Why Southend?
About Southend - Taking its name as the ‘south end’ of Prittlewell village, it became a popular seaside resort for Londoners during the Victorian era. Only 30 miles from London and with easy access by train and road, the town's economy has largely been based on tourism ever since.
Southend Pier is the towns historical icon and is the world's longest pleasure pier at 1.33 miles long. It hasn’t always enjoyed the best of health, with a number of incidents and injuries over the years, most recently a further fire in October 2005 but is now fully repaired and a great place to walk, stop for a cup of tea or an ice cream and take in the view.
Southend area has the usual selection of theatres and cinemas, a wider than average range of restaurants and eateries, and very easy transport links with central London for an evening at the West End.
GP Training - As far as GP training is concerned we are fortunate to have a wide range of excellent hospital posts and GP placements. There are opportunities to broaden your experience 'out of programme'. We run a regular half-day release programme on Wednesday afternoons which is highly regarded and the two-day 'Residential' is the highlight of the year (includes overnight stay)!
The trainees form lasting relationships which are very supportive of one another, helping one another through exam preparation, keeping in touch during maternity leave and so on. As Training Programme Directors we pride ourselves in being available to answer queries and offer support if problems arise. In addition we are ably assisted by our excellent scheme administrators, Nicole and Nicola.
If you want to find out more please feel free to contact one of us by clicking our name below for an informal chat.
Nicole Edgell & Nicola Mason (Admin)
Testimonials
"Southend GPSTP is very diverse in providing training opportunities - from hospital medicine to an elite list of primary care practices. Great interest is taken to ensure that the RCGP curriculum is adhered to, with weekly teaching tutorials and every possible measure is taken to support trainees with relevant guidance to enhance their skill".
"I can strongly recommend Gp training in the Southend Programme.
Southend University Hospital is a busy District General with a mixture of medical training posts.
This part of your training feels much like foundation training/ general medical training and may not always feel relevant to being a GP but the important thing to remember is that all your years of medical experience contributes to your professional knowledge and it also teaches you survival skills.
I found the Gp admin team amazingly supportive and they can help guide you on most aspects of how to get through your training. They are very friendly and approachable and will support you through any problems.
The General practices in the area are experienced in providing training and guidance. My own experience was excellent and I think it was the same for the majority of the trainees.
The TPD team run a great teaching programme with a focus on AKT and CSA/RCA preparation, and I think things look only to improve as they have enlarged their team and are responding well to the challenges of teaching during the COVID pandemic.
Overall I think the Southend programme is great and I’m grateful for their help in completing my training. " - Jai 2020.
"I joined the Southend GPVTS scheme as an ST3 trainee and I can safely say it has left me ready and as well equipped as anyone can be for the world of GP. There are several teaching practices available across the area to give trainees plenty of hands on experience; approachable trainers who are ready to help with personal or academic issues; and the VTS programme itself promises interesting topics relevant to everyday general practice. Best of all, there is plenty of opportunity to learn about life as a GP (after all the exams!) with topics discussed at the VTS days as well as on the residential. I've had a great experience - thank you!"
"Enjoyable way to learn amongst colleagues in a stress free and supported environment."
"Great location - by the sea but close enough to the city for a quick commute."
"Completing GP training in Southend over the last 3 years has been great! From having spoken to friends in other training schemes, I think the Southend scheme is probably one of the friendliest and helpful trainings schemes around. There is fantastic support for trainees and a lot of teaching that is tailored to your needs. I was really impressed by the exam support offered for AKT and CSA and know that not everyone is lucky to get this. The TPDs and admin team are always available to help and easy to get hold of. I am really going to miss being part of the scheme - a big thank you to you guys for getting us through the past 3 years!" - Nabila 2020.