Working "Less Than Full Time" (LTFT)

A significant number of GPs in training have or develop personal problems (usually relating to health, child rearing or other responsibilities) which make full-time training very difficult if not impossible. The East of England Deanery is committed to supporting such individuals, and on application will grant "eligibility for LTFT" status provided their eligibility criteria are met.

Applying

Anyone considering applying for LTFT is strongly advised to read carefully through the GP school information on https://heeoe.hee.nhs.uk/less_than_full_time_training as the process is somewhat bureaucratic. The linked pages include the new on-line application form for eligibility, together with a helpful flow chart pdf. In summary, to be able to work LTFT four conditions must be satisfied:-

• approval from the Deanery
• college/faculty educational approval for their post
• support from their educational supervisor and programme director
• agreement from the trust for the working arrangements and funding

 

However it is important to understand that training schemes are not legally bound to provide training even if you are deemed eligible - to quote from the Deanery website, "Trainees must understand that approval of eligibility does not guarantee that an appropriate slot will be found".

LTFT and West Essex

In practice, during the hospital posts the West Essex scheme can only cater for LTFT applicants who arrange to job-share together, as none of the hospital posts are completely supernumerary. Considerably more flexibility is possible once learners are in primary care however, when individual LTFTs requests are normally accommodated without difficulty.

Minimum Evidence Requirements for MRCGP

WPBA assessment requirements are now reduced pro-rata for LTFT learners - for instance, a registrar working 50% in ST3 would need to submit 3 COTs and 3 CbDs over six months rather than six.