The School will have responsibility to quality assure training in psychiatry in the East of England. The School will work closely with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Universities and NHS trusts to produce the highest quality of postgraduate training in psychiatry and create opportunities to make its future generations of psychiatrists the best in the country. The programme is particularly strong in providing opportunities to develop leadership and management skills for higher trainees. 

The East of England is one of the UK's most thriving and vibrant regions. Centred around the major towns and cities in the counties of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, North Essex and South Essex; the East of England is conveniently located, affordable and the home of world-class sport, culture and arts.

 

The geography of the region means that training programmes are carefully designed to maximise your experience without the need for you to face a lengthy commute or to move home and means you and your family can put down roots. In addition, the East of England offers fantastic days out and great living.

 

As well as a superb training programme and great experience the East of England also gives you a great work/life balance. Average house prices are much lower than London and in your down time you can enjoy some of the country's most beautiful countryside.

Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability (ID) sometimes called Psychiatry of Learning Disability is a fascinating, challenging, complex and highly rewarding specialty.  It is a specialty with a holistic focus, allowing you to explore the close and complex relationship between mental and physical health, behaviour and development.

 

As a lifespan specialty, it provides you with a valuable opportunity to gain skills and experience in working with patients from childhood right through to old age. Psychiatry of ID/Learning Disability also links closely with other key branches such as Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry.  If you're looking for a highly rewarding career, then Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability (ID) is for you and offers a great choice of careers. The East of England is a great place to train in ID to develop skills and confidence that will serve you well throughout your future career. 

This is a three year training programme in Psychiatry of Learning Disability at ST4-6 aimed at doctors who can demonstrate the essential competences to enter this level of training.  The programme is designed to support training for a CCT in Psychiatry of Learning Disability.  Subject to satisfactory progression, the anticipated outcome on completion of this programme is a Certificate of Training in Psychiatry of Learning Disability.  The programme is based in community and inpatient facilities provided for people with Learning Disabilities in the region.

 

To provide a comprehensive training in the Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability affording clinical, research and managerial experience. This will enable specialty trainees on completion of the Scheme to successfully apply for consultant posts in the Psychiatry of Learning Disability.

 

Our scheme is one of the most highly regarded learning disability rotations in the UK, offering a wide breadth of training opportunities

 

The trainee will be expected to rotate between their choices of three of these posts during their training, spending 12 months in each placement.

 

Trainees can, by agreement, gain experience appropriate to their training needs outside the scheme.

There are also GP/FY/CT2-3 trainees attached to some posts. The full complement of core and advanced trainees (plus occasional flexible trainees) ensures a robust and lively peer group.

Higher Training in Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability takes between three and four years depending on whether a single Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) is sought or a dual. The Higher Trainee builds on their Core Training to manage with an increasing level of sophistication and assurance the full range of Psychiatric presentations seen within Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability.  Development of leadership and management skills are of increasing importance alongside developing the skills that will enable the Trainee to be seen as an essential component of teams within which they will work as a Consultant. Supervision from experienced Consultant Trainers is an essential part of the process.

 

On joining the Psychiatry programmes, doctors immediately register with the College. The College holds predicted Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) dates, and gives more information at: http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/studypsychiatry.aspx

 

The Royal College of Psychiatrists also provides personal trainee reflections, and more on the background, on the three years in a higher training programme (ST4-ST6).

Trainees are expected to become an integral part of the community and the inpatient Multidisciplinary team, working closely together with staff from all disciplines and attending the team meetings. They will also become involved in much inter-agency work. Under supervision they will see new referrals and patients for follow-up. Trainees will have the opportunity to develop their leadership and management skills. They will attend the weekly academic meeting and be expected to contribute to teaching and training sessions. They will receive regular weekly supervision and clinical support and supervision at other times during the week as required. Trainees will take part in an on-call rota during week-days, evenings and week-ends.

Assessment and management (under supervision) of people with learning disabilities referred to the service with additional mental health difficulties, including mental illness, multiple and complex disabilities, challenging behaviour, autism, epilepsy, personality disorders and offending behaviours.

Assessment and management is to ensure as wide a range as possible experiences is gained, seeing people with all degrees of learning disability and the range of mental disorders. Assessment and management to occur across all settings, including inpatient, outpatient, community and emergency work.

 

The post holder will also be encouraged to develop leadership and management skills by learning about how the learning disability service is run, by involvement in service wide meetings, such as clinical governance.

To participate in regular supervision with the clinical supervisor (minimum one hour weekly) to identify competencies to develop in the post, learning opportunities, monitoring of progress (including regular appraisals throughout the post) and a place for other issues to be discussed as needed.