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Summer 2008
New
Training Programme Director
Andy Downs has been appointed as the new TPD
for Tees Valley VTS. He hopes to demonstrate
over time that this was not a mistake.
Premises
We are still negotiating with a number of
potential landlords, unfortunately we are an
unusual tenant with quite a lumpy need for
space (teaching on Wednesdays). We are
trying to secure a site that satisfies our
office requirement, need for teaching space,
adequate parking, easy access from all of
our patch plus space for registrar milling
(crowd not wheat). The extension of our
lease in Grey Towers has given us some
breathing space. All the regular summer HDR
session can now be accommodated in Grey
Towers.
Trainer Reappointment
The panel will sit on 7th May. As previously
a 10% of trainers will be asked to attend.
Those of you who are due reappointment will
be reminded by email. I had forgotten!
ARCP Panel
The panel will sit for GPRs in ST3 on 11th
June, and on 25th June for ST1 & ST2.
Assessments for GPRs in ST3 will need to be
completed by the 28th May so that the scheme
report can be sent in time for the panel. We
expect GPRs who have received an
unsatisfactory educational supervisors
report, together with a 10% random sample
will be required to attend in person.
OOH
Geoff and I were at a recent meeting with
our colleagues at Primecare. We were both
surprised to hear that they usually do not
get a traffic light assessment of the GPRs
attending for OOH sessions.
Can I urge you to email Primecare (or your
OOH provider if different) with the traffic
light assessment found
here. This should take place within the
first month of an attachment and again
during the attachment should the grading
change. Sue Redfearn has agreed to be the
single point of contact, you can email her
on
susan.redfearn@primecare.uk.net .
We are trying to get a dialogue between
trainer and OOH supervisor. The supervisors
are provided with your email addresses,
again I would recommend using Sue’s email
address as our point of contact.
Primecare are providing GPRs with their own
log in, as a prerequisite to this GPRs have
to sign Primecare’s computer use policy
before working (see OOH page in the
Registrars section of this website).
Study Leave
I am aware there has been some discussion
regarding private study leave to prepare for
exams. This will not be supported by the
scheme. Deanery policy states that “The only
courses that attract central funding are the
scheme and and
DFFP courses. The Deanery encourages
GPStRs not to attend regional tertiary
standard speciality training, not to take
external exams such as DRCOG, DCH or MRCP,
and does not condone the taking of private
study leave for any reason. Trainees should
not attempt to qualify as GPwSI during their
standard training programme.”
To read the fully policy
go here
The hospital trust as your employer can
grant you study leave as it sees fit in
which case no central funding will be
available either as course fees or travel
expenses. In this case you will either have
to bear any costs yourself or seek to claim
them from your employing trust.
Spring 2008
New
Course Organiser
We are sorry that Neil Brownlee will no
longer be a Course Organiser but pleased
that he will be using the time to spend with
his bride. He will be missed.
However, we are delighted to announce that
Mike Smith will be replacing him. The exact
date depends on how quickly the paperwork is
processed.
Restructuring
From January TVVTS will have a Deputy
Programme Director – Andy Downs – who will
take on some of my responsibilities. Andy
will continue his existing role on the
scheme at half day release and looking after
the website.
The appointments of Gordon Ferguson and
Carolyn Rigby are now permanent. Gordon and
Geoff Potter will be helping Tony Boggis to
do trainer appraisals which should now
happen annually.
E portfolio
This has generated a huge amount of anxiety
and work in the last few months. The
portfolio still has technical problems and
the next update is due in January. However,
the key issues at present are:
•
Many GP StRs not putting enough in their
learning log, many have no PDP although
most are starting to do assessments. OOH
sessions must be logged. Remember to
share entries or no one can see them.
• The Deanery cannot see the Educational
supervisors view. This therefore has to
be cut, pasted and emailed to the VTS.
• Once a review has been done, the
assessments may appear to have gone. If
you click on the ‘all reviews’ tab, they
can all be seen
• Please do not do DOPs that are not in
the mandatory or optional list
• If the trainer has documented certain
DOPS such as rectal examination prior to
eportfolio, they can enter them. If they
were done by another team member, that
team member must do the entry. Trainers
cannot enter DOPS done by someone else.
• The scheme will run additional
training sessions in February on
Eportfolio
Audit
This is still compulsory.
Although there is no formal submission of an
audit in nMRCGP, it is a PMETB requirement
for all training posts and the trainer needs
to have evidence that the trainee is
competent in ‘effective standard setting and
performance review’. Locally, we are
interpreting this as completing an audit to
summative assessment standard which the
trainer would sign off. If an audit is not
done, this will be an issue for the ARCP
panel which should be documented as free
text as part of an educational review. I
expect that an audit is started in the first
GP post and if not completed, this should be
done in the last 6 months.
Tynedale Questionnaires
This is the first time we have asked
trainers to add their response although
other parts of the Deanery have been doing
this for a while. Thank you to all of you
who have demonstrated your readiness to make
changes in your teaching. It also
demonstrates the high level of commitment
out there.
Feedback is going to be part of the trainer
re-accreditation process in the future.
There is already an obligation on the part
of trainees to provide feedback when
requested and the absence of feedback from a
trainee will reflect upon the trainer as
well. If a trainer is struggling to get a
trainee to provide written feedback, please
let the Programme Director know.
If trainers and trainees raise significant
concerns in their feedback, there should be
a response from the scheme telling you what
we are going to do about it. By significant,
I mean things that should be happening that
aren’t. If you have not received any
response, please ask for it.
Mid point appraisals
These now coming in. If the trainer has not
shared the report with the trainee, there
should be an explanation as to why not.
Trainees should be aware that the scheme
asks for a report from the current job
supervisor and if a trainee has not seen a
report from a supervisor, please ask if it
has been done. Reports are kept in the
scheme office if any trainee has not seen a
copy of their report but wishes to do so.
OOH
There have been a lot of problems for GP
StRs getting sessions recently. One of the
contributing factors has been the slow start
of many in arranging sessions. Another has
been the slowness in documentation of the
problems. It is very difficult for the
scheme to act on whispers. Once the emails
started coming in with some details, these
were sent to Primecare who promptly
responded. If there are any more problems,
please tell us.
Appraisal – Anne Holmes
Thank you to those who completed 360 degree
forms for my appraisal (only a sample of
your views was requested). In response to
some of your feedback:
I regret my lack of appearance at trainer
workshops but keep having mandatory deanery
meetings at the same time. The Deanery are
aware of the need to timetable meetings well
in advance to prevent this happening again.
I would love to spend more time getting to
know more people outside of ‘problems’ and
hope to be able to ‘walk the floor’ more but
the pressure of work with all the changes
has meant that haven’t been enough hours in
the day to do this. This does lead to
brusqueness at times. However, from January
the Deanery has given the scheme some more
course organiser time which will allow more
delegation – see below.
Keeping people in the loop more – always a
judgement call between overloading people
and not saying enough. Sometimes the
timeframes are not long enough to have a
discussion.
I will try to continue doing the things that
you do like me doing!
I hope that you have all had a good
Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year with
fewer changes to cope with!
Anne Holmes
Training Programme Director
Winter 2007
Trainer groups and workshops
These have been reorganised and the new
groups and their leaders are on the
website here
The next
workshop on October 17 will be facilitated
by the scheme and include a session on MSF
(multisource feedback) and some microteaches
on things that other trainers are up to.
OOH
The VTS
is no longer organising the Primecare
sessions so your GPStRs will have to sort
out their sessions directly with Primecare.
Please ensure that they both know, and
inform, the supervisor about what they are
competent to do unsupervised. This should be
based on the traffic light system with
additional text where needed:
Red –
observing and dealing with patients under
direct observation
Amber –
seeing patients under supervision and with
discussion
Green –
able to work independently and will ask for
advice when needed
Text
might include comments such as ‘needs more
supervision for mental health problems’ etc
Mentoring
Each
GPStR on the scheme is able to turn to any
team member for support. In practice, this
is often Allyson or a group leader. However,
everyone is allocated a Course Organiser to
whom they can turn if they do not wish to
speak to their existing contacts.
Trainer Appraisal and Accreditation
It is
likely that re-accreditation of trainers
will move to a 5 yearly process in the
future. The Deanery is currently piloting a
new system and paperwork. Not all trainers
will always get a visit when due for
approval but a random sample will. Others
will be targeted. Targeting will not
normally been that there is perceived to be
a problem but will usually be done as a
supportive measure where there has been a
challenging GPR who has needed additional
training or something similar. Details
Click Here
Appraisal will be less often. This is partly
because there are more trainers to get round
but also because we are trying to put more
resource into hospital posts.
Titles
As you
can see, GPRs are now called GP StRs (GP
Specialty Registrars). All doctors in
training are now also referred to as
trainees (again). The Scheme Organisers are
now called Programme Directors – there is an
equivalent title in hospitals but those
Programme Directors only organise the
training rotations and do not organise the
taught programme or trainer development.
The PIMD
is now gone and we all work for the SHA and
are employed by County Durham and
Darlington. The Deanery is now the ‘Northern
Deanery’ and we are GP@ND.
Car
allowances
You
should have all received and understood the
recent document on this. It affects all
trainees who started with you in August.
There is some uncertainty nationally about
the maximum mileage which the Deanery is
trying to resolve.
Flexible Trainees
All
trainees attract a full trainer grant
whether they are part time or not. I believe
that in the past the trainer grant was paid
pro rata. You should be able to claim back
any shortfall for 6 years. If there is a
problem doing this, please let the scheme
know.
F2
Certificates
You
should have checked these for those coming
off the foundation programme. If you have
any doubts about the authenticity, please
contact the Foundation School. Those not
coming from F2, had their competency
assessed at interview.
This
link shows you what the certificate looks
like.
Click Here
Performers
Lists
The CRB
checks are on schedule but there may be
delays if there are problems such as
matching a trainees address. If the check is
not through before the 2 months period of
grace is up , it is likely that your GPStR
will not be able to see patients
unsupervised and will have to sit in/do
other educational activities. This needs to
be negotiated with, and confirmed in
writing, the PCT.
Anne
Holmes
August 2007
Welcome
Welcome to
our new starters, We hope you enjoy your
time with us. This is a friendly fairly
informal scheme despite my efforts to the
contrary. I hope this website will prove
useful. Please email me with any suggestions
for changes to the website, I will endeavour
to keep you up to date with the many changes
that have and continue to affect your
training and assessment.
Website
Updates
Please register with our automatic update
notification system. Simply click on the
changes detection button above, enter your
email address and you will be notified every
time this page is changed. You will NOT
receive spam as a result of this. In future
all changes to the website will be noted on
this page giving you an easy way to keep up
to date with the scheme.
The following
pages have been updated in the last month:
Information for Hospital
Trainers
including
the new GP curriculum here
Hospital feedback forms
have been updated
here
GPR induction - practice managers checklist
has been
updated here
A new GPR Model contract
(from GPC & COGPED) is also available on
the same page. It is somewhat unwieldy and
should be adapted locally as appropriate.
Download it here
OSCE meets its maker
Changes in GPR assessment and the number of
new entrants this year (31) has reduced the
educational value of our OSCE and
simultaneously increased its logistic
difficulty. New entrants this year will be
saddened to hear they will not be asked to
sit the OSCE. I am in no doubt that this
will be offset by the joy of an extra
problem based learning session in its
place.
Fixed Rotations
Tees valley is moving towards 3 year fixed
rotations from August 2008. We will accept
24 new entrants every year and offer 18
months in general practice - this may
include 6 months in an innovative post.
GPR car allowance
Important changes apply to
GPRs and their car allowance, the regular
monthly payment has been replaced by a
tiered system dependant on number of days
they necessarily (sic) use their car for
calls, engine capacity and number of
business miles per year.
Full details available here
July 2007
Website Updates
Please register with our
automatic update notification system. Simply
click on the changes detection button above, enter
your email address and you will be notified
every time this page is changed. You will
NOT receive spam as a result of this. In
future all changes to the website will be
noted on this
page giving you an easy way to keep up to
date with the scheme.
The
following pages have been updated recently
Scheme
Information – update to general info.
http://www.teesvalleyvts.co.uk/why_choose_ctvsb.htm
Half day
Release – new timetables
http://www.teesvalleyvts.co.uk/hdr_documents.htm
Documents for trainers – new document added
http://www.teesvalleyvts.co.uk/trainer_documents.htm
Useful
Links – new links added
http://www.teesvalleyvts.co.uk/useful_links.htm
nMRCGP
Our
MRCGP page
here, contains many useful links. The
scheme is also providing two training
sessions designed for registrars but maybe
useful to trainers who are also welcome to
attend.
The
dates are 14th August, 9am, at
Grey Towers.
29th
August, 2pm, at Grey Towers.
Essential stuff if your route to
certification in under the new system.
Hello & Goodbye
Welcome
to all the new starters, we hope you enjoy
your time with us, please get involved with
the scheme, we are keen to continually
evolve and improve so please give us
feedback.
Goodbye
and best wishes for the future to my group
who leave us at the end of this month. Just
a reminder that karting and a farewell meal
will be on 28th July. Please let
me know (presuming you haven’t already) if
you are coming.
Educational Supervisors
Tees
Valley VTS is asking trainers to act as
educational supervisors for the GPRs during
their time on the scheme. We are moving
towards both 18 months in practice and 18
months in the same practice. You will need
to meet with each registrar evey six months,
this can replace the protected teaching time
for you current registrar who should
undertake self directed learning during this
time. In the event that registrars are with
two practices the trainer who has them twice
will be the educational supervisor. Just a
reminder that innovative posts do still
attract a full trainer grant. More
information available soon.
Scheme News June 2007
Rodger Thornham
Best wishes for the future to Rodger in his
new role as Medical Director of North Tees &
Hartlepool PCT. He takes over his new role
on 1st June.
Rodger has been involved with our GP scheme
and the deanery for 25yr, firstly as a
trainer and latterly as associate director.
We are holding a small presentation in
recognition of Rodger’s contribution to GP
education in Cleveland, at lunchtime at the
trainer workshop on Tuesdays 19th June.
Buffet lunch provided.
Could you please let Allyson know by 12th
June if you are able to join us.
Trainer Appraisal Forms
These have changed again, though are
somewhat simpler now. Please find them
here .
Additional Trainer Workshop - Work
Place Based Assessment 19th June.
11:00 Eportfolio - Drop in session
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Presentation Dr Thornham (remember
him?)
14:00 Trainer Workshop
A chance to have a look at the new COT
(consultation observation tools) and CBD
(case based discussion). Have a go in the
safety of your own home of Grey Towers. Are
you a dove or hawk, or perhaps you are
really angry dove but don’t show it
nMRCGP
New links on the CSA. The assessment team
gave a presentation at the ACO conference,
most of the content is within the
presentation here
http://www.rcgp.org.uk/nmrcgp_/nmrcgp.aspx.
This is subject to frequent updates. The
link may not be exact but observation skills
should see you through.
Important points,
• Examiners still required – a further 50
are needed to add to the existing 150. 15
day commitment required, cue the southern
skew.
• Three simultaneous circuits held in both
morning and afternoon
• Thirteen 10min stations one of which is a
blinded pilot – ( I know, I know - poor
chap).
• Paediatric cases are carried out in the
third person – no children will actually be
harmed in this assessment.
• Assessment of examination technique IS
involved (approx 3 stations)
Presentation on CSA
http://www.rcgp.org.uk/nmrcgp_/nmrcgp.aspx
Scheme News April 2007
Allocation Of GPRs to Practices
The Scheme is moving from a hospital
sandwich to the general practice attachments
being in the last 24 months of a 3yr scheme.
We must fill our hospital posts this will
have a knock on effect on GP attachments
with feast and famine being experienced over
the next two years
We expect to have 9 fallow trainers in
August 2007, this is in addition to the
trainers that have already notified the
scheme that they do not want a registrar in
August.
The scheme will allocation registrars on the
following basis
1) Supervisory Trainers
2) New Trainers
3) Under Doctored Areas (currently
Hartlepool & Easington)
MidPoint Appraisals
There is no requirement this year for GPRs
to attend Grey Towers on the timetabled mid
point appraisal afternoon. Instead they
should work a normal afternoon in their
workplace. The appraisals should be handed
in by the 2nd May.
PMETB Visit
The PMETB is visiting the scheme 15th – 18th
May. The timetable of events for all those
involved can be found at
PMETB visit May 2007
Dave Anderson
Congratulation to Dave Anderson who has been
appointed as Associate Director for
Assessment at the Deanery as a six month
post initially.
Carolyn Rigby & Gordon Ferguson
Congratulation also to Carolyn and Gordon on
their respective appointment as course
organisers in our scheme. Welcome on board.
DVD trainer workshop video
We are piloting recording trainer workshops
for all those who were unable to attend.
Allyson has a DVD with includes the
presentation complete with audio, including
questions raised and the answers given. I am
trying to compress this down enough to
upload to the website.
Please feedback if this is useful and we
will continue
Transitional arrangement
You may be aware that NOSA has released a
definitive document relating to changes in
the arrangements covering the summative
assessment / nMRCGP transitional period. For
further details see
transition statement march 2007
Trainer requirements
There have been new trainer requirement
documents produced by the deanery and PMETB.
They are available
here.
Important Dates
Easter
The scheme will be closed for Easter on 4th
and 11th April.
There is a course organisers meeting on the
4th April
OSCEs
The OSCEs for module one registrars will be
held on 25th April
Mid Point Appraisals
2nd May to be followed by a course organiser
meeting
Registrar Representative
The scheme is looking for representatives,
one from each year, ie ST1, ST2 and ST3.
This will give us the best blend of
experience from having been there and
ability to change your own experience. This
is your chance to increase the amount of PBL
teaching on the course!
Study Leave
As exam time is fast approaching – can I
just reiterate that GPRs (in hospital and
general practice) are not entitled to
private study leave to prepare for exams.
Study leave can be taken to actually sit the
exam.
January 2007
It is hard to believe that the pace of
change can speed up much more but there is
no sign of any slow down. As a result of
this, I thought that I should let you know
of some of the issues that are currently
around.
Recruitment
There are changes to all specialist training
programmes, including General Practice, from
August 2007. Shortened schemes are being
phased out and recruitment is now annually
via the national process.
This means that not only has the Scheme has
needed more hospital posts but also has to
guarantee filling them from August 2007. As
a result of this, most of you will be fallow
over part of the next eighteen months. Some
will have bigger gaps than others. It may be
that future GP rotations will start with a
year in hospital.
I know that some Trusts have been asking GPs
to talk to F2 doctors about GP and
recruitment. If you have agreed to do this,
please check with me that your information
about the recruitment process is correct. It
is not the same process as last year.
There is also a change in policy which gives
priority of GPRs to under doctored areas in
addition to existing priorities for new
trainers and supervisory training.
PCTs
It seems likely that funding for trainers
and GPR salaries is moving to PCTs. The
implications of this are unknown. At present
there is sufficient money in the budget so
there is no immediate risk.
PMETB
The Scheme is having a Deanery visit on 3
January in preparation for PMETB in May
2007. The format of these visits is not yet
known.
However, as part of the PMETB quality
assurance processes you will need to be able
to demonstrate to the Scheme how you meet
the PMETB requirements for training
provision. These documents are on the
website (here & here) and will also be
discussed at appraisal visits.
Controlled Drugs
Following a communication from Darlington
PCT, and evidence from the OSCEs, I would
like to draw your attention to the need to
ensure that GPRs are familiar with
controlled drugs regulations for
prescribing, handling and storage.
Models
We do have a pelvic, rectal and ear model at
the scheme which you can come and teach your
GPRs on if you want. Please ring first.
Language Guide
Easington’s ‘Do you know your neb from your
hunkers’ which is a guide to local phrases
and dialect is available from them at The
Big Project 0191 587 4850
Summative Assessment MCQ
For those of you whose GPRs are using this
route, please ensure that they sit the MCQ
ASAP, even if they are considering the joint
route. If the MCQ is not passed before the
end of training, the Deanery will NOT fund
additional time.
Deanery QA visit 3/1/06
This is in preparation for the PMETB visit
in May. It would be appreciated if you would
complete a feedback form
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