Updated May 18th

We have agreed with UKFPO that we would like to support the late graduating med schools in being able to volunteer for FiY1. Some of our trusts are still at capacity, though where possible you will join the trust you start in august at F1. Our mental health trusts have also offered to support some FiY1 and keen to promote future careers in psychiatry, and also to promote knowledge of mental health in those having other career paths.

Edited update May 8th

We have told UKFPO we are full as for all but of handful of trusts they are either full or only accepting incoming F1, so it is hard for UKFPO to manage this degree of complexity, and we dont want to disappoint people allocated to us. Those already allocated we are finding placements for, and discussing how we could potentially review for the trusts that might accept how we would identify this for UKFPO.

Edited update 27th April/ May 2

Many of our EAFS trusts now say they have reached the maximum number of allocations of FiY1. They have been very grateful for the number of volunteers, but need to ensure that they can properly supervise their allocated numbers. This is now becoming the case in EBH as we welcome further FiY1 from London and other regions.

We have therefore told UKFPO that we are not accepting further allocations to EAFS, though have some candidates on reserve lists or waiting allocation, which we will allocate. This will likely be our last week for accepting incoming FiY1 into EBH. Thank you so much for volunteering.

We are still accepting and looking forwards to FiY1 joining the EBH foundation school, and in the survey for placements, some of the EAFS trusts  will be included but for incoming F1 only and some currently have no vacancy even for incoming F1. Currently Bedford, Harlow and East and North Herts in EBH are also full, but may accept incoming F1 and Colchester from EAFS is accepting all FiY1 as well as Southend and Luton in EBH. We will not keep this page 'live' for vacancies,.

We are very grateful to all the volunteering early graduated doctors. We want to support you, and are endeavoring to be transparent around our process.

I [Helen Johnson] have tried here to answer all the queries i have received, as it is not possible to answer every email in a timely fashion.

Early F1 arrival allocation

We plan that all trainees starting with us in August 2020 as F1 will be allocated to the appropriate acute trust from UKFPO recruitment. There may be some flexibility within this due to effects of Covid-19 on strategic planning, such that Cambridge and Papworth and merged trusts  may choose to deploy with the redeployed F1 and other staffing as appropriate.

We have reserved some posts at all our trusts for incoming F1 only, so that it may be that you hear some trusts are 'full' but this will be for local medical graduates, who will be offered other trusts aligned with their university.

Medical school location allocation

Those staying with our partner medical schools, we would hope to predominantly place according to their preference on UEA survey, or apprenticeship allocation for Cambridge as agreed with the partner medical schools,

The allocation will follow the allocation of the planned August F1 who have priority. Most will be then allocated to their F1 trust if this is also within EAFS.

We discussed and agreed the next step allocation process with our partner medical schools.

• Cambridge had allocated their trainees to apprenticeship trust placements , and had notified the trusts and students of these allocations, therefore felt this would be a responsible model. 
• UEA having completed their course instead performed a survey for us on trainees preferences.

We are also reviewing your preferences from the UKFPO/GMC links and whether you are due to start as an F1 in our region to determine the allocation . We have asked all trusts to provide accommodation wherever required, and queries about this need to be made to the trusts.

Once the nominated trusts allocations are full - and the FiY1 spaces may be different to those of medical school, and are adjusted to allow for the number of incoming FiY1 early starting their august placement, then volunteers will be allocated to trusts who do have vacancies.

We may offer via survey our additional trusts in EBH, who have accommodation available as alternative to the EAFS trusts and EBH trusts utilised by medical schools, as we oversee all of EoE. We do anticipate that we will be able to accommodate all volunteers within medical school partnership trusts.

This is a hugely complex piece of work with limited staff. We can only allocate to the number of F1, with little 'over' due to the statutory nature of foundation placements and GMC oversight. Therefore this means inevitably the allocation is our 'best option' allocation and we are unable to allocate all the applicants to the teaching hospitals. Please do not email the foundation school. All the information we hold is on our web page or the UKFPO/GMC pages linked below

Batch allocation and notification

Since we are allocating in batches, and have a very small staff for this, you may find that others know their allocations whilst you are waiting. We will not lose any allocations, all will be allocated.

Please do not contact us to check - we have a very minimal team! I will update when I think we have completed batches 1 and 2. [there are more batches to come from UKFPO]

We are letting the medical schools know when we have allocated.

Communications

If you are going to your F1 August trust you will be contacted by your trust around FiY1. We are not re contacting you unless there is a change to this plan as you have already had our welcome letter and resources.

If you are only doing FiY1 with us, we are emailing you do that you are welcomed, have our info and VR and know your placement At the end of each week we are updating our medical schools with the allocation lists.

Contracts

Accommodation, pay, hours, LTFT, rotas etc are all part of the trust process, and we will not be able to comment on these. Please directly ask the trusts. They do not have to appoint you, and you can withdraw from your allocation with them. We are not intermediaries in this process.

Unhappy with placement

You are unable to work as a doctor outside of this process on a provisional licence. If you are unhappy with your allocation please be assured that we have tried very hard to allocate everyone as well as possible, which is why we worked with your medical schools for a fair and transparent process, and assume within this they have already considered any exceptional circumstances. Your wellbeing is important to us, and that includes aiming to allocate you in a responsible manner. We would like to reassure you that you do not need to take up the placement and can either wait until all other placements are completed and we can review any vacancies, or decide to volunteer instead as a medical assistant at the trust of your choice. A medical assistant volunteer is also very welcomed and very valuable.

If you withdraw from your allocation, you need to formally notify the trust you were assigned to. You also need to formally notify us and go on our reserve list until we can accommodate you elsewhere, or resign fully from the FiY1 placements. This is a 'no fault' process. we were very grateful for your volunteering to start early, but if you change your mind on allocation, we will wish you all the best for your future F1 start.

Respecting those graduates that cannot or choose not to volunteer

We would also like to reiterate that although we are very proud of all graduates volunteering in these unique circumstances, if you or a person you live with are at a particularly high risk from a Covid-19 infection. then you should reconsider your volunteering. your wellbeing is really important, and staying physically and mentally well is a priority. By keeping well, you are absolutely helping. Do not feel under internal or external pressure to volunteer.

We will struggle to answer every email in a timely fashion, so please only do so if you have an exceptional need that should be considered. 

Future developments are unpredictable, and although we are aspirational in our endeavors, we cannot guarantee placements.

The GMC process: https://www.gmc-uk.org/news/news-archive/coronavirus-information-and-advice/provisional-registration?utm_campaign=1722647_COVID-19%20med%20students&utm_medium=email&utm_source=General%20Medical%20Council&dm_i=2SYE,10X7B,7HEE0S,3WFBB,1

The UKFPO page: https://foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/covid-19/

For all our FiY1, we are running this introduction to the workplace and balancing work and life. Our Papworth colleagues are providing administrative support for this, so it will be coming through a Papworth email address, but this is an HEE EoE initiative and open to all 

Firstly a very warm welcome to you from the EoE foundation school.  Many congratulations on your achievement and gaining provisional GMC registration.  We are all very much looking forward to welcoming you to our trusts across the region.  As part of the welcome we would like to offer you an interactive 1 hour online session delivered live on ‘Workplace & Me’.  These sessions will have up to 15 attendees and so please don’t delay and book your session today using the link :

'Workplace & Me' workshop - booking https://forms.gle/c2UTXm859hH874js8 

A 1 hour workshop on wellbeing in the workplace, particularly during these challenging times. These sessions will be hosted on Zoom but are as interactive as possible involving input from both the speaker and attendees to remind all that there is always help available, people to reach out to and resources and strategies one can use when our mental, physical health and wellbeing is faced with difficult stressful situations.

There is a handout sheet in the files section below.

This is much better done as an interactive group, but we do have it as a recorded video here: and also here as an interactive live recording.

Resources kindly shared from CUH:

• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSp7px6h4DSblPALwibiZrQ/videos?view=0&s...

Resources kindly shared from W Herts:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lWOJvPm2iRFz6ATtPj89qHR5jmDtD2Gr?usp=sharing

Please look at the videos on the google drive.

Resources Kindly shared from NWAFT:

Resources Kindly shared from ESNEFT

Supervision and Support

The FTPD or a nominated senior educator will have overarching responsibility for the wellbeing and support for you. They will meet you at induction and provided a regular point of contact for you to discuss your wellbeing and ensure that you are supported.
They may draw on a group of intermediate support utilising other senior educators and the clinical sub deans and medical school leads. This network will be clarified with you by your FTPD and Medical Education Team. This is particularly the case in trusts where the FTPD lead is one of the skilled clinicians leading Covid-19 management.

Each of you will have a clinical supervisor, working within the team you are placed in, who will write an end of placement report. The named clinical supervisor may be a slightly looser relationship than in the past, as many teams are now larger structures, so in practice you will have a number of senior trainees and consultants working with you. You will be introduced to the team, and the nature of them means there will always be someone available to support and guide you.

We are providing our current F1 and F2 with buddying/mentorship support and training so that they can support you. we have asked our trusts to group FiY1 into 2-3 and pair with 2-3 F1/F2 so that you have a supportive group. Feel free to access the mentoring and buddying video below. This has been forwarded to all our FTPD and MEM.

All trusts have additional support structures for all of their staff, and these are also available to you.

Dear Colleague

Welcome to the NHS and welcome to your own Trust. First of all, congratulations on passing the finals and also on securing a foundation job. These are fantastic achievements.

We are pleased to welcome you to the Health Education East of England Deanery. Striving for achieving excellence in performance and maximizing your potential I am privileged to be the Training Program Director for the IMGs.

As such I am invested in your development and success in the foundation program. The foundation years can be challenging and test your knowledge, skills and ability to adapt and cope under pressure. You will discover your own strengths and learn to change your attitudes and behaviours guided by your own values and principles. As educators we believe every job is what you make it! We know that learning opportunities abound at your hospital, and we hope you will participate in making every moment and every interaction count. From our perspective we assert “Training is patient safety for the next thirty years” and as such we will try to give you the best possible learning environment.

As doctors you have a complex job, there will be moments filled with every possible emotion! However, if you can remember to keep the patient at the centre of what you do and instil compassion, care and good communication, you will be ensuring that the patient’s journey is smooth and adding art to the science of practising Medicine.

My role is to help close the gap between your potential and your present abilities. I have no doubt that most of you will not only survive but actually thrive in the next two years as you identify your own values, forge relationships and understand the complexity and uncertainty of working in the NHS. There will be times when you feel exhausted and encounter situations when you feel you can’t go on. There will be times when you question the system and feel overwhelmed and even afraid. It is often your own expectations that will upset you. Harsh self judgement coupled with a genuine lack of experience and skill can be de moralizing and dent your confidence. This is normal.

While you have autonomy to practice there will be times when you need some dependency and for that you have an excellent support mechanism in the form of your Clinical Supervisor, Educational supervisor and FTPD. As your TPD, I am also available to talk to you and if possible, to guide you or signpost you in the right direction. Please remember the aphorism “Physician heal thyself” and look after your own work life balance. If possible, look out for your colleagues and at the first sign of “something amiss” please flag it up as appropriate. We are there to help and guide you.

HEEE has been a forerunner in setting up an excellent mentorship program especially designed for foundation doctors. This is the form of buddying with a senior who can then offer advice from ward craft to other simple queries.

HEEE has also designed a learning programme that can be easily accessed from the website.

At HEEE and indeed within the NHS, we are keen to listen to the trainee voice. Your opinion matters, so please feel free to speak up. The active and positive contribution of junior doctors can improve the organisation’s systems and enhance quality of care for patients.

 We know that there are some crucial skills that have a huge impact on your well- being, professional and personal development. We will be running masterclass workshops on building self- awareness of adaptability, learned optimism, gratitude, empathy, being proactive and resilient and fostering critical thinking skills. These sessions also promote mindfulness which helps to remain present and grounded  even in the midst of extreme stress, uncertainty and crisis.  Whilst the usefulness of these may not be immediately obvious, I assure you that at some points in your journey you will pause and reflect on some or all of these. Critical thinking and self- reflection can help you grow, achieve your potential and live a life of significance.

As William Osler said: “We are not here to get the most out of life for ourselves, but to try and make the lives of others happier!” This applies to the Medical profession more than any other! I challenge you to define your own top priorities in improving the experience of patients who cross your path! We are looking forward to welcoming you and supporting you to harness your full potential.

With best wishes

Ratna

Dr Ratna Makker

• All FiY1s will get access to the e-portfolio used at their FiY1 foundation school
• Horus
  • Accounts will be created centrally for FiY1 doctors in England
    • Rounds 1-3 (and possibly 4) will be uploaded in one go by the middle of next week 
    • Any accounts that have already been created manually (we are aware that a few trusts have started to do this) will need to have their current placement ‘converted’ to FiY1
      • Guidance will follow once the functionality is complete
  • Your trusts will update these accounts with specific placement information manually
• Requirements
  • Mandatory: Clinical Supervisor’s end of placement report
  • Optional: SLEs, reflections, Core Procedures, other supervisor meeting forms, etc
  • Not required: Form R, ARCP outcome form
• ARCP
  • FiY1s will not have an ARCP while they are in an FiY1 placement
  • (Reminder) Any experience gained and recorded during FiY1 will count towards the requirements for F1 sign off (which for most will be in June 2021) – except for the time requirement. To complete F1 doctors must undertake 12 months (pro-rata) of F1 training.
• FY1 e-portfolio movement
  • Many FiY1s will move to a different foundation to start their FY1 training
  • For some their F1 foundation school will use a different e-portfolio to the one they used during FiY1
  • Specific guidance will be published about what FY1s in this position should do to ensure any content they’ve created in FiY1 is available to their F1 supervisors and ARCP panel
    • In summary, doctors in this position will need to download content from their FiY1 e-portfolio and upload it to an/a series of “Additional Achievement” forms. They should discuss this content with their F1 educational supervisor.
  • FiY1 placements will need to be declared in the F1 Form R/SOAR (which for most will be completed in May 2021)