September 2025

Please see below for our KSS September bulletin.

Highly Important

The Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA)

The PSA is an essential component of demonstrating the necessary competences for successful completion of Foundation Year 1. All foundation doctors will be required to pass the PSA before being signed off as having successfully completed the F1 year and being awarded the F1CC. If the PSA was passed more than two years before starting foundation training, it will need to be successfully retaken before completion of the F1 year.

PSA sittings 2025-2026:

• Wednesday 15 October 2025 @ 13.00 
• Thursday 26 March 2026 @ 13.00
• Thursday 23 April 2026 @ 13.00 

Please note that if you are an overseas medical graduate, you may have sat a Prescribing Skills Assessment. This is not equivalent to the Prescribing Safety Assessment, and you will still need to be registered to sit the PSA on the 15 October.

We have sent an email to all KSS F1 doctors who will be registered for the 15 October sitting regarding reasonable adjustments. The Medical Skills Council (MSC) sets up the accounts to access the PSA platform and further information will be emailed to you directly around 3 weeks before the assessment date.

PSA preparation resources can be accessed here: Preparation resources for sitting the PSA

For any further enquiries, please contact the F1 team england.KSSFoundationyear1.se@nhs.net or speak to your local medical education team in your trust.

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

***UPDATE FROM THE SCRIPT TEAM***

• New script modules were released on the 1 July 2025 and are available to all foundation doctors (F1 and F2)

• The SCRIPT Team completed work on a new edition of the Medicine & Surgery portfolio for Foundation Schools. The new edition comes with the following enhancements:

• Reauthoring of selected modules to maintain alignment with the underlying evidence base.

• Redesign and splitting of larger modules into more discrete modules to reduce per module running time, whilst expanding on scope, in response to Foundation Doctor feedback.

• Module interfaces and navigation upgraded to a new design to maintain WCAG AA compliancy for improved accessibility for those with learning difficulties.

Please find attached further information here to include the new list of modules available.

It is a local KSS Foundation School recommendation that all F1 and F2 doctors complete 6 script modules per year prior to ARCP.  The topics are not mandated by the foundation school; however, your trust may mandate topics to support learning.

Study Leave

The KSSFS Admin Team often receive queries on how KSS Foundation Year 2 Doctors can apply for Discretionary Study Leave. For clarity, please see below.

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

This process is shown on the flow chart in the Study Leave pages SE Study Leave .

**Please note that the management of KSS Study Leave has changed from 01 April 2025. From this date, KSS Resident Doctors will link to the SE Study Leave  for guidance on travel and accommodation and subsistence**

2024-25 TAB (Team Assessment of Behaviour) window dates

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

KSS Contact details:

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

PSA sittings 2025-2026

All sittings are scheduled to commence at 13.00.

• Wednesday 15 October 2025
• Thursday 26 March 2026
• Thursday 23 April 2026

Please note that if you are an overseas medical graduate, you may have sat a Prescribing Skills Assessment. This is not equivalent to the Prescribing Safety Assessment, and you will still need to be registered to sit the PSA on the 15 October.

We have sent an email to all KSS F1 doctors who will be registered for the 15 October sitting regarding reasonable adjustments. The Medical Skills Council (MSC) sets up the accounts to access the PSA platform and further information will be emailed to you directly around 3 weeks before the assessment date.

PSA preparation resources can be accessed here: Preparation resources for sitting the PSA

For any further enquiries, please contact the F1 team england.KSSFoundationyear1.se@nhs.net or speak to your local medical education team in your trust.

enhance Programme

Hopefully, enhance will have been introduced to you as a Foundation doctor during induction and those wishing to take part will have expressed an interest. However, there is still time to participate, so please contact your local FTPD or PGMDE team if you are interested in taking part and they will be able to help you.

enhance is available to everyone who works for NHS England and you can find more information on the KSS website.

e-learning opportunities

Welcome to your August 2025 update from the Foundation e-learning team.

The Foundation elearning programme covers key areas in your Foundation curriculum. It has been developed specifically for Foundation doctors by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in partnership with NHS England elearning for healthcare (NHSE elfh) and is approved by the UK Foundation Programme (UKFPO).

Foundation School Representatives

Foundation Doctor Representatives for 2025-26 have been appointed, please see details below. Further details will be available here shortly.

Name	Grade	Email
Nicola Gallagher	F1 (Lead)	nicola.gallagher5@nhs.net
Keshav Harivardhan	F1 (Deputy)	keshav.harivardhan2@nhs.net
Dr Heloise Metzger	F2 (Lead)	heloise.metzger@nhs.net
Dr Ramaa Parulekar	F2 (Deputy)	ramaa.parulekar@nhs.net
Dr Preeyan Shah	F2 (Deputy) – LTFT	preeyan.shah2@nhs.net

Courses, events, surveys and webinars

UKFPO Webinar: Celebrating 20 years of the UK Foundation Programme

Join us for a special anniversary webinar marking 20 years of the UK Foundation Programme on Wednesday 17 September 2025 at 18:00-19:00. This milestone event will reflect on the journey of the UKFP, from its pilot phase to its current role shaping the careers of thousands of doctors across the UK.

Dr Mike Masding, UKFPO National Clinical Director, and Professor Tom Yapp, Wales Foundation School Director and UKFPO Recruitment Lead, have both been instrumental in the development and evolution of the programme since its inception.

Together, they will explore:

• The origins and vision behind the UKFP
• Key achievements and milestones over the past two decades
• Lessons learned and challenges faced
• What the future holds for foundation training

Whether you’re a current foundation doctor, faculty member, or UKFP alumnus, this is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the programme’s legacy and look ahead to its future.

When: Wednesday 17 September 2025 18:00-19:00 

Where: Virtual via Microsoft Teams. You do not need to pre-register, simply join the webinar at 18:00. The webinar will be recorded and uploaded to the UKFPO webinars webpage within two weeks of the webinar date. 

Target Audience: FDs, applicants, trainers and regional faculty, senior faculty (FSDs, Deans, SEB leads) – everyone! 

Webinar panel: Dr Mike Masding, National Clinical Director to UKFPO, and Dr Tom Yapp, FSD Wales and UKFPO Recruitment Lead

Please email foundation.educationandsupport@nhs.net with any queries.

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UKFPO Webinar: GP as a career – pathways, possibilities and perspectives

Join us for an engaging and insightful webinar hosted by Dr Mike Masding, UKFPO National Clinical Director, as we explore the diverse and rewarding career of being a GP in the NHS.

Hear from three GPs at different stages of their career, including a GPST3 doctor, an associate dean and a GP partner, all with an active interest in supporting the development of GP training. Learn about GP training pathways, the variety of practice settings and the unique opportunities GPs have in leadership, education, research, and clinical roles beyond traditional practice. This session is ideal for foundation doctors considering their next steps.

When: 15 October 2025, 18:00-19:00

Where: Virtual via Microsoft Teams. You do not need to pre-register, simply join the webinar at 18:00. The webinar will be recorded and uploaded to the UKFPO webinars webpage within two weeks of the webinar date.

Target audience: UK foundation doctors

Webinar panel: Dr Mike Masding, UKFPO National Clinical Director; Dr Tom France, GP Registrar and RCGP Registrar Rep; Dr Ayesha Tu Zahra, Head of School for GP – East of England; Dr Pavan Uppal, Patch Associate GP Dean – East Surrey and Crawley, GP Tutor Mid Sussex

Please email foundation.educationandsupport@nhs.net with any queries.

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National Interventional Radiology Symposium (NIRS) 2025

The NIRS 2025 conference will be taking place on Saturday 4th October at the University of East Anglia, New Science Building, Norwich. NIRS is the annual flagship event of IR Juniors, a special-interest committee of the British Society of Interventional Radiology (BSIR). The event is tailored to medical students, foundation doctors, and radiology applicants.

Programme information, registration and tickets can be accessed through the BSIR webpage: https://www.bsir.org/events/special-interest-events/ir-juniors-events/nirs25

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SENSEI Study: Expressions of Interest

The SENSEI audit is a national, trainee-led multicentre audit on the management of Severe Necrotising Soft Tissue Infections (NSTIs), supported by the UK National Surgical Research Collaborative.

SENSEI aims to capture real-world data on:

• time to diagnosis and surgical intervention,
• microbiology and antibiotic strategies,
• critical care input and patient outcomes.

NSTIs (necrotising fasciitis, necrotising myositis, Fournier’s gangrene) remain rare but critical emergencies where early diagnosis and escalation are crucial. Yet significant variation persists across the UK in how these patients are managed. While life-threatening, these infections are rare and therefore single-centre studies are of limited utility. This audit assesses compliance with the ‘Surviving Sepsis Campaign’ and ‘Sepsis 6’ guidelines, providing an important opportunity to drive improvement in patient care at both local and national levels.

Participation is open to all hospitals across the UK, with local collaborators recognised on future publications and supported throughout with template documents, REDCap data capture, and audit registration guidance.

Further information, including how to register your site and begin data collection, is available here:
👉 https://forms.gle/T7fNhUGwiCzeKSha9

For any questions or to register interest directly, please contact us at:
📩 senseiaudit@gmail.com

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A national course: Mastering the Art of Neurosurgical On-Call

Mastering the Art of Neurosurgical On-Call

Saturday 4th October 2025

The Studio Glasgow | 67 Hope Street | G2 6AE

Now in its 5th year running this very popular national course, open to foundation year doctors interested in pursuing neurosurgery/applying for national selection, will be on Saturday 5th October. The course is endorsed by the Society of British Neurosurgeons and Royal College of Surgeons England with CPD points. Several previous attendees have gone on to secure national training numbers. Places are limited so early booking is advised. Further information and registration link available here: Mastering the Art of Neurosurgical On-Call

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Geriatrics for Juniors 2025 Nottingham

Geriatrics for Juniors is a one-day conference designed for Foundation Doctors, Internal Medical, GP Trainees, and Specialist Nurse Practitioners interested in developing their skills and knowledge about effective healthcare for older people.

Learn more about the largest medical specialty and how you can have a positive impact on older people’s health. For further information and registration please see: | British Geriatrics Society.

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UKFPO Webinar Resources

Please keep an eye on the website for future webinar dates and topic updates: https://foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/resources/ukfpo-webinars/. Recordings of previous webinars can also be accessed from this page.

Reminders and Guidance

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.

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

Please click the link below for guidance regarding Less Than Full Time (LTFT) training: Less Than Full Time Training – Working across Kent, Surrey and Sussex

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

For guidance, please see document “Foundation Doctor Role and Responsibilities within the Local Education Provider and Minimum Requirements for Clinical Supervision of Foundation Doctors” here.

Useful Websites and Contacts

• KSS Website (home page) https://kss.hee.nhs.uk/ 
• KSS Foundation webpage https://kss.hee.nhs.uk/kss-foundation/
• KSS Bulletin https://kss.hee.nhs.uk/kss-foundation/kss-bulletin/
• Careers, Professional Support & Wellbeing Service Careers, Professional Support & Wellbeing Service – Working across Kent, Surrey and Sussex
• Forms, documents and useful links https://kss.hee.nhs.uk/kss-foundation/useful-links-and-documents/
• Foundation programme curriculum & foundation programme rough guide https://foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/curriculum/uk-fp-curriculum/
• KSS Foundation reps KSS Foundation Doctors in Training Representatives – Working across Kent, Surrey and Sussex