Welcome to the Harlow GP Speciality Training Programme

The West Essex, Harlow GP Speciality Training Programme offers a strong foundation for GP Trainees in becoming a competent, effective and confident GP of tomorrow. With a varied approach, individuals can navigate their way through a range of placement opportunities, providing a wealth of experience to inform later career moves.

Whilst addressing the GP curriculum, this scheme aims to support GP Trainees (see our training programme below). We believe in working with GP Trainees to understand the individuals needs and ensure their personal and professional development. Locally we strive to ‘grow our own’, with the aim to retain highly skilled and valued individuals in West Essex. In doing so, the scheme aspires to be interactive, enabling members to share a fun learning environment with peers and allow for innovation.

The West Essex Scheme is run by 3 programme Directors Dr Andrew Ashford, Dr Zia Yaqub and Dr Nazmul Mohsin.

We have 32 registrars appointed each year to the West Essex Scheme.

Twelve months is spent in Hospital placements (3 x 4 month rotations) at The Princess Alexandra Hospital and 24 months in General Practice.  Some Trainees will have the opportunity to experience one of our 6 Month ITP (Innovative Training Posts), before moving into a Final Post in GP Practice, we do unfortunately only have a limited number of these Posts, but are striving to secure more of these as our Training Scheme grows in size.

All the departments in the hospital have a teaching plan tailored to the needs of the registrars and regular two way assessment takes place in all the posts.

The General Practice period is spent in one of our 19 West Essex General Practices. All these practices have a high commitment to the training scheme and to post-graduate education.

Throughout the Harlow VTS scheme we will be preparing you for the career you want and where you want. As part of this we hope to cover as much experience and knowledge of the West Essex area as possible, in the aim to retain trainees. We hope to persuade you to stay local with our range of career offers

Friendly one to one support from highly experienced trainers

A fun, supportive, half day release scheme with excellent guest speakers designed over a rolling programme to help trainees cover the breadth of the GP curriculum Consultation & Communication skills training.

The training programme above outlines the journey of a GP trainee, you will notice throughout this journey the need to undertake Out of hours training. Our local Out of Hours (OOH) provider is Healthcare Vocational Training Service. We are fortunate that they are able to support our trainees with supervised sessions throughout their time in GP placements. GP trainees are expected (and remunerated as part of their contract) to undertake a minimum of 72 hours over the course of their training scheme (with a pro rata increase of extra time is spent in general practice). Trainees also need to collect evidence over these sessions to demonstrate that their competence of working in the Out of Hours environment.

A comprehensive induction is organised twice a year (close to the start date in General Practice). It is essential for trainees to have undergone this induction before they are able to book shifts. It is also important to understand that several trainees will be wishing to undertake shifts around the same time so booking well ahead is strongly recommended. Trainees are NOT able to undertake out of hours shifts whilst working in hospital posts.

In addition the Half Day Release Programme takes place within term-time only running on Tuesday afternoons (30 weeks per year with breaks for Easter, Summer and Christmas)· This is a great opportunity for all of the trainees across the three years of training to come together to share experience and learn together. We offer a variety of sessions aimed at covering the breadth of the GP curriculum often including guest speakers, sessions focusing on communication skills and sessions designed to prepare trainees for their examinations.

Focused exam preparation with funded access to the Fourteen Fish AKT package for all trainees, locally arranged AKT preparation courses and focused small group SCA preparation led by experienced trainers and visiting by SCA examiners.

We invite some great internal and external speakers to teach the sessions.

We hope that registrars will give their maximum enthusiasm to the programme and their training.

By the end of their three years, all registrars will have had a chance to develop their skills, knowledge and attitudes to enter general practice with confidence. We pride ourselves on running a happy scheme and often have social events to enhance the cohesiveness of the group.

Harlow GPST is a friendly and welcoming scheme. All trainees have the chance to attend our Away Days which take place at least once a year. There is a good team spirit among all the GP trainees.

Why Choose Harlow and West Essex? 

• A favourable situation lying between Cambridge and London 
• Good motorway and railway links
• A major international airport
• Excellent release courses focussed on today's and future General Practice

West Essex has Harlow in the centre, which has lots of greenery and cycle paths with surrounding leafy suburbs such as Elsenham, Bishops Stortford, Sawbridgeworth, Roydon, and Epping.

We are strategically positioned between Cambridge and London; with easy access by motorways M11 and M25, and by air from Stansted Airport.  Harlow Town station is about 30 minutes by train from Liverpool Street station.

The Local Area

The main local authority is Essex County Council. It provides school education in the area, along with other services: www.essex.gov.uk  

More local services are provided by Harlow District Council: www.harlow.gov.uk  

Princess Alexandra Hospital’s own website has a lot of useful stuff: www.pah.nhs.uk  

Things to do in Harlow visit: https://www.harlow.gov.uk/visit-do  

To get to us, use the Greater Anglia Railway train information system at: https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/travel-information/station-information/hwn

Or Epping Underground Service: https://tfl.gov.uk/tube/stop/940GZZLUEPG/epping-underground-station?lineId=central  buses run regular from Epping to Harlow.