‘Dear Educational Supervisor,

I would like to introduce myself as one of the Training Programme Directors (TPDs) for the (name) GP Training Programme.

I am the Small Group Facilitator for the ST (name) who you are currently educationally supervising.

We are always keen to encourage communication between Educational Supervisors and TPDs, so please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any queries.

We are also keen to identify any trainees who may be in need of additional support and I am writing to encourage you to get in touch with me should any issues arise. Recent experience has shown that if we can provide additional support for trainees early on then problems are more easily resolved.

We have found that a specific red flag for identifying a trainee in need of additional support is lack of early engagement with the e-portfolio.  The Transfer Of Information form (TOI) from your trainee’s foundation posts can also help identify concerns from earlier in their career. We would be grateful if you could ensure that you review the e-portfolio within the first 3 months of the year and encourage your trainee to make entries. We would also like you to review and discuss the TOI form at the first meeting with your trainee. Please do let us know if there are any problems with this.

Many thanks, we look forward to seeing you at one of our forthcoming Educational Supervisors Conferences.

Best wishes

TPD name’


‘Dear Trainee

I’m writing as your current small group facilitator on the (name) training programme. I hope you are settling in well to your training programme and getting the most out of your current post. 

You may remember from your induction that we have a Trainee Support System in HEE. This provides additional support to trainees who are experiencing difficulties during their training. Sometimes these are difficulties trainees experience related to their work environment. Sometimes issues in trainees’ home lives or with their health can also affect their training. You can access this support by talking to me at any stage of your training. This note is a reminder of our offer – please contact me if you would like to discuss this further.

Best wishes

TPD name'