The full time week is 40 hours (on average) for full time GP trainee. This includes all in hours and out of hours work.
The GPC and COGPED have recommended that the standard GP specialty registrar working week will be divided into 70% clinical time and 30% educational time.
This is notionally 10 sessions that are four hours each but your practice may choose to organise this differently as long as the average 40 hours per week and 70% / 30% split is maintained.
Clinical sessions may include:
- Supervised/supported consulting time, with appointments at a maximum of every 10 minutes for face to face consultations. This can be booked and emergency surgeries and time should included for debriefing.
- Supervised/supported home visits, nursing home visits, rounds, undertakers visits for the purposes of death administration including time for debriefing, and travelling.
- Administrative work to include: pathology results, letters, reports (for educational purposes only), general administration.
- Extended hours sessions
- Out of hours sessions
When out of hours work is undertaken, the equivalent number of hours will need to be deducted from the clinical sessions in the same week (or following weeks) as agreed with your practice. The scheduling of out of hours work must also remain compliant with the average 40 hour weekly total and you must also ensure a safe working pattern in accordance with the terms and conditions and scheduling requirements of your contract.
As part of your training you can undertake a clinical session within extended hours (if available). Extended hours are not offered by all surgeries. These sessions usually happen on certain weekdays in the evening and/or on Saturday mornings. If you work one of these sessions you must of course be supervised and supported in the same way you would be during core opening hours. No GP Trainee should ever be in surgery without another GP being present, e.g. their Educational Supervisor, another partner or a salaried GP. The clinical session undertaken in extended hours would replace a clinical session undertaken in core hours. It is important to ensure that the structure of the working (and teaching) week remains compliant with the terms and conditions and scheduling requirements of your contract. Clinical sessions undertaken during extended opening hours do NOT count towards the Out of Hours requirements.
In ST3 the educational sessions comprise 2 sessions usually spent at the VTS day release course and 1 session within your practice.
In ST1/2 the educational sessions include alternate Tuesday afternoons at the VTS, alternate Wednesday mornings at one of the Surgeries for a joint tutorial with other ST1/2s and F2s in general practice, educational time with the practice and possibly a day release.
Educational time within the practice can include tutorials, practice educational meetings, educational supervisor meetings, activities relating to workplace based assessment, e-portfolio entries and other engagement with the Annual Review of Competence Progression process, time spent on audit and quality improvement and independent study.
GP Specialty Trainees should be released for district day release and regional courses, but otherwise it is expected they will work normally in practices when there is no course provision.