TOOT Self-declaration for accurate Assessment & CCT
The RCGP TOOT guidance states
GP registrars must record all absence as it occurs in calendar days. This should be done upon return to work and added to the absence recording tool in the Training Portfolio. In addition, GP registrars must declare all absence on their Form R before each ARCP panel. This is all in addition to reporting absence to an employer.
When the RCGP come to pre-check your ePortfolio around the time of your Final ARCP ready for CCT, one of their priorities is to ensure your ePortfolio is an accurate record of your training time.
They look for:
- TOOT recorded as a post.
- TOOT self-declared in posts.
- TOOT listed in Educator notes.
They cross-check this with the declared TOOT on your Form R which will be recorded on your ARCP form, so it is important that these match.
The number one cause of delays to CCT is discrepancies in TOOT, if you get into the habit of self-declaring TOOT on your ePortfolio it will be much easier for you to collate and record it on your Form R and ensure accuracy.
If you are absent from training, you will need to inform your local Training Programme Manager/administrator and medical HR on the 1st day of absence so that your placement are aware and your pay is correct.
In the NHS England South West School of Primary Care we need to know the dates out of training so that we can ensure your stages of training, ARCP and CCT date are correct.
We don’t need the personal details that your VTS team and medical HR might require, but if it is easier for you to copy us in to emails to HR or your Training Programme you can rest assured your personal information will be handled with the professional discretion and security you would expect. If your absence is short term you can let us know on england.GPSupport.SW@nhs.net when you return to training, if it will be longer than 2 weeks please let us know at your earliest convenience and we can liaise your Training Programme team and medical HR to keep up to date until your return to training.
4.1. The GMC’s Time out of Training Position Statement says that absence of GP registrars should be monitored by Deaneries through the ARCP process. Absence of 14 working days or more in one training phase should trigger a review of whether the end of training date needs to be extended and is dependent on their acquisition of competence. (Gold Guide 10 3.183)
The RCGP TOOT guidance states:
- The time spent in the GP training programme is 36 months (1095 days) wte and the GMC approved GP training curriculum is designed to be delivered over this period.
- The expectation is that all GP registrars should aim to complete all of this time in training.
- Time away from training does not automatically result in an extension. Equally, not having to make up missed time is not an entitlement.
- The determination on training stage progression, final CCT dates and whether absence should be made up is by the ARCP panel.
DAP – Discretionary Absence Policy
During each stage of training, you can have up to 14 days of absence before a review of your CCT date is triggered. So up to 14 days or 2 weeks off in ST1, the same again in ST2 and again in ST3, ensuring the process is consistent regardless of your LTFT percentage.
What must be declared?
Time out of training that must be declared and may need to be made up include:
• Sick leave (long/short term and including COVID)
• Parental leave (maternity/paternity)
• Career breaks (OOPC) & non-training placements (OOPE)
• Paid/unpaid leave (compassionate, jury service, sabbaticals, etc.)
• Unpaid/unauthorised leave including industrial action
• Professional leave
• Shielding or self-isolation periods where remote training was not possible
• Annual leave accrued during times of exceptional leave periods as above
We do not need to know about:
• Paid annual leave taken during training
• Study leave
• Professional leave, e.g. representation at union meetings (up to 5 pre-approved days per phase of training)
Prolonged absence
Absences of 30 consecutive days or more will be recorded on the Training Portfolio as a stage of training.
Blocks of absence are counted in the number of calendar days absent and are replaced with the same number of calendar days. Basically, your time out includes your working and non-working days during that period and so does the same amount of time we replace it with.
If you are not sure how many days your period of sickness or parental leave was, you can click on the post/stage of training on your training map, so long as the dates are recorded correctly it will show you the right number of days:
Fragmented training during longer illness
When a GP Registrar is living with a longer-term illness or medical condition there can be short periods of return to training between absences.
- More than 50% of a week must be worked for it to count towards training.
- Posts shorter than 2 whole time equivalent months and short periods of training between multiple periods of prolonged absence will normally be assessed by your AD or an ARCP panel, to see if enough quality log entries and WPBA have been added for the time to count towards training. For hospital posts a Clinical Supervisor Report will normally be required for the post to count towards training. The results of this assessment will then be documented in an Educators note or on your ARCP form.
Phased Returns
Periods of phased return do not normally count towards training. On occasion your Educational Supervisor and yourself may agree that a phased return should count. This is unusual as a phased return should gently ease you back into your normal working hours without the pressure of WPBA.
If your phased return is to count towards training, again you must be working at 50% LTFT or more and your Educational Supervisor must leave an Educator note to explain that it will count towards training.