Ashford and St Peter’s Prospectus

Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital Foundation Trust

Trust Contact Details

St Peter’s Hospital, Guildford Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 0PZ
01932872000

Foundation Training Programme Directors
F1 FTPD
Mr Phil James
philip.james4@nhs.net
F2 FTPD
Mr Nimalan Arumainayagam
nimalan.arumainayagam@nhs.net

Director of Clinical Education
Dr Robert Menzies

Strategic Head of Education & KnowledgeServices
Angela Mongaudon

Foundation Programme Coordinator & Deputy Medical Education Manager
Russell Varcoe

Head of Medical Workforce
Kate Clarke

Medical Workforce Team
Charlotte Turner

Allison Stokes
Jacqueline Cain

Facilities

Education Centre

Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a medium sized district general hospital service operating from two sites – Ashford near Staines and St Peter’s near Chertsey. F1s will be mainly based at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey. There are dedicated education and learning centres on each site – the Education Centre located at the heart of Ashford Hospital and the Clinical Education Centre, located close to the Duchess of Kent Wing at St Peter’s Hospital.

St Peter’s Clinical Education Centre & EduKitchen

Accommodation

The Trust recognises that access to affordable accommodation is of importance to all members of staff, and has established partnerships with the following Housing Associations to provide accommodation:

  • A2 Dominion Group – Ashford Hospital, Stanwell
  • Vivid Homes – Sandgates, Chertsey
  • Optivo – St Peter’s Hospital, Greenlands, Chertsey

By working in partnership, the Trust is able to offer a range of accommodation from single rooms in shared houses to 2 bed flats, (rarely is any of our accommodation suitable for families with young children). The accommodation is at different geographical locations, either on or close to both hospital sites. As with any resource it is limited, and certain groups have priority, for example new overseas staff members, student nurses, medical students, and doctors in training. In addition, staff may be able to register with the local authority for housing or private agents; and with the focus on keyworker housing, there are schemes being developed by both local authorities and housing associations to tackle the housing needs of keyworkers. For more information on Key Worker Living, there are details on the DirectGov Help to Buy website.

If you require an application form for any of the above accommodation, please contact:
Vicki Searle, Accommodation Officer
01784 884389

Trust rest facilities

The Terms and Conditions of Service for NHS Doctors and Dentists in Training (England) 2016: Schedule 13, outlines the type of facilities that should be made available for doctors who feel unable to travel home safely following a night shift or long late shift. At Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, doctors who require rest facilities will be provided with a room through Optivo or suitable alternative. We have secured an onsite Flat through Optivo that contains two single bedrooms, hallway, communal bathroom with bath and shower facilities, communal kitchen, communal living room. Bed linen and towels will be provided and there is WIFI. The kitchen has a hob, oven, microwave and fridge freezer available for use.

Social activities

Foundation doctors at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals enjoy an active social life; the Summer Ball, Winter Ball, Christmas Party and various social activities organised by the doctors themselves.

The Knowledge Service

The virtual Knowledge Service at Ashford and St Peter’s exists to enable all staff and students on placement across the Trust to use the right evidence at the right time in the right place, to inform high quality decision-making. Think of us as your gateway to tailored services and multi-disciplinary resources, to inform all of your work and continuing professional development.

The Knowledge Service team are a small friendly professional team based in the Education Centre at St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey. Services include: Current Awareness, Document Delivery, Enquiries, Evidence Searches, Training, and the provision of a wide range of online and print resources.

Full details are available online at https://education.asph.nhs.uk/ecKS.php

I.T facilities

Knowledge Service provides computer rooms on the St Peter’s site and 24-hour access is available to Study Space.

Other facilities

In addition to co-ordinating the regular internal teaching programmes for our own doctors in training, the Centres at Ashford & St Peter’s provide facilities and administrative support for, among other courses: Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS); Advanced Life Support (ALS); Paediatric Intermediate Life Support (PILS); GP Intensive Course (GPIC); New born Life Support Course (NLS).

Childcare

The Trust operates a nursery on both sites and a play scheme on the St Peter’s site. The Day Nurseries offer places for babies from 3 months up to 5 years and are open 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday. (7.00 am by arrangement). The charges for the Day Nursery are dependent on salary banding. The play schemes are open during the main school holidays and half terms for which a flat rate is charged. The Trust works in conjunction with Salary Exchange to offer staff a more flexible way to meet the costs of childcare under which part of their salary can be given up or ‘sacrificed’ in exchange for Childcare Vouchers. Within specified limits, these vouchers are non- taxable and exempt from National Insurance Contributions and therefore represent a saving for employees who receive them as part of their total employment package.

Health & Wellbeing arrangements

The trust has a vast Health & Wellbeing offer, including access to various different services, including Psychological Incident Debrief, Vivup Employee Assistance Programme, Here your You Hubs, Wagestream and many others. The two main hospital sites also have dedicated wellbeing centres, for relaxation, whilst the St Peter’s wellbeing centre is combined with a free on-site gym for all staff, which is available 24/7.

Wellbeing Centre Relaxation Area at St Peter’s
Wellbeing Hub at Ashford
Staff Gym at St Peters

Both sites also have catering services, run by our award winning catering team. Catering at St Peter’s is available in three different environments which include a large restaurant, the EduKitchen, based in the Clinical Education Centre. Catering facilities are currently under development at Ashford.

Transport links

The two sites – Ashford Hospital, Ashford, Middlesex and St. Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey, Surrey – lie eleven miles apart separated by the River Thames and the M25 London orbital motorway. All foundation doctors are based at St Peter’s Hospital. The hospital hopper is our shuttle service between Ashford Hospital and St Peter’s Hospital which operates Monday to Friday for staff, patients & visitors. It operates a reduced weekend service for staff only. It is free to all staff, patients and visitors and takes approximately 25 minutes outside of rush hour. More information regarding the hopper, including a timetable is available here: https://www.ashfordstpeters.nhs.uk/hospital-hopper  

For more information in general about travelling to our hospitals, please check this page on our website:

www.ashfordstpeters.nhs.uk/patients/getting-here.

Foundation Specific

Induction/shadowing arrangements

All foundation doctors commencing at St Peter’s Hospital are invited to attend a preemployment screening day. F1s are requested to attend a period of extended Trust Induction and shadowing of the out-going F1 Doctors.

Tasters

F1 and F2 doctors are encouraged to undertake “Taster” sessions in other specialties, up to a maximum of five days in the year. “Tasters” in other Trusts will be considered when the Specialty is not available at the Trust. The Clinical Education Team can help in the case of a more obscure taster request.

Simulation

All F1 doctors take part in two multidisciplinary ROAD (Recognition of Acute Deterioration) simulation training half days with F2s taking part in one ROAD half day. These ROAD simulations link in with the larger ROAD programme which includes: 3 days Critical Care Outreach shadowing, procedural days and human factors training. There is also an interactive psychiatry simulation half-day for all F1s, where they will get an invaluable opportunity to develop and explore communication skills – The focus is on complex patient interactions including (but not only) how to talk to people with mental health issues.

Foundation Doctor Forums

All foundation doctors are encouraged to contribute and take part in the following local forums: Foundation Local Faculty Group, Specialty Local Faculty Groups, Foundation Doctor Forums, Guardian of Safe Working Forum.

Educational and Clinical supervision

An Educational Supervisor is allocated to each Foundation Programme doctor for the whole of their year here at the Trust to maintain an overview of development and progress of the doctor within the year of their training. A Clinical Supervisor is also allocated for each four month placement. For the first four month placement Foundation Programme doctors will usually have a combined Educational and Clinical Supervisor.

Teaching programme

At Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital there are 53 Foundation Year 1, and 54 Foundation Year 2 posts for the 2023-24 training year, all approved by the Foundation School. Doctors in training take part in the Foundation training programmes, directed by Foundation Year One Lead, Mr Phil James and Mr Nimalan Arumainayagam, Foundation Year Two Lead. These include formal teaching sessions – F1 & F2s have fortnightly protected core teaching, directed and self-directed personal learning, structured appraisals and assessments.

Multi-disciplinary teaching programme

As part of our new strategy for Clinical Education, we offer a Multi-Disciplinary Teaching Programme which is open and free of charge to all our foundation doctors. Topics covered are: Mindfulness, Coaching and Mentoring, Human Factors, Clinical Procedures, Leadership & Teamwork.

Additional information

In January each year, all foundation doctors attend a one-to-one midpoint review with the Education Team. The feedback from more than 99% of these has been very positive on the training received. An End of Placement survey is carried out after each four-month post is completed.

F1 posts are made up of posts in General Medicine (27), Orthogeriatrics (3), General Surgery (9), Psychiatry (4), Paediatrics (3), Palliative Care (2), General Radiology (2), Anaesthetics (3).

F2 posts are made up of posts in General Medicine (4), Acute Medicine (6), Paediatrics (3), Trauma & Orthopaedics (5), General Surgery (2), Obstetrics & Gynaecology (7), Emergency Medicine (11), General Practice (7), Psychiatry (3), Dermatology/Pathology (2), Palliative Care (1), Neuro-Rehabilitation (1), Critical Care (1).

Local Area

Local amenities/attractions

Chertsey is situated within the M25 ring around the London area. It has a small number of nice pubs and restaurants. There is a good sport centre (Riverbourne Leisure Centre) and access to Thames cycle path. The Riverbourne has a fully equipped gym and offers discount to ASPH staff. Woking (5 miles southeast) provides local theatre and large cinema facilities, leisure centre and other animations. Within a 10 mile range there are a number of sport facilities found including horse riding in the rural area around Chertsey, rowing, canoeing, cycling and triathlon clubs. There are good rail and bus links to international airports. Locally there are 3 train stations giving quick access to London (Virginia water, Chertsey, Woking). Within easy reach of London, as well as the smaller towns of Weybridge, Woking, and Virginia Water, the local area has excellent independent and state schools. The county of Surrey offers a rounded life outside of work, and as an ambitious Trust, Ashford and St. Peter’s offers many opportunities for individuals.

Trust Information

Accolades/achievements of the Trust

Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust is a medium sized district general hospital service operating from two sites, Ashford (near Staines) and St Peter’s (near Chertsey), serving a population of around 410,000. The Trust employs over 4400 staff, making it one of the largest employers in the local area after Heathrow Airport, and had a turnover of £425 million in 2021/22. The independent healthcare regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Ashford and St Peter’s as ‘Good’. The Trust also provides specialist cardiovascular services for a wide catchment across much of Surrey and specialist services for neonatal intensive care (Level 3), bariatric surgery and trauma and orthopaedics across a wider area. To find out more about Ashford & St Peter’s NHS Trust, please visit our website at

www.ashfordstpeters.nhs.uk

Additional information

Cycle to work: Both our hospitals have secure bike sheds with ample space and free air pumps. The Trust has also introduced pool bikes, allowing staff to cycle between the two hospital sites. For those that have not cycled for a while or do not own a bike, this will allow staff to practice and build their confidence without committing to owning a bike. We are hoping this will lead to more staff taking up the cycle2work scheme, choosing a cheaper, greener way of getting to work. Season Ticket Loan: If you need to buy a season ticket to help you travel to and from work, we can help. Buying an annual season ticket often means you can benefit from a discounted price.

Employee Assistance Programme

The Trust offers an Employee Assistance Programme which provides staff and their immediate family with access to independent advice, information and specialist counselling and support. The free confidential line is available 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, and an online service is also available.

Terms and conditions of employment

All posts are subject to the Terms and Conditions of Service of Hospital Medical and Dental Staff as modified from time to time. The current Terms and Conditions can be found:

https://www.nhsemployers.org/case-studies-and-resources/2019/12/tcs-for-doctors-and-dentists-in-training

All staff appointments are made subject to the receipt of satisfactory references and all initial appointments to the National Health Service are made subject to satisfactory medical and police clearance being produced. A medical examination may be necessary on initial appointment and periodically after.