Teaching on an inpatient acute ward is often ad-hoc and deprioritised due to clinical pressures, with structured teaching usually targeted primarily at medical trainees. The aim of this project was to establish a weekly ‘bitesize’ teaching programme delivered immediately following the Wednesday morning huddle. The objectives were to improve shared understanding of physical health and core psychiatric topics, improve inter-disciplinaryunderstanding and to create a positive culture of regular, expected and structured MDT teaching on the ward.

A weekly ‘bitesize’ teaching programme called Wednesday wisdom was established and delivered immediately following the Wednesday morning team huddle. Sessions were designed to be time-efficient and sustainable within a busy inpatient environment, lasting 10–15 minutes. Members of staff from multiple disciplines were contacted to deliver sessions, including pharmacists, dieticians, chaplaincy and mental health nurses.

Anonymous pre-programme questionnaires were distributed to the MDT to assess perceived adequacy of current teaching opportunities on the ward and acceptability of the proposed programme.

Baseline questionnaires (n=7) highlighted a lack of structured MDT teaching, with 71% of respondents reporting that there were not enough opportunities for MDT teaching on the ward. Mean self-rated confidence scores were 6.4/10. There was a high perceived likelihood of attendance if the sessions were scheduled immediately after the Wednesday morning huddle (72%).

Post-programme feedback demonstrated high satisfaction across all measured domains. 100% of respondents wanted the programme to continue and would recommend the format to other wards. Mean scores were high for relevance to role 9.7/10, being pitched at an appropriate level 9.3/10, appropriate session length 10/10, overall usefulness 9.6/10, increased confidence at applying learning 9.4/10, inclusivity and relevance to MDT 9.5/10 and integration intoward routine 10/10. A small number of respondents suggested refining pharmacy and medically focused sessions to ensure accessibility for the wider MDT.

This programme demonstrates that short and structured MDT teaching embedded within existing ward structures can be a highly effective way of improving learning opportunities in a busy inpatient psychiatric setting and can be delivered with minimal resources.