalte Ohren (septahelix remix) by septahelix (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/septahe... Ft: starfrosch