OXFORD DEANERY SPECIALTY TRAINING PROGRAMME IN ORAL & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY
About Oxford Deanery
The Oxford Deanery covers the counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, with Banbury and Milton Keynes in the North, to Reading and Slough in Berkshire and High Wycombe and Aylesbury in the West.
The Oxford Deanery is part of NHS South of England which comprises South Central, South West and South East Coast Strategic Health Authorities. The Oxford Deanery is responsible for the training of some 1500 trainees.
The Oxford Deanery is a relatively small deanery with a defined geographical area which serves as a single unit of application. In the majority of cases successful candidates will be asked to preference their choice of location for either one or two years. Some programmes will require successful candidates to indicate a location and specialty. Future placements will usually be based on individual training and educational needs. Please note that applications are to the Oxford Deanery as a whole. This may mean that you may be allocated to any geographic location within the Oxford Deanery depending on training needs.
The Oral & Maxillofacial Training Programme
The Oral & Maxillofacial training programme is a five year programme, starting at SpR 3 Level. During this time, the trainee's work will be monitored for satisfactory progress and subject to annual reviews in the form of ARCPs. Progression on the programme will be dependent upon these reviews.
The posts on this rotation have been approved for Specialist Training by the specialist advisory committee of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. The posts attract National Training Numbers and provide training towards a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).
The Postgraduate Dean has confirmed that this post has the necessary educational and staffing approvals.
The programme is based in several different Trusts throughout the Oxford Deanery so trainees may find themselves employed by any of the following Trusts and placed in any of the following hospitals:
Trust / Hospitals and LocationsOxford University Hospitals NHS Trust / John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust / Northampton General Hospital
Rotation Information
At present this training programme involves a two centre rotation between Oxford and Northampton. The programme is divided into year blocks with two ARCP meetings per year, one of these is informal, and one is the formal annual review. Trainees will be expected to rotate to Northampton for at least one year of their five year programme. At Northampton Trainees are exposed to all aspects of the department at the same time and so will have both Oncology and Deformity training simultaneously. In Oxford, at the present time, each year block is divided up into Oncology/Deformity/Trauma blocks. The various trainees are expected to rotate round these blocks and so get intensive training in one particular area at a time. As trainees rotate and become more senior local negotiations can be made to increase exposure to any specific area of interest. All aspects of oral and maxillofacial surgery are covered at The John Radcliffe with the exception of skin malignancies. At Oxford there is also exposure to a full range of trauma including transcranial trauma. Oxford is a designated craniofacial centre and cleft centre.
In Northampton there is a vast exposure to skin dermatology procedures of the head and neck which complements the deficiency of this area in Oxford
Trust Information
Information on the trust can be found from their respective web sites.
Northampton is a large district general hospital which provides maxillofacial services excluding super regional specialties. There is a large oncology, deformity, and trauma workload. At present there are four consultants with specialist trainees. One is from the Oxford and Northampton rotation and one is from an alternative neighbouring deanery.
Oxford is a designated craniofacial/cleft and major trauma centre. It covers the entire spectrum of oral and maxillofacial surgery and within the hospital there are all the surgical and medical specialties available including neurosurgery and cardiothoracic surgery.
Teaching
Teaching is of course formal and informal. The trainees at present are involved in the training programme with the south coast trainees. This is over two years and will cover the whole spectrum of oral and maxillofacial surgery and all trainees are informed that it is mandatory to attend the training days. In addition we have a monthly audit and education meeting in Oxford which is very much led by the trainees. This meeting also involves mortality and morbidity meetings, clinical pathology conferences and educational lectures. The trainees are expected to give training to all the juniors as part of their commitment to medical training in general and all trainees are expected to attend certain courses which are discussed with the assigned educational supervisor for each trainee.
Duties of Post
Clinical, the trainee will be expected to be fully integrated in all the clinical activities of the department. This will involve theatre sessions, general clinics, specialist clinics, and minor oral surgery. The vast majority of this will be done under general anaesthetic but there will be allocated local anaesthetic sessions.
Teaching, as well as a detailed teaching programme the trainees will be expected to teach junior doctors and assist in the delivery of their teaching curriculum.
Audit and research, all trainees will be expected to help with audit projects and indeed carry out their own audit projects. This is conducted through the monthly audit and education meetings. Research will be encouraged and there are fixed study sessions within the time table.
Administration, the trainee will be expected to be integral in the administration of the particular firm that they are attached to. They will be expected to liaise between patients and the department and between various colleagues.
Main Conditions of Service
Appointments to this programme are subject to the Terms and Conditions of Service (TCS) for Hospital Medical and Dental Staff (England and Wales). In addition appointments are subject to:
- Applicants having the right to work and be a doctor or dentist in training in the UK
- Registration with the General Medical Council
- Pre-employment checks carried out by the Trust HR department in line with the NHS employment check standards, including CRB checks and occupational health clearance.
The employing Trust’s offer of employment is expected to be on the following nationally agreed terms:
Hours – The working hours for junior doctors in training are now 48-hours (or 52-hours if working on a derogated rota) averaged over 26 weeks (six months). Doctors in training also have an individual right to opt-out if they choose to do so, but they cannot opt-out of rest break or leave requirements. However, the contracts for doctors in training make clear that overall hours must not exceed 56 hours in a week (New Deal Contract requirements) across all their employments and any locum work they do.
Pay – you should be paid monthly at the rates set out in the national terms and conditions of service for hospital medical and dental staff and doctors in public health medicine and the community health service (England and Wales), “the TCS”, as amended from time to time. The payscales are reviewed annually. Current rates of pay may be viewed at Part time posts will be paid pro-rata
Pay supplement –depending upon the working pattern and hours of duty you are contracted to undertake by the employer you should be paid a monthly additional pay supplement at the rates set out in paragraph 22 of the TCS. The current payscales may be viewed at . The pay supplement is not reckonable for NHS pension purposes. The pay supplement will be determined by the employer and should be made clear in their offer of employment and subject to monitoring.
Pension – you will be entitled to join or continue as a member of the NHS Pension Scheme, subject to its terms and rules, which may be amended from time to time. If you leave the programme for out of programme experience you may have a gap in your pension contributions. More information can be found at
Annual Leave – your entitlement to annual leave will be five or six weeks per annum depending on your previous service/incremental point, as set out in paragraphs 205-206 of the TCS. The TCS may be viewed at
Sick pay – entitlements are outlined in paragraph 225 of the TCS.
Notice –you will be required to give your employer and entitled to receive from them notice in accordance with paragraphs 195-196 of the TCS.
Study Leave –the employer is expected to offer study leave in accordance with paragraphs 250-254 of the TCS. Local policy and procedure will be explained at induction.
Travel Expenses – the employer is expected to offer travel expenses in accordance with paragraphs 277-308 of the TCS for journeys incurred in performing your duties. Local policy and procedure should be explained at induction.
Subsistence expenses – the employer is expected to offer subsistence expenses in accordance with paragraph 311 of the TCS. Local policy and procedure should be explained at induction.
Relocation expenses –the employer will have a local policy for relocation expenses based on paragraphs 314 – 315 of the TCS and national guidance at You are advised to check eligibility and confirm any entitlement with the employer before incurring any expenditure.
Pre-employment checks – all NHS employers are required to undertake pre-employment checks. The employer will confirm their local arrangements, which are expected to be in line with national guidance at
Professional registration – it will be a requirement of employment that you have professional registration with the GMC/GDC for the duration of your employment. Though the post is covered by NHS Indemnity, you are strongly advised to register with the MPS for professional indemnity.
Health and Safety – all employers have a duty to protect their workers from harm. You should be advised by the employer of local policies and procedures intended to protect your health and safety and expected to comply with these.
Disciplinary and grievance procedures – the employer will have local policies and procedures for dealing with any disciplinary concerns or grievances you may have. They should advise you how to access these, not later than eight weeks after commencement of employment.
Educational Supervisor – the employer or a nominated deputy (usually the Director of Medical Education) will confirm your supervisor on commencement.
General information on the Deanery’s management of Specialty Training programmes, including issues such as taking time out of programme and dealing with concerns or complaints, is available at and in the national ‘Gold guide’ to Specialty Training at Please ensure that you inform Oxford Deanery of any changes to your contact details.
November 2011