North West of England Foundation School
Guidance on the identification of GP Clinical Supervisor’s and practices for the allocation of F2trainees into GP placements
Version/Author/Publication Date / V1.JBaines.July16Version/Reviewer/Review Date / V2. JBaines.July17
Version/Reviewer/Review Date / V3. AOliver. Feb18
Introduction
This paper sets out the recommended processes for identifying and approving GP Clinical Supervisors and training environments for the allocation of F2 trainees to GP Placements and should be read in conjunction with the ‘Process for becoming a Foundation Supervisor Flow Chart’.
It is designed as guidance only to help and advise colleagues within trusts and within GP practices and help facilitate some of the key communication links that are essential to the success of these relationships and placements.
Practices and Supervisors
In order for a new practice and/or new supervisor to become accredited to take F2 trainees both the individual trainer (the supervisor) and the training environment (the practice) must go through an approval process which is facilitated by the GP School at HEE North West. A practice which has been approved as a training environment cannot take on an F2 trainee without an approved supervisor and an approved supervisor cannot accommodate an F2 trainee in an environment which has not been accredited as a training site.
Notification of supervisors and practices
As we work towards achieving our target of 100% in Community (GP) placements in the North West of England Foundation School (and as we continue to maintain this) employing trusts are keen to identify additional (new) practices to help achieve this target
New practices and supervisors may be identified by the employing trust using existing knowledge of the locality and GPST allocations. If the acute employing trust has good local communication networks throughout its health economy and is aware of a GP and/or practice who may be interested in accommodating F2 trainees then they should contact the GP/practice with an initial enquiry.
New practices and/or new supervisors may come forward themselves expressing an interest in training F2 trainees and these expressions of interest may come through any number of channels within the local health economy or they may come straight to HEE North West.
In addition to this the GP School at HEE North West circulates an advert and invitation for new supervisors each year and this is disseminated throughout Primary Care by the FPDs/FPAs of the acute employing trusts.
However the new practice/supervisor is identified the process for accreditation is the same, asdescribed below.
Step by Step guide on the approval and accreditation of supervisors and training environments.
If a GP approaches either HEE NW directly, or the acute trust of their local health economy with an expression of interest in accommodating F2 trainees they should be directed to Sally Howarth, GP School Manager for HEE North West, .
The GP School are responsible for arranging the Foundation Supervisor Course. This course is facilitated by the Associate Postgraduate Deans (GP) from HEE North West and is accredited by the RCGP. GP’s wishing to become supervisors for Foundation trainees must attend the Foundation Supervisor’s Course, completion of which is the first step to gaining Foundation Supervisor accreditation. Following completion of the supervisor course the prospective supervisor completes accreditation paperwork sent out by (and returned to) the GP Academy Administrator of the GP School. On receipt of the completed paperwork, the GP Academy Administrator is responsible for arranging a visit/interview for the supervisor by an Associate GP Dean or GP Training Programme Director. Following this interview/visit, a report will be made by the visiting/interviewing Associate GP Dean concerning an initial approval of both supervisor and learning environment. Final approval as a Foundation Supervisor is sanctioned by the Deputy Dean for Primary Care and Public Health at HEE North West.
The Academy Administrator informs the supervisor of the approval, arranges for the details to be uploaded onto the Intrepid database and GMC Connect, and informs the North West of England Foundation School.
The North West of England Foundation School informs the relevant acute trust through the Foundation Programme Director (FPD) and Foundation Programme Administrator (FPA) distribution lists.
New and existing supervisors should attend the annual Foundation Supervisor Conference to keep up to date with developments in Foundation Training. This conference is organized by the GP Education Course Administrator and invitations are sent out directly to those registered on the trainer database.
Note: If you are an approved and accredited GP trainer or GPF2 Clinical Supervisors in another HEE local office and have moved to the North West region, or you’re providing cross-border support between HEE offices in the North geography then please contact the local Associate Dean (GP)/HEE North West Foundation School Manager to discuss accreditation in the North West.
The accompanying flow chart will help illustrate the points above and provide the relevant contact details.
Exceptions
There are a number of exceptions and variations to the approval process above. If a GP trainer is already an approved and accredited supervisor for GPSTs then they are already covered to the appropriate standard to supervise F2 trainees and do not need to go through the Foundation Supervisor Course process. They should however attend the annual Foundation Supervisor Conference which will enable them to keep up to date specifically with Foundation Training. The training environment where the GPST approved and accredited supervisor is based will still require a site approval but if the existing environment is approved for GPST then the practice will not need any additional approval for Foundation training. If a new Foundation Supervisor is being approved in an existing approved learning environment, a full site visit from the HEE North West GP School will not necessarily be needed. A smaller face-to-face review will be sufficient to verify that the environment is suitable for Foundation Trainees. The GP Academy Administrators will be able to identify the existing level of site accreditation and arrange the necessary follow up for a face-to-face review.
Allocating Trainees to supervisors/practices
Once a supervisor and practice have been through the necessary approvals processes and accreditation has been awarded the Academy Administrator will update the central training databases (Intrepid, soon to be TIS and Filemaker). This information will then be passed on and shared with the Foundation School who will use their FPD and FPA distribution lists to disseminate information to the acute trusts.
Each acute employing trust will receive a breakdown of the practices and supervisors within their health economy who have been approved. The acute trust should generatetheir own local communication networks with the practices/supervisors within their patch to facilitate connections and aid allocation.
The allocation of trainees to specific practices and supervisors is an employment matter and the acute trust should utilise the information which has been shared with them to arrange allocations. Acute trusts may wish to consider local issues such as distance between acute site and practice and the travel arrangements of trainees. It is up to the trust to decide whether to take into account the individual needs of its employees when allocating placements.
The trainee should be informed of which practice they have been allocated to and who their supervisor will be, and the practice and the supervisor should also be informed of the trainee who has been placed with them. Notifications should be made by the acute employing trust as soon as it is possible.
F2 GP Trainees who will be travelling to their allocated GP practice by car are required to take out business insurance if they choose to be reimbursed for their mileage at a rate of 24p per mile.
HEE North West, the GP School and the Foundation School require allocations to be made on a one-to-one ratio, i.e. an approved Foundation Supervisor is only allocated one F2 trainee. If a practice has more than one approved supervisor then the environment may accommodate further F2 trainees (subject to environmental checks) so long as the trainee to supervisor ratio remains at one-to-one.
Additional placements needed at short notice
There are many reasons why a GP practice or a GP supervisor may need to withdraw from accommodating Foundation trainees and this may leave an acute trust with an F2 trainee who is without a GP placement at short notice. If this happens there are a number of actions that can be followed.
Use existing information
The acute trust should use the information which has been provided to them to identify whether there are any other approved practices and supervisors within their health economy who haven’t been allocated an F2 trainee. If they’re able to identify an additional placement this way then this is the quickest resolution.
Using GPST placements
Supervisors who hold valid accreditation to supervise GPSTs are suitably trained to take on F2 trainees without any further training. Occasionally there is a shortfall in the allocationof GPSTswhich means that some practices and GPST supervisors may have gaps. In this instance the acute trust may approach a GPST trainer to enquire as to whether they have the capacity to accommodate an F2 trainee for a particular 4 month placement. The local GP Training Programme Director and patch Associate GP Dean may be able to advise on availability of placements.
Asking the neighbouring health economy
Another option for managing gaps is to approach the Foundation Programme Director of the neighbouring acute trust to enquire as to whether they have any gapswithin their health economy where they may be able to accommodate an additional F2 trainee. They may have to consider the options above such as utilizing unfilled GPST posts.
Doubling up
Doubling up should only be used as a last resort and this is where an experienced GP trainer accredited for foundation and/or GPST is asked to supervise a second trainee. This should only take place as a temporary arrangement and only in a practice which has an environment and catchment area which is able to suitably accommodate more than one F2 and provide the balance between productive tasks and supervision. Any doubling up must be sanctioned by the patch Associate GP Dean.
Local communication networks and support
Many of the possible actions above rely on good communication links between the acute employing trust and the practice and colleagues within the health economy and GP community. In the first instance the acute trust should use their local networks and knowledge to investigate possibilities. The acute trust will also have a link to their patch Associate Dean (GP) and their local GP Training Programme Director who will be able help facilitate any difficulties in managing gaps.
The GP School and the Foundation School are also always available to help provide advice and further guidance.
GP Training Grants
An approved supervisor within an approved practice is entitled to a training grant as remuneration for the preparation and supervision of F2 trainees. The current remuneration stands at £7,908 per annum (£2,636 per 4 month rotation, per trainee). Payment is facilitated by the Foundation School. Full details can be found from the F2 GP Payment Policy.
Educational Supervision
This paper sets out the steps for identifying practices and Clinical Supervisors. GP Educational Supervisors for F2 trainees are identified and trained following a different process and those interested in becoming an ES should contact their local Foundation Programme Director with their expression of interest.
Dis-accreditation
There are many reasons why a practice and/or supervisor might be identified as giving cause for concern. If this happens the HEE GP and Foundation teams must be informed as soon as possible andthe appropriate exploration will need to take place. Any decision to remove trainees from a training environment or from the supervision of a particular trainer should be taken by HEE North West.
1