Health Education England working across the South West Peninsula Postgraduate Medical Education
Minutes of the Foundation School Committee held virtually via Teams meeting
12th May 2020, 10.00 – 12:00
Minutes
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Present:
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Sarah Rawlinson (HEE), Trudi Geach (HEE), Suzanne Maddock (HEE), Natalie Band (HEE), Fionn Bellis (NDHT), Bill Wylie (Lay rep), Daranee Boon (UPHT), Nina Bossa (RDE), Angela Cottrell (RDE), Jamie Dunn (TSDFT), Tim Hookway (UPHT), Marie Jasim (Trainee rep), Kerry Dungay (UPHT), Jan Morgan (TSDFT), Philip Reilly (TSDFT), Kate Talmage (UPHT), Mandy Turner (TSDFT), Neil Walker (RDE), Katherine Martin (RCHT), Kathryn Eccleston (RCHT), Johanna Gilbert (RCHT), Caroline Rawlings (NDHT), Tom Smith-Walker (RCHT) |
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1. FiY1s
I:A total of 106 FiY1 trainees were allocated to the trusts in the Peninsula; 22 UPHT, 25 RCHT, 30 RDE, 20 SDHT and 9 NDHT. All trusts have reported that the trainees have started in post (1 trainee withdrew from the process in NDHT) and apart from a couple of small technical issues all have settled in well. Trusts also reported that they are running some training days for the FiY1s.
I: Each FiY1 trainees comes with a £2000 grant for Clinical Supervisor provision. Some trusts reported that the payments have gone into medical education and SR confirmed it is up to the trusts how they used this extra money. The money will only be given if the trusts have had to create extra posts for the FiY1s rather than use an existing vacancy.
I: FiY1 trainees can work weekends. They should be treated the same as F1s but they are not able to work nights. They can prescribe as an F1 – prescriptions should be reviewed by pharmacists.
I: Each trust must have given the FiY1s clear training/ information at induction and issued clear guidelines for the FiY1s to be able to complete Death Certificates and CREM forms. The trust need to be confident that appropriate learning has taken place before these trainees can complete the forms.
I: All trusts have agreed contracts with the FiY1 trainees. Trainees are being encouraged to take their annual leave entitlement at the end of the placement which will give them a break before their F1 posts start on the 28th July.
I: F1 induction – there was a small discussion that a proportion of the induction in August will be online. MEMs are meeting in two weeks to discuss a plan. If social distancing is still a requirement trusts have considered the need to stagger the induction.
2. F1 Swaps
I: Proposal discussed. F1s can ask to swap 1 of their F2 posts within the same trust. Trainees will not be able to repeat and will not be able to swap out of their community placement. Their programme must remain balanced. LTFT trainees were not affected by not rotating. The Foundation School will match trainees and finalise swaps. Priority will be given to trainees who applied in the original swaps round -anyone who wasn’t successful will be looked at first. Any trainees who are moving trusts will not be disadvantaged.
I: There were some concerns raised about the trainees swapping their 1st placement. The code of practice has already been relaxed and trainees are given 10 weeks notice of their rota. If the swaps process included the first placement it would not meet the code of practice due to the timing of the process. This could be overruled by the DME in the trust but the school will also seek advice from the BMA. The code of practice is to protect trainees and as this is a request from trainees it might not create an issue.
A: SR to rise the question with the BMA and liaise with the DMEs before making a final decision about trainees being able to swap their first placement.
I: This process is not national, but the Foundation School is trying to mitigate issues created by trainees in F1 not being able to move posts in April. Marie Jasim agreed that it would be important to keep the ability to swap the first post in and reported that it would reduce a lot of anxiety amongst the trainees who have missed a post within their career pathway. Trainees are not required to discuss with an FPD but they could be a link for trainees who can’t find a swap.
I: Process will be sent to all trainees – not just those who have requested a swap. Any vacant F2 posts can be used during this process.
A: Torbay will need to decide if they would like to put their whole year long Acute Medicine Post back into the pot to be used for swaps. This could mean that the trust fill either 1, 2 or 3 of the posts depending on the number of people applying.
A: Foundation School to send the final process document to all when agreement from the BMA has been received.
I: F2s cannot extend into a placement they missed if they fill the ARCP requirements. Trainees could do an F3 year or locum but their F2 year cannot be extended. SR confirmed that it would be acceptable for trainees to explore unused study leave for longer taster weeks and could remove restrictions if the trainee’s current placement can allow the trainee to be absent from the department for up to a fortnight.
A: All trusts to send information to TG about any F3 years available or any other support they can provide for F2s who have missed out on a specialty due to Covid 19 by Friday 15th May.
I: Tim Hookway confirmed that trainees are asked to apply for F3 posts at UPHT and put their preference for specialty. The trainee will have to cover a gap in the trust but as a trade-off will be allowed to work for a period in their chosen specialty if it can be accommodated.
A: TG to send out information from trusts to all F2 trainees the week beginning 18th May.
3. Regional Teaching
I: Trusts have been asked to give some thought to how regional teaching will work if social distancing rules are still in place in August. Trusts were asked to consider virtual sessions. Trust must not revert back to local teaching but could provide some local sessions if social distancing can be adhered to. Trusts could run a regional session with local people in attendance and use online platform for other trainees in the region.
I: Concerns were raised about the length of teaching sessions and the committee felt that 6 hours of virtual teaching would be too long to keep trainees fully engaged. Trusts will need to be inventive about how it is delivered.
A: SR to follow up with Mark Mellor in North Devon to trial a regional teaching session online.
I: There is an opportunity available in the Foundation School to have a regional lead for teaching.
A: All trusts too find out if there would be anyone interested in this new role within their teams.
A: All trusts are to make a formal plan on how the regional teaching programme would look in their trust by middle of June. Can be a mixture of local and regional. Anyone who wishes to do a trial would be welcome and should contact SR. Trusts should work on providing the same number of days as this year and extra days would always be welcomed.
A: TG to contact local Medical schools to ask what teaching they are providing and report back.
4. ARCP
I: Trainees had to complete their portfolios by the end of April. Trusts will need to send emails to trainees to inform them of their outcome and the email must include an offer for the trainee to discuss the outcome if they wish. Any trainee given an Outcome 3 (there should be no surprises) should also be informed by email but trusts need to make a much firmer offer of a meeting with the FPD and possibly the Head of School.
I: Requirements have been reduced this year and chasing is not appropriate at this stage.
I: MJ reported that trainees are not concerned about ARCP. LTFT trainees are straddling both Covid ARCP and normal ARCP and asked the foundation school to consider how LTFT trainees will be affected for their final outcome. LTFT trainees will still need a covid ARCP in June as an other outcome.
A: SR will discuss the LTFT trainees ARCP and will report back.
5. F2 Stand alone
I: All F2 vacancies have been filled in the first round. Some trainees appointed are currently living abroad and on visas so Covid could affect this. The school will need to wait for national guidance on these trainees if they are not able to start in post in August – this will include the need for the trainees to quarantine when arriving in the UK.
6. Trainee rep matters
I: Nothing to report.
7. AOB
F2 Starting in Acute medicine who hadn’t completed it as an F1.
I: Trusts need to raise awareness of those trainees rotating through Surgical and Medical Acute rotas which they have not completed in F1 due to Covid 19. Trusts will need a process for supervisors to let them know the F2 might not be up to the expected level and ensure adequate supervision is provided.
New CS for August
I: Can the trust recruit new clinical supervisors without having completed the necessary training? The faculty team have agreed that yes they can for up to a year until the relevant training can be attended.
A: TG to resend a statement from the faculty team. Any further questions should be sent to the faculty team.
FI trainees – where have they come from?
I: CR asked if it would be possible to send details of where their new F1s have come from and whether they had completed an FiY1 post.
A: NB to send the data held by the Foundation School. Any trainees coming from out of the region will be unknown but the data will be available once the Horus upload has been completed as the trainees who have been in an FiY1 post will have it documented on Horus.
Educational Supervisor training
I: AC asked if the trusts could work together to provided ES training via teams which has been agreed by Geoff Smith. The committee agreed that a coordinated training session would be a good idea and DMEs should work together on this project.