Local Guide in Wessex / Thames Valley
Background:
Flexible portfolio training (FPT) was development as part of the Enhancing Doctors’ Working Lives (EDWL) programme.
It was initially launched as a Royal College of Physicians (RCP) pilot, and the management of the scheme was handed over to Health Education England (HEE) (formerly; currently NHS England) in April 2022.
The main aim of the scheme is to develop flexible working, allowing Resident Doctors to spend 20% of training time (1 day/week) on FPT work, with the rest of the time spent on training in their clinical work.
This document should be read in conjunction with the Flexible Portfolio Training: Guidance for Local Offices document as well as the Royal College of Physicians guidance on the 4 FPT pathways. Links are enclosed below.
Suggested implementation of FPT in Wessex/Thames Valley:
The 4 pathways offered in Wessex and Thames Valley are:
- Clinical informatics Clinical Informatics Pathway
- Research Research Pathway
- Medical education Med Ed pathway
- Clinical service improvement (formerly known as quality improvement) QI pathway
The expectation is that this would not prolong the doctors’ training time, allowing the doctor to work flexibly maintaining a portfolio career whilst acquiring training competencies at the same time.
Resident doctors must have the approval of their TPD prior to applying for FPT.
FPT would only be available for ST3+ doctors in Higher Speciality Training Programmes.
It is important to bear in mind this guidance is generic in nature, and can be tailored to the individual requirements of each training programme, for example FPT may not be made available to doctors in General practice training programmes due to the specific nature of the programme, and certain workstreams may not be applicable as they are already covered in the curricula of the higher speciality training programme (for example, Clinical service improvement).
Resident doctors must submit a completed application form to the Programme Team.
Acceptance on to a FPT scheme will depend on the capacity of the training programme to accommodate these doctors in training, and the TPD will be best placed to inform the Deanery on training programme capacity.
Only resident doctors who have received satisfactory ARCP outcomes up to the point of application will be prioritized for FPT. Any resident doctor who has received developmental outcomes previously will be considered on a case-by-case basis for approval based on the capacity of the programme and support from the ES and TPD after doctors with satisfactory ARCP outcomes are considered.
If doctors are not progressing in either their clinical work or their portfolio work, FPT may be withdrawn by the Postgraduate Dean on the recommendation of the TPD and/or ARCP panel.
Resident doctors who are recruited to FPT will be listed as so on TIS.
Allocation to FPT can occur after the doctor has completed at least 1 year in a Higher Speciality training programme.
Resident doctors who wish to leave the FPT programme, appropriate notice needs to be given to the TPD and Programme Team in Wessex/Thames Valley, which is 12 weeks.
Doctors will usually spend a period of 1 year on their pathway and may have the option to continue for the duration of their speciality training programme. The decision to extend FPT would depend on Trusts and local office as well as TPD approval.
Working arrangements:
Resident doctors should discuss working arrangements with their employer directly. The resident doctor should discuss their request with the relevant College Tutor and/or the Director of Medical Education (DME) at their employing Trust and discuss their working arrangements with their rota co-ordinator and Educational Supervisor. It is primarily the responsibility of the resident doctor to negotiate with the individual department to establish 1 day/week in the job plan.
The expectation is that resident doctors should be spending their FPT in the same employing Trust where they are undertaking their clinical training. Any requests to undertake FPT in a different site to their clinical Trust will need to be discussed with the TPD and will need to be approved by the Postgraduate Dean or Dean’s representative and would only be approved under exceptional circumstances.
It is the expectation that doctors should continue to meet rota requirements (on-call commitments) as if they were full-time, supporting service delivery and ensuring Resident doctors are not affected financially.
As per the Code of Practice, employers should give 12 weeks’ notice for a change in working arrangements; relating to both doctors starting to train FPT, but also if they cease to.
Funding:
There is no additional funding made available to Resident doctors for FPT. The employer/Trust continues to receive a tariff for 1 WTE, and will pay the doctor 1 WTE salary, even though the doctor will be working 0.8 WTE clinically.
Supervisors:
Resident doctors on the FPT pathway will have a FPT supervisor as well as their Educational Supervisor (ES).
Each FPT supervisor and Resident doctor must produce a yearly report for their ARCP.
It is the responsibility of the Resident doctor to find a FPT supervisor.
The FPT supervisor’s role is purely advisory; their role is to support Resident doctors by providing feedback, guidance and suggestions regarding professional development relevant to the FPT pathway.
The FPT supervisor’s role is not to replace the ES or CS.
LTFT:
Resident doctors working on FPT would involve 1 day a week out of clinical practice. Applicants who wish to or are already working less than full time (LTFT) would need to consider the impact of this reduction in clinical time in relation to guidance on working percentages issued by their Training Programme leads and the GMC. The resident doctor may wish to discuss the request for combined LTFT – FPT training with their Educational Supervisor and TPD.
E–Portfolio:
The minimum requirement is that documentation can be uploaded to the e-portfolio for future review.