NHS England South West Terms of Reference for the Peninsula Foundation School Committee
The title of the group will be Foundation School Committee (FSC).
1. Purpose
Under the auspices of the NHS England South West to:
- Develop and support the framework of the Reference Guide within which Foundation Schools are delivered
- Provide the framework of the Reference Guide for doctors who undertake F1 and F2 appointments as well as those who undertake two-year Foundation Programmes
2. Membership
Chair, Head of Foundation School, NHS England South West
Deputy Postgraduate Dean – SW Foundation Schools
Foundation School Manager, NHS England South West
2 F1 doctor representatives
2 F2 doctor representatives
1 Representative from University of Plymouth Medical School
1 representative from University of Exeter Medical School
Foundation Programme Directors from RDUH East
Foundation Programme Directors from UHP
Foundation Programme Directors from T&SD
Foundation Programme Directors from RCHT
Foundation Programme Directors from RDUH West
Associate GP Dean, NHS England South West or representative
Minimum of 1 Director of Medical Education for Psychiatry or MEM from either Livewell, Devon Partnership and Cornwall Partnership trusts.
Minimum of 1 representative from Medical Education from each of the 5 trusts
1 Lay representative
3. Invited Delegates
Director of Medical Education, RDUH East
Director of Medical Education, UHP
Director of Medical Education, T&SDFT
Director of Medical Education, RDUH West
Director of Medical Education, RCHT
4. Accountability
The Committee is accountable to the Postgraduate Dean through the Head of Foundation School
5. Review
The Terms of Reference will be reviewed every three years as a minimum to ensure it is fit for purpose.
6. Working methods / ways of working
- To recruit to foundation training in accordance with Foundation School/UKFPO recruitment processes.
- Ensure that fair systems are in place for the allocation of entrants to the School’s Foundation Programmes.
- Oversee the quality of the teaching and learning experience, and the assessment of Foundation doctors.
- To enable training and education to progress smoothly for the Foundation doctors.
- Develop and manage appeals systems on issues such as recruitment and assessment.
- Consider and recommend posts for educational approval.
- Ratify and monitor the education design, content and delivery of Foundation programmes across the Peninsula.
- Develop, implement and review the processes and protocols necessary to deliver and monitor foundation training.
- Regularly inform the Deans Education Group and Senior Management Team about issues relating to the Foundation School and foundation programmes.
- To action directives from the GMC and Department of Health relating to Foundation training.
- To receive reports from committees and groups, including students and Foundation doctors, which are relevant to Foundation programmes and consider their implications for the local programmes.
7. Meetings
- Meetings will take place no less than four times per year.
- Meetings will be organised by the Head of School (Chair) in conjunction with the administrative team within NHS England South West.
- Formal minutes will be taken by the administrative team within NHS England South West and distributed within three weeks of the Foundation School Committee taking place (where possible).
- Agenda items and associated papers will be circulated at least one week before the meeting (where possible). Items for discussion should be declared in advance of the meeting. Any other business should only be used to discuss those items that were not known at the time of submission of agenda items.
- 1 Foundation Programme Director from each trust and the Head of School must be present to validate any actions.
8. Sharing of information and resources (including confidential materials)
- Communicate with the programmes within the School to ensure that information about Foundation Training Programmes is received regularly and in a timely fashion.
- Ensure that there are shared and robust quality control processes to support GMC/NHSSW quality assurance requirements.
- Content of the meeting are not discussed or disseminate to individuals or organisations outside of the Foundation School Committee members without prior agreement from the Head of School and recorded on the meeting minutes.
Ensure that all information meets the requirements for data protection and confidentiality.