Introduction
Foundation Programme
Course Details
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust &
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine & Dentistry
The Gateshead Foundation Programme
Starting August 2012
The Foundation Programme for Gateshead based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital has 30 F1 trainees
starting in August 2012 moving on to F2 in August 2013. The programme offers training opportuni‐
ties for 30 F1 posts and 30 F2 posts.
The primary aim of the Foundation Programme is to develop competencies, attitude and clinical
skills reflecting good medical practice as defined by the General Medical Council and the pro‐
gramme in Gateshead reflects this. Our programme is designed to include the necessary knowl‐
edge, skills and competencies of doctors before they enter the run through speciality and general
practitioner training. The programme aims to implement the core curriculum developed for the
foundation programme.
The foundation programme curriculum and syllabus clearly identifies the aim of providing instruc‐
tion, training and experience in dealing with acutely ill patients, chronic ill health and generic skills
based on the document “Good Medical Practice” that includes communication skills, team working,
principle of clinical governance etc. The Gateshead programme will cover all these areas within the
total 2 year period.
All the F1 and F2 year posts offered by the GHNFT Foundation Programme are based at the Queen
Elizabeth Hospital (including psychiatry which is on the same site) except the general practice and
palliative care slots and is therefore a single site programme.
Potential applicants are strongly advised to contact current F1s in order to get an unprejudiced view
of the training opportunities.
I would recommend my current
Trust to a friend who was thinking
of applying?
Taken from 'Your School Your Say'
2012 survey results for Gateshead
Health NHS Foundation Trust
Year Two Foundation
Programme Course Details
This programme builds on the competencies and attitudes developed in year 1 and takes these fur‐
ther to include dealing with acutely ill persons, chronic diseases as well as generic skills.
In essence the year 2 programme has 3 care streams –
Acute / emergency care
Chronic / elective medicine
Areas to improve special skills or general practice
In line with DoH guidance, year 2 rotations will contain an attachment in general practice or “small
speciality” module, palliative care (or similar). Current DoH guidance states that GP placements
should be available for all trainees wishing to experience primary care; 55% of F2 programmes will
contain an element of general practice exposure. It is envisaged that each trainee will undertake a
4 month slot of each care stream depending on their specific needs and choices. It is agreed by the
programme supervisors that the offer of the special / innovative module will be dependant on
choice, learning needs and if necessary the outcome of the end of year 1 appraisal process. Final
allocation of F2 programmes will occur at the end of F1 year assessments in June.
The Trust does not have many outreach / community clinics and hence the F2 year slots are planned
to be delivered mostly in hospital setting with access to general practice / palliative care for some
trainees.
Acute/Emergency Care
These slots will allow the doctors to learn skills of history taking, formulation of diagnostic and
treatment plans in emergency care setting and this includes experience in critical care, coronary
care unit, A&E and acute medical admissions unit.
Chronic/Elective Medicine & Surgery
These include attachments in both year 1 and year 2 of the programme and aims to deliver basic
training skills in management of patients in both surgical and medical specialities. This comprises
exposure in general surgery, general medicine, geriatric medicine, obstetric & gynaecology etc.. In
all these specialities, there is provision for supervised ward round, minor surgical procedures, diag‐
nostic skills in both in‐patient and out‐patient settings.
Special Skills/Innovative Modules
These modules are aimed mainly to develop supplementary skills in different areas of interest and
includes instruction and training in team based working, multi‐disciplinary working and community
care /medicine, that has become increasingly relevant to all the doctors. These slots include gen‐
eral practice, palliative care, psychiatry, paediatrics and gynaeoncology.
Examples of Different Programmes in F2 Year
4 months each in A&E, Surgery, Adult Psychiatry
4 months each in A&E, CCU (Coronary Care), GP
4 months each in A&E, Medicine, GP
4 months each in A&E, Critical Care, Old Age Psychiatry
4 months each in A&E, Elderly Medicine, Obs & Gynae
4 months each in Critical Care, Surgery, Palliative Care
4 months each in Paediatrics, GP, Elderly Medicine
The final F2 programmes starting August 2013 are yet to be confirmed.
Gateshead Health wishes to work with successful applicants to design F2 rotations that suit individ‐
ual trainee’s requirements. All these posts will be fully compliant with the elements and pillars of
Foundation Year training and will comply with the European Working Time Directive.
Outline of Programme
1. Compliance with elements of Foundation Programme training‐The programme delivers the
core curriculum of Foundation Years training as specified by DoH and will provide clinical ex‐
perience in acute & chronic medicine, general practice and in other innovative speciality slots
in a structured way. It offers a wide range of choice for a large number of doctors before
they plan to go into their chosen speciality. All of this training is “on the job” and properly
supervised (one to one) with provision for adequate appraisal / feedback.
2. 7 pillars of Foundation Programme
Trainee Centred – the trainee has a wide range of choice for slots and will include topics of
their choice in formal of teaching programmes.
Competency Assessed – MMC and NDFS have developed validated tools for competency as‐
sessment and the programme uses these tools. Assessment tools and the learning portfolio are
Internet based allowing ease of access and use. A review of in‐service training and assessment
(ARCP) occurs on an annual basis. The assessments will be both formative and summative and
will use the learning portfolio to guide the trainees. This includes the use of the team observa‐
tion questionnaire (part of 360 degree appraisal) for each trainee from different sources includ‐
ing nursing, paramedical and administrative staff in addition to the clinical observers.
Service‐based – the programme is aimed at “on the job” learning opportunities for all the doc‐
tors. There is scope for instructions both in acute and elective medicine, including critical care,
Medical Admission Unit (MAU), A&E as well as maternity acute admissions. There will also be
opportunities to develop experience and skills in operating theatre, delivery suite and out‐
patient clinic.
Quality Assured – the programme uses internal and external quality assurance processes that
have been developed within the Deanery. These processes are compliant with PMETB quality
assurance processes. We use an exit questionnaire to assess our training programme and also
use the feedback from the trainees to assess the quality of the programme. External review
processes developed by PMETB will also be used.
Coached – We offer an Educational Supervisor for all trainees that will see them through the 2
year programme. It is agreed that the Clinical Supervisors in different slots will vary for each
trainee but we use the Educational Supervisor to help in the assessment process at the end of
each year.
Flexible – the programme is designed to allow for a degree of flexibility for each trainee. The
choices for the second year of the programme will depend on the particular interest of the jun‐
ior doctors, but may also have to be dependant on the end of F1 year ARCP. Requests / sugges‐
tions for minor variation of F2 modules from the trainees will be considered (after the assess‐
ment at the end of the 1st year) if it is clearly felt to be beneficial to the trainees and obviously
if any particular slot is available.
Structured and Streamlined – We aim to offer a structured training programme for each
trainee during both F1 and F2 years. This programme will try to ensure that each trainee has
clinical experiences suitable to the delivery of the learning aims and objectives. We have devel‐
oped a process by which trainees may have the flexibility to change slots as they develop their
expertise and training as well as interest in the different specialities.
Outline of Programme
3.
Model of Educational Supervision
As mentioned above, the programme will offer each doctor a clinical supervisor for the 4 monthly
slots in each speciality. In addition they will have a named educational supervisor for the whole 2
year programme which improves the quality of feedback and appraisal for all trainees. We use only
those supervisors who have undergone instruction in “Good Practice of Educational Supervision”
courses. The programme also offers the scope for changing the educational supervisor where a
good relationship between the trainee and the trainer has not been established. The supervisors
use the Learning Portfolio for the supervision process.
4.
General/Clinical Duties expected of the Foundation Programme Doctors
The routine clinical duties of the trainee will include –
history taking, examination and differential diagnosis
management of acute and chronically ill patients and diagnostic testing
clinical skills e.g. venepuncture, insertion of central lines, peritoneal drains etc.
assessment of all patients arriving for elective admission, both in medicine and surgical speciali‐
ties
effective communication skills and counselling including skills in breaking bad news
co‐ordinating treatment and investigate procedures
discharge planning
5.
Foundation Programme Placement
Please see following appendices for specific details of the Foundation Programme Placements.
6.
Study Leave
The established Foundation Programme follows the NDFS study leave policy. This allows the sup‐
ported delivery of generic and professional development programmes throughout the two
years. ‘Taster’ placements of up to two weeks duration are available for trainees to experience spe‐
cialities and areas of interest which give insight into long term career choices.
ALERT courses and ILS level training is provided to all new starting F1 trainees during the shadowing
course. ALS courses are delivered in house to all F1 trainees allowing certification with the Resusci‐
tation Council UK upon completion.
Other study leave opportunities exist for the trainees in the F2 year but must be matched to the
foundation learning objectives and curriculum. Funding is limited but appropriate study leave will
be supported wherever possible.
7.
Protected Teaching Time
All new starting F1 trainees are invited to attend a seven day shadowing course. One day is spent at
the university in Newcastle with the remaining days being within the hospital in Gateshead. Three
and a half days are spent shadowing current F1 trainees. A number of formal introductory sessions
are run including sessions of pharmacy issues, pathology, laboratory services and the Foundation
programme educational framework. ALERT courses and ILS training are also provided.
Outline of Programme
F1 teaching occurs on Thursday lunchtimes every week for 90 minutes. These sessions are “bleep
free” and are designed to cover all elements of the generic and professional development sylla‐
bus. F1 trainees also take part in in‐placement teaching sessions which have a minimum period of
90 minutes per week allocated to them.
F2 teaching occurs on the second Wednesday of each month (except August and July). These are
full day themed sessions which allow the further development of generic themes using a variety of
case discussions and expert speakers. F2 trainees also take part in in‐placement teaching sessions
which have a minimum period of 90 minutes per week allocated to them (most specialities deliver
half day sessions).
8.
Compliance with EWTD
All posts are compliant with the European Working Time Directive (EWTD).
