Before starting, HEE Wessex will send you a conditional offer letter two months before you are due to start your training. This includes the Form R which you must complete to register onto the GP training programme so that you can be issued with your National Training Number (NTN).
You will then be able to register with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) as an Associate in Training (AiT) and set up your trainee Portfolio.
All GP Trainees must have applied to join the Medical Performers List (MPL) before they start their first placement in a practice. This is a professional requirement. Trainees who have not submitted their application will not be permitted to start work in the practice and are at risk of not being paid during this time.
The three years are split so that you will spend 12 months in hospital, 6 months in an integrated training post (ITP) and 18 months in general practice. The ITP will be a split post between general practice and a community/primary care orientated post.
NHS Health Education England and our Portsmouth & IoW GP Training Handbook 2021 for further useful information.
Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP)
The Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) is a fundamental part of GP training. A panel review each trainee’s progress throughout their training and decide on an outcome. This is not a face-to-face review; rather they do this by comprehensively reviewing the trainee’s ePortfolio in a structured way, which is why maintaining the ePortfolio is vital.
If a trainee is deemed to be doing well, they can then be signed off to go onto the next ST year (or be given their Certificated of Completion of Training – CCT – if they are in their final year). For the ARCP panel to be able to sign the trainee off, on top of having the right number of work-place based assessments and log entries, they have to have their Form R and educational & clinical supervisor’s reports uploaded.
You will have an ARCP at least once per year. If you are less than full time (LTFT) or have had some statutory leave, it is possible you will have more than one ARCP per year as we will need to review your evidence when you transition from ST1-2 and ST2-3, as well as on an annual basis. Between ARCPs, you will be expected to do at least one more ESR.