Hospital Based Training

While in hospital jobs you will be paid according to the StR pay scale.  A trainee joining the Training Programme after completion of foundation training will join the pay scale at the minimum point. As part of the recruitment process, you will be asked to provide a salary information form completed by your current employer. Due to the nature of your training and the fact that you will rotate through different specialities you may have up to three different employers in your ST1 and ST2 years. When you are in a GP practice, you will be employed by the surgery and hence hold a contract with them.

You will be given a contract by your single lead employer and you will be bound by the terms and conditions of each contract of employment. Progression through each stage of the training programme is subject to satisfactory performance review by both the Programme and the employing hospital trust.

Any queries relating to salary or terms and conditions of service whilst undertaking hospital posts should be taken up in the first instance with the appropriate medical staffing department.

During most clinical specialties you will be paid a banding for hours you spend beyond the basic 40 hours/week. In GP settings, your basic salary will be topped up by the so-called –GP Registrar supplement—- that currently gives you a 45% top-up to your basic pay. Banding in hospital posts as well as the GP Registrar supplement are subject to regular review by the Doctors and Dentist Review Body (DDRB). In the light of the financial pressures the NHS find itself under and with the full implementation of the European Working Time Directives in August 2009 it is likely that banding and supplement continue to decrease. Every time you change employers and are issued with a new contract, the banding or supplement payable at the time of issuing the new contract will apply. As you are only pay protected for the duration of a contract, you may therefore experience a decrease of your overall income throughout the training.

Doctors duty rotas are written by the departments themselves- where possible we have given a contact name for rota queries on the page for each hospital job.  Where this is not given you should in the first case contact the person given as the clinical tutor or clinical supervisor for that job.

In order for departments to plan for safe patient care, most departments will allocate you to a rota position before you start your job.  Some jobs have annual and study leave already incorporated into the rota, others require you to apply for this separately.  If you would like to request specific annual leave or you have other rota requirements please make contact with the department as far in advance of starting the job as possible.

More general rota queries should be addressed to the medical staffing department at the RBH.

During your GP placements, annual and study leave should be arranged by negotion with your trainer and practice manager.  Again, if you have specific requests please contact your trainer as far in advance as possible.  Most GP practices require at least 6 weeks notice of leave.

GP specialty trainees are entitled to pro rata annual allowance of all specialty trainees in the Trust. Currently you are entitled to £600 (pro rata per year) while in ST1 and ST2. If you don’t make use of your budget in ST1/2, you can carry it over into ST2/3.  In order for your claim to be accepted your application MUST be approved by your clinical and educational supervisors and you MUST apply in advance of the course.  Reasonable travel and subsistance claims may be part of your application in addition to the course fees.

The process is that you apply for your study leave through the Trust in the usual way.  They then enter the details onto a spread sheet which is sent to the deanery.  Deanery arranges for payment to the Trust and sends a request to the single lead employer to reimburse you.  You do not have to send your request direct to Pennine.  If the Trust are unsure then please tell them to contact Ann Heath on ann.heath@hee.nhs.uk who will confirm all of this to them.

You are entitled to a maximum of 30 days pro rata per year- this works out as 15 days for a full time trainee in a 6 month job.  6 days of this are your Tuesday afternoons at VTS (ie 12 half days per 6 months), leaving you a maximum of 9 days for personal study leave.

There is a separate limited budget available for resuscitation training for example BLS, or ALS courses.  For further details of this contact Sue Matthews at the postgraduate centre, RBH: sue.matthews@royalberkshire.nhs.uk

Training-Grade-Application-Form

During your hospital jobs you are entitled to take maternity leave in accordance with trust policy.  This will not interfere with your ability to satisfactorily complete your GP training.  However, during your time off you will become “out of sych” with the rotations you had previously been assigned to you.  For this reason it may be necessary, after discussion with you, to change your hospital jobs, your allocated GP practice or both on your return.

Copy of Absence-Form

Application for less than full time training 

If you are not fit to fulfil your normal working duties you should take sick leave which will be paid in accordance with standard NHS policy as detailed in your contract of employment. You should let your practice (or PDs and trainer if it is a Tuesday) know as early as possible that you are sick and will not be able to come to work. At induction your practice will let you know how they would like you to do this.

For the first working week you are sick you should fill in a self certification form, after this you will require a sick note from your own GP or specialist. Please note that any time off in addition to annual leave and study leave over 14 normal working days in any one year will need to be made up at the end of your training programme. This is to ensure that you have enough training time to achieve the required competencies. Such time off will include sick leave, unpaid leave, compassionate leave, leave for childcare etc.

Copy of Absence-Form

You are entitled to 5 weeks holiday if you are on salary point 1 or 2, and 6 weeks if you are on salary point 3 or above. To find out your salary point check your contract or last payslip from your last hospital job, this will then increase by 1 point annually on anniversary of start date.

It is expected that 3 of these weeks will be taken as whole weeks and the remaining 2 weeks can be split as individual days. Leave is usually arranged through both your trainer the practice manager for recording however your practice will explain their own system on your induction. A minimum of 6 weeks notice is needed. Exceptional cases of shorter notice will be accommodated if possible.