May 2024

Please see below for our KSS May bulletin.

Highly Important

Preparing for your ARCP

The UKFPO webinar recording and slides are now available to view. These are focused on what your e-portfolio should look like leading up to your ARCP.

Watch the recording Preparing for ARCP here.

Review the Preparing for ARCP slides here and here .

Foundation ARCP requirements

The Horus eportfolio virtual lock down is expected to be on the 31 May 2024.

ARCP panels will take place in trust from 3 June – 14 June 2024.

ARCP guidance to include the checklist of requirements can be found on the UKFPO ARCP webpage (this is pending updates for 2024).

Industrial action and time out of training (TOOT)

The national guidance and FAQs published earlier this year remains in effect and has not changed. The guidance can be found here.

For the foundation programme, it states: –

All Foundation doctors have a 20-day absence allowance (per year) for sick leave, compassionate leave, jury service and industrial action. This is particularly important in Foundation Year 1 (FY1) as this is a time-based programme, with each FY1 doctor having to complete 12 months training pro rata.

If a Foundation doctor has more time off than this, a review of their performance is triggered by the Foundation School, this may mean an automatic extension to training depending on the length of time off.

In the event of doctors in training taking industrial action in 2023, then any time absent from work maybe considered to be within the ’20-day allowance’.

If the ’20-day allowance’ is exceeded for any reason (including industrial action), then this should trigger a review of overall performance and achievement of curricular outcomes by the Foundation School; this may mean an automatic extension to training depending on the length of time off. This review will be carried out by the Foundation School with oversight by the Postgraduate Dean, but, in line with Gold Guide, does not require an Annual Review of Competency Progression (ARCP).

This should be discussed with the Foundation School Director/Postgraduate Dean before any training is extended.

Important Information

Provisionally registered doctors (foundation year one/F1) must not undertake formal locum posts or activities.

Provisionally registered doctors can undertake occasional ad hoc additional/overtime shifts on their current FY1 placement or previous FY1 placements that have formed part of their F1 rotation, where such work is undertaken only within the limits of their current competence and with the support of their educational supervisor. When undertaking such occasional ad hoc additional/overtime work, provisionally registered doctors should be clear with other members of their team about their current experience and level of competence.

SCRIPT – supporting safer prescribing practices

The SCRIPT programme is a collection of innovative eLearning portfolios designed to encourage safe and effective prescribing and medicines management among healthcare professionals.

SCRIPT will enhance your knowledge and confidence in prescribing correctly, improving patient safety, therapeutics and medicines management. You will receive a certificate for each module that you complete, which can be used in your online learning portfolio. SCRIPT is easy to use. You can access the modules at a time which suits you and revisit them even after completion. You can learn more about the SCRIPT eLearning programme and how to sign up by visiting Medicine & Surgery | Safe Prescriber

Study Leave

The KSSFS Admin Team have received several queries on how KSS Foundation Doctors can apply for Discretionary Study Leave. For clarity, please see below.

Discretionary Study Leave should be applied for prospectively and not retrospectively.  

  1. Foundation Doctor (FD) seeks support from Educational Supervisor and trust (local) Foundation Training Programme Director (FTPD).
  2. Local FTPD seeks approval from the area Foundation School Director (FSD)
  3. Local FSD replies to trust TPD, including study leave team.
  4. Local TPD can then reply to FD with outcome. 
  5. If approved, on the guidance from the study leave team FD completes study leave form on the study leave portal. 

If you have any further questions, please do contact the school at: england.kssfoundationenquiries.se@nhs.net.

KSS Contact details have changed

Following the merger of HEE and NHS England, our contact email addresses have changed. Please see new emails below (emails sent previously to former email address will automatically be forwarded on):

For Foundation Year 1 queries please email england.kssfoundationyear1.se@nhs.net

For Foundation Year 2 queries please email england.kssfoundationyear2.se@nhs.net

For any other queries please email england.kssfoundationenquiries.se@nhs.net

Team Assessment of Behaviour (TAB)

The recommended dates for TAB are detailed below but these dates are not mandatory. Additional information on the TAB process can be found on the Horus Website.

Placement 1

Opens: Friday 6th October 2023

Closes: Monday 4th December 2023

Placement 2

Opens: Friday 9th February 2024

Closes: Monday 1st April 2024

Placement 3

Opens: Friday 19th April 2024

Closes: Monday 20th May 2024

PSA sittings 2024-2025

All sittings are scheduled to commence at 13.00

  • Tuesday 10 September 2024
  • Thursday 20 March 2025
  • Thursday 1 May 2025

Courses, fellowships, events and surveys

RCPath Foundation Fellowships

The College makes available 25 Foundation Fellowships annually. The Foundation Fellowship Scheme is open to Foundation doctors who secure a Foundation post in which they will rotate through a pathology specialty between 1 August 2024, and 31 July 2025. The pathology specialties include histopathology, haematology, medical microbiology, chemical pathology, or any other specialty represented by the College.

Foundation Fellows receive opportunities to get involved in a range of College activities, meetings, and events.

The closing date is Monday 08 July 2024. Successful candidates will be informed by the end of July 2024.

More information can be found on the College website. If your department has placements for Foundation doctors, please encourage them to apply.

Webinar: Supporting foundation doctors – a guide for supervisors

The UKFPO welcome all foundation doctor supervisors to our fifth webinar of the training year.

Are you a foundation supervisor in need of some CPD? If so, please join us for the next UKFPO webinar on ‘Supporting foundation doctors – a guide for supervisors’.

Topics will include:

  • welcoming induction
  • supportive supervision
  • enlightening education

When: Thursday 06 June 2024 – 13:00-14:00

Where: Virtual via Microsoft Teams. You do not need to pre-register, simply join the webinar at 13:00. The webinar will be recorded and uploaded to the UKFPO website within two weeks of the webinar date.

Target audience: Foundation trainers

Webinar panel: Dr Anthony Choules, UKFPO Education and Support Advisor; Dr Fiona Cameron, UKFP Assessment Lead; Dr Doanna Daoud, UKFPO Fellow.

Email foundation.educationandsupport@nhs.net with any queries.

National foundation QI conference – opportunity to present

TIPSQI are arranging a free, virtual foundation doctor quality improvement showcase on 24th July 2024. Register your interest at  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tips-qi-national-conference-tickets-878011153997?aff=oddtdtcreator. Flyer available here.

This virtual national conference will showcase the excellent quality improvement work undertaken by foundation doctors across the UK, as well as providing an opportunity to learn more about quality improvement from keynote speaker Dr Hannah Baird, Founder of TIPS QI, Speciality Trainee in Emergency Medicine & Chief Registrar at Royal Bolton Hospital.

Abstracts are now welcome – the submission form is available through the Eventbrite page above or by contacting TIPSQI at tipsshowcase@gmail.com. Submission deadline is 31/05/2024.

Doctors for the NHS £700 essay prize

Doctors for NHS are repeating the Essay Prize this year with £700 prize money, in association with the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine who again have offered to consider publishing the winning entry.

The title this year is:

“Non-medical practitioners on the front line – a help or hindrance to good practice?’’

Further details are available on the Doctors for NHS website: https://doctorsforthenhs.org.uk/peter-fisher-essay-prize-2024/?highlight=help%20or%20hindrance.

Survey: Junior doctors’ perceptions on undergraduate academic practises

One of the medical students at the University of Manchester is doing a project exploring junior doctors’ perceptions on undergraduate academic practises. The hope is that responses from the study will prompt important discussions on the fair use of informal question banks, past exam materials etc, so the process becomes more accessible and equitable. Your responses will be paramount in generating the evidence needed, and the survey offers you an opportunity to share your own experiences and opinions.

The survey should take no longer than 15 minutes and all responses are anonymous and untraceable. Please use the following link to participate: https://forms.gle/XCTN9UBpiA5CQwKv8 [forms.gle]

If you have any questions or further comments about the study, please feel free to contact Dr Antonia Peilober-Richardson at a.peiloberrichardson@mft.nhs.uk.

Orthopaedic Evaluation of X-Rays

Orthopaedic Research UK are running an Orthopaedic Evaluation of X-Rays Course for Junior Doctors with Mr Joseph Boktor (ST8, RJAH) and Mr Paul William (Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon) on July 19th in London. Further details can be found on the following link:

Orthopaedic Evaluation of X-Rays (Radiographs) Course | 19 July 2024 — Orthopaedic Research UK (oruk.org)

F2 and IMT scholarship to attend the BSACI Annual Allergy & Immunology Conference

The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) is offering current FY2 and IMT trainees the opportunity to receive a scholarship to attend the 2024 BSACI Annual Conference in Allergy and Immunology.

To learn more please visit BSACI 2024 UK Conference – 2 – 5 October | Harrogate Convention Centre (bsaciconference.org).

Exploring the role of Virtual Reality (VR)’s role in postgraduate paediatric training

A student at UCL is asking for volunteers to take part in her MedEd Masters study exploring how Virtual Reality (VR) can enhance postgraduate paediatric training.

No prior VR experience is needed to join the study, which involves a quick online survey that takes about 10 minutes. You can also opt for a virtual interview, which lasts around 30 minutes. If interested, please sign up using the link in the survey.

Reminders and Guidance

F2 Responsible Officer Details

F2s are responsible for ensuring they are connected to the correct Responsible Officer. For doctors in training, this is your Postgraduate Dean. For more information please see: https://kss.hee.nhs.uk/kss-foundation/current-doctors-in-training/gmc-full-registration/

TIS Checks

Please can we use this opportunity to remind Medical Education colleagues in Trusts to work with their Medical Staffing teams to regularly check Foundation Doctors’ posts on TIS, against internal records. Early recognition of any discrepancies can help us all to resolve issues quickly.

Also, if you have not already informed us of any F1s that have withdrawn from training, please do so, as we aren’t always made aware by trainees themselves.

F2 – Higher training

For those in F2 wanting to move straight into higher training, the application windows for specialty training will soon be open and details of person specifications for application can be found on the specialty training website: https://specialtytraining.hee.nhs.uk/Recruitment/Person-specifications

Foundation Doctors taking Parental Leave

Please can all foundation doctors who will be taking a period of Parental Leave complete the following training interruption form:  https://kss.hee.nhs.uk/kss-foundation/useful-links-and-documents/ and return to england.kssfoundationenquiries.se@nhs.net. This is in addition to informing your employing Trust.

Less Than Full Time (LTFT) Training for London and KSS

Please click the link below for guidance regarding Less Than Full Time (LTFT) training.
https://kss.hee.nhs.uk/kss-foundation/current-doctors-in-training/less-than-full-training/

Foundation doctors in GP and psychiatry placements contributing to acute services     

Please see below link for guidance regarding Foundation doctors in community placements contributing to acute services: https://kss.hee.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2023/09/KSSFS-Foundation-doctors-in-GP-and-psychiatry-placements-contributing-to-acute-services_2.pdf

NHS employers’ guidance on induction for international medical graduates

Please see below link to guidance from NHS employers:

https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Welcoming-and-Valuing-International-Medical-Graduates-A-guide-to-induction-for-IMGs-WEB.pdf

Foundation Doctor Role and Responsibilities

Foundation Doctor Role and Responsibilities within the Local Education Provider and Minimum Requirements for Clinical Supervision of Foundation Doctors: see document.

Foundation ARCP requirements

The ARCP checklist can be found here: https://kss.hee.nhs.uk/kss-foundation/current-doctors-in-training/arcp/

Foundation School Representatives

Mentors for incoming KSS FY1s – volunteers needed

Y5 students have now been allocated their hospitals and rotations for next year. Our KSSFS reps are seeking current foundation doctors to volunteer as mentors, to help answer questions from the incoming set of FY1s regarding your trust. If you are happy to be contacted and answer some questions, please complete the form below, which also provides some further information. This will create a great network of old and new foundation doctors. Thank you!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSco5g3RnHGSHr_Z36IBOJgbABzgIEB4vnVa1VMR8pA9HrgJVQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Useful Websites and Contacts

UKFPO Bulletin:

Read the latest UKFPO bulletin (May 2024)