Supervision of GP Training in the South West GP School
Becoming a GP trainer is a challenging and rewarding career move. The process of preparing the practice to train often acts as a stimulus for development. GPSTs usually bring a great deal of enthusiasm to a practice and often act as a catalyst for the trainers' own professional development.
Background
Specialty training programmes/posts, including those in general practice, must conform to the training standards set by the GMC for specialty training approval to be granted. Postgraduate Deans are responsible for the quality management of their specialty training programmes.
Standards for medical education and training in Promoting Excellence for General Practice: Application of GMC Standards to GP Specialty Training. This sets out the standards expected of organisations responsible for GP Specialty training and education in England.
https://www.rcgp.org.uk/mrcgp-exams/information-deaneries-supervisors-trainers
The GMC has published criteria for trainer recognition: https://www.gmc-uk.org/education/how-we-quality-assure-medical-education-and-training/approving-medical-education-and-training/approval-of-trainers/criteria-for-trainer-recognition
Quality Assurance (QA) of GP Training takes place in different ways in the South West GP School. External scrutiny is via the GMC and School Board. Internal assurance occurs via the Quality Panel, and approval and reapproval of GP Clinical and Educational Supervisors.
Information about the quality assurance process of training locations, practices and Learning Organisations, including approval and reapproval, can be found here https://www.severndeanery.nhs.uk/about-us/quality-management-4/show/primary-care-learning-organisation-toolkit This is managed by HEE SW’s Quality Team in conjunction with the region’s Training Hubs.
Definitions
Overview of Process
Becoming a Supervisor
Southwest Multiprofessional Modular Supervisor Pathwway Project
CPD - Menu of options
Local contacts
Course dates
Definitions & criteria for Educational and Clinical Supervisors
All GP Doctors in Training (DiTs) must be overseen on a daily basis by a named Clinical or Educational Supervisor, who are required to meet certain criteria in order to fulfil the role.
Named Clinical Supervisor (CS)
A named clinical supervisor is a trainer who is responsible for overseeing a specific DiT’s clinical work throughout a placement in a clinical or medical environment and is appropriately trained to do so. The named clinical supervisor leads on providing a review of the DiT’s clinical or medical practice throughout a placement and contributes to the educational supervisor’s report on whether the DiT should progress to the next stage of their training.
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Named Educational Supervisor (ES)
A named Educational Supervisor is a trainer who is selected and appropriately trained to be responsible for the overall supervision and management of a specific doctor’s educational progress during a placement or a series of placements. The ES regularly meets with the DiT to help plan their training, review progress and achieve agreed learning outcomes. The ES is responsible for the educational agreement, and for bringing together all relevant evidence to form a summative judgement about the doctor’s progression at the end of a placement or a series of placements.
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Where a trainer is acting as both ES and CS, the requirements regarding availability apply as above for CS
Overview of process from Expression of Interest to maintaining approval
Becoming an Educational or Clinical Supervisor
All qualified GPs wishing to pursue accreditation as a named Educational and/or Clinical Supervisor, either for the first time, after relocating to the South West GP School footprint, or following a break from active supervision, should complete the online Expression of Interest form: https://forms.office.com/e/isb1E9xz2a
- New prospective supervisors will be required to attend the GP School’s accredited Modular Supervisors’ Course (MoSC).
- Relocating supervisors or those wishing to seek reapproval following a break, will need to discuss their individual circumstances with the local Patch Associate Dean. The criteria set out above still apply.
Modular Supervisors’ Courses take place approximately three times per year.
In advance of each cycle Local Programme Teams use a range of information to identify priority invitees, which can include:
- Creating additional capacity within new or existing Learning Organisations
- Succession-planning, where an existing Supervisor intends to retire or step down from training
- Providing support for Supervisors where they are the only trainer within a practice/Learning Organisation
- Other local intelligence
Course attendance is agreed by the local Programme Team, based on need.
Southwest Multiprofessional Modular Supervisor Pathwway Project
Please see the structure of the course, and details of the modules
Modular-Supervisors-Course-summary-Jan-2023.pdf
Once a prospective supervisor has completed the appropriate course modules, they will be contacted by the local Programme team, to arrange an initial approval meeting.
The following evidence will need to be available on the day of the meeting:
- Current Equality, Diversity & Including certificate; this must be dated within the last 3 years.
- GMC number
- Date of entry to GP register
- Date started work in current organisation
- Modular Supervisors’ Course completion certificate
- Induction timetable
- DiT timetable
- Supervisor timetable
Please also have to hand your Prescribing Cost Centre Code and Practice Manager's email address.
In order to maintain ongoing approval, all supervisors are required to submit an online annual self-declaration and participate in 3-yearly peer reviews; these are managed by the local Programme teams
Maintaining Approval
As part of Stage 5 "Maintaining approval" Supervisors will need to demonstrate engagement with CPD on an annual basis, and as part of of the 3-yearly peer review.
The expectation is that all Clinical and Educational Supervisors undertake:
- Relevant CPD (please refer to the Menu of Options below for an overview of examples of the range of CPD activities available which also includes, where relevant, further details of how to enquire about the various opportunities and support available to you)
- Engage with the peer review process and be active members of a local trainer workshop as a community of practice.
To support this there is an expectation that Supervisors should have an agreement in their contracts for up to five days of professional study leave per year to support this role.
To engage with a trainer workshop in your patch, please contact your local programme manager / administrator.
Menu of options
Opportunities within local education team, GP training scheme and/or local patch
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Specialist Trainer Workshop Sessions Support Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Differential Attainment workshops Contact: Dr Silvana Romero Brown, GP Educational Supervisor and ED&I Training Programme Director South West silvana.romerobrown@nhs.net Overview Understanding the issues around Culture, Education and Health and how these influences both educational and healthcare outcomes, is a key aspect of providing high quality education and care. Proactively developing this knowledge and reflecting on our own experiences and those we witness is an important part of our ongoing CPD as educators. Please feel free to contact Silvana for further information and ideas on how to achieve this. Examples of what can be incorporated into a workshop:
To arrange please contact: Dr Michelle Higgs (Training Programme Director, North Devon) michelle.higgs@plymouth.ac.uk (offered in person or small group sessions remotely after a discussion with Michelle) |
Regional & National Educational Events
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RCGP Events
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Postgraduate Courses/Further Study
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2024 Course Dates
Course attendance is agreed by the local Programme Team, based on need. Please see Becoming an Educational or Clinical Supervisor for information
SPRING | |
MODULE 1 ONLINE | 20th March |
MODULE 2 ONLINE | 21st March |
MODULE 3 ONLINE | 28th March |
MODULE 4 | 18th April |
MODULE 5 | 19th April |
SUMMER | |
MODULE 1 ONLINE | 9th May |
MODULE 2 ONLINE | 23rd May |
MODULE 3 ONLINE | 6th June |
MODULE 4 | 19th June |
MODULE 5 | 20th June |
AUTUMN | |
MODULE 1 ONLINE | 6th Nov |
MODULE 2 ONLINE | 7th Nov |
MODULE 3 ONLINE | 14th Nov |
MODULE 4 | 4th Dec |
MODULE 5 | 5th Dec |
For any further enquiries relating to Faculty events please contact the Faculty Team via gpfaculty.sw@hee.nhs.uk
Local Programme team contacts
Contacts for the local Programme teams can be found here, should you wish to discuss becoming a supervisor in detail:
Peninsula: https://primarycare.peninsuladeanery.nhs.uk/about-us/staff-contact-details/
Severn: https://primarycare.severndeanery.nhs.uk/about-us/department-contact-information/