Warm Welcome

A very warm welcome to all the new doctors on our training scheme. Just a quick reminder that if you are new to scheme you need to register with the RCGP to get an ePortfolio. You need to do this NOW because otherwise you won't be able to progress towards MRCGP - to register click here.

For trainees in general practice the first Tuesday half day release is on Tuesday 7th August. For trainees in their first GP post the meeting is at Adwalton Surgery, Driglington and for those in ST3 the meeting is at Kings Medical Practice, Normanton - click here for directions.

For trainees in hospital posts for those in Group A the first meeting is on Thursday 16th August and those in Group B on Thursday 23rd August. Click here to see which group you are in. Hospital trainees are meeting at Adwalton surgery in August, September and October and then we are moving to Kings Medical Practice at Normanton over the winter period. Click here for directions.

I look forwards to meeting you!

Yorkshire and Humber Policy on MRCGP fails

We have had an email from the Deanery today advising the approach that the Yorkshire and Humber Deanery is taking to patients who have failed MRCGP either because they have failed WPBA, CSA or AKT. The Deanery has agreed the following approach:

1. Trainees who have failed CSA will be offered up to a 5 month GP based extension to enable them to complete CSA again
2. Trainees who have failed AKT only will be offered a 6 month hospital based extension to training
3. All trainees who have failed can apply for LTFTT, through the normal process, as extending training may allow extra attempts at the exams.

If you have any queries about these options then talk to a TPD ASAP!

Yorkshire and Humber Local Education and Training Board

I am the West Yorkshire GP representative on the interim Yorkshire and Humber Local Education and Training Board. This board will be responsible for commissioning training and education across Yorkshire and Humber to ensure a  competent current and future workforce. Clearly to deliver patient care in the future we need to ensure that there is a secure primary care workforce. It is increasingly become apparent that this will have high priority for the LETB board, but in case it does not I see my role as continually reminding the board about primary care.

 

To read more about the LETB click here http://www.yorksandhumber.nhs.uk/what_we_do/workforce_education_and_training/

 

The board has recently produced its first newsletter - click here to read it http://www.yorksandhumber.nhs.uk/document.php?o=8648  about the board members, background and work programmes.

 

Call me vain but none of the GP members had their photo taken! If you want to see a pretty picture of me click on my blogger profile!

 

http://www.blogger.com/profile/17493517836158922375

Get your ESR done now!

Just a quick reminder that the local ARCP panel for trainees on the DWP scheme is Tuesday 12th June. The panels will look at every ones ePortfolios electronically to determine whether you have made satisfactory progress and whether you can be signed off and either get your CCT or move to the next year of training.

In order to do this all your workplace based assessments  need to have been completed, all the NOE requirements need doing - click here for a link to the NOE requirements on the Deanery website, you need to have a Clinical Supervisors report and then to tie it all together you need to have a completed Educational Supervisors report. In order for ARCP panel members to have time to have read your ePortfolio and assessed your progression your ESR needs doing by the end of the May.

Take home message is you need an ESR meeting by the end of May and if you have not arranged it yet do so now!

Study Leave

The TPDs met last week and clarified the rules about trainees claiming study leave. Briefly we agreed that:

• The budget for individual trainees is per ST year and will run for 12 months when you joined the scheme e.g. if you joined the scheme in August the year for your study leave budget will run from 1st August to 31st July
• Currently you can claim up to £450 per year.
• The individual study leave budget will be reviewed in the light of the outturn for our educational budget.
• Study leave claims must go through the approved hospital and Deanery procedures
• The TPDs have discretion to approve study leave that goes above the annual limit in exceptional circumstance e.g. additional CSA training course for a trainee who has failed CSA.

Hope thats clear!

Less Than Full Time Trainees now only have to do pro rata number of assessments

Good news for ‘less than full time trainees’ - you now only need to do a pro rata number of assessments and the new rules apply from now! Below is the full text of a press release from the RCGP:

'Trainees will continue to have regular educational reviews (usually a minimum of once a year). For these interim reviews, supervisors make a judgment of progression for stage of training normally based on pro rata evidence as a minimum. However, there may be situations dependent on individual trainees performance and progression where more than the minimum evidence is required.

'The General Medical Council (GMC) has offered interim guidance to say that for those trainees who are ‘less than full time trainees’ (LTFTTs) evidence can be gathered on a pro-rata basis. This approach means that LTFTTs will collect the same amount of evidence as full time trainees, but over a longer period of time.

The RCGP is in full agreement with the GMC that this recommendation is a fairer approach for those trainees affected and is encouraging GP Deaneries to implement the guidance as soon as possible.

At present, LTFTTs have to collect the same amount of evidence for their ARCP as their full time peers. The RCGP agrees that the new approach will ensure that assessment does not take up a disproportionate amount of trainee learning time.

The purpose of the ARCP is to ensure that trainees are engaged with the training process have undertaken appropriate workplace-based assessment and are making satisfactory progress for their stage of training.

The RCGP Postgraduate Training Board (PTB) has agreed that for gateway ARCP reviews between specialty training years, a trainee must provide the minimum amount of evidence specified by the RCGP. For example, for a trainee working at 50 per cent of full time the required evidence at the end of their ST1 year may be compiled over the equivalent period - i.e. two calendar years.

The RCGP Assessment Committee recommends that this guidance be applied immediately. Since many LTFTTs are not synchronised with the usual assessment cycle of transition in specialty training years in August, the RCGP recommends that the Workplace Based Assessment guidance be applied from the next review scheduled. For the majority of LTFTTs this will be a ‘gateway’ ARCP in the summer of 2012.'

The full RCGP guidance can be viewed here: http://www.rcgp-curriculum.org.uk/Docs/WPBA%20%20LTFTT_guidance%20January%202012.doc

The GMC guidance document can be viewed on the GMC website at http://www.gmc-uk.org/LTFT___WPBA_and_ARCP___Additional_position_statement___Feb_2012.pdf_48095387.pdf'

New Stuff to Download!

I have just put a load of 'stuff' on the website for you to download. To get to the download page click here. What I have put on the website is really, really useful:

• HDR and whole day attendance sheet - compulsory for ARCP panels - less than 14 weeks away now!
• Whole day training programmes for Group A and Group B hospital trainees
• HDR training programme for trainees in GP1
• Resources used in a recent Prospective Trainers Workshop - PowerPoint's, CBD documents, and MRCGP Competency Framework document
  AND
• Feedback and evaluation forms for Thursday whole days and the HDR sessions at Drighlington and Normanton - remember Moira's job depends on this ...

Well, to be truthful it is not really that excited, but at last it is one click from everything you need to know!

Making it easy ...

I have just updated the website. You will have seen lots of posts from Terry and me about links to our online evaluation pages for the Thursday Whole Day sessions for hospital trainees and the Tuesday HDR sessions for GP ST3 trainees at Normanton and Drighlington.

Well I have made it so easy for you now. I have added a link to both Evaluation Forms from the 'Download' page on our website.

To get to the Evaluation Forms click here - it is so easy....

Hands-Only CPR

The British Heart Foundation has started promoting 'Hands-only CPR' for people who have not been trained in Basic Life Support. We looked at the You Tube videos at our Whole Day Training Session on Thursday and I thought they were worth sharing. The BHF has been running a TV advert campaign staring Vinnie Jones - the advert is really funny. To watch just the advert on You Tube click here.

For more information about this then click here for the British Heart Foundation website.

New Year Resolutions!

I hope several of you have made New Year resolutions to keep up to date with your ePortfolio and make lots and lots of entries and loads of WPBAs...! That is perhaps not a New Year resolution and more wishful thinking along the lines of 'if pigs could fly' ... But never mind there is always a time to start and the time to start is now. So the next milestone is meeting your Educational Supervisor to sign off your current post before you finish it. If you have not arranged a meeting then do it now so everything is on track for the last six months.

Happy New Year