Covid-related Extensions
When is the Foundation ARCP Webinar held?
This year, the Foundation ARCP Webinar was held on 25th March 2021.
I understand that foundation years are time served. I had to start my FY16 weeks late due to Covid-related issues, is there a case-by-case panel discussion for these cases? Or would I have to serve the extra 6 weeks?
Time off beyond 20 working days is at the discretion of the Postgraduate (PG) Dean or their nominated deputy, which is often the Foundation School Director. It isn’t possible to say on an individual basis whether 6 weeks off would need extra time as it would depend on the overall performance of a trainee, the ARCP panel will discuss their recommendation with the Foundation School Director.
What would be the outcome and advice for foundation doctors who may have been shielding for several months (6-8months)?
Foundation doctors who have had to shield from the Covid pandemic have our support but may well need to complete an extended training programme. It is the duty of the ARCP panel to ensure that every Foundation doctor has evidence of achievement of all 20 Foundation Professional Capabilities (FPCs)and is capable of performing at the expected level before being signed off to move onto the next stage of training. This is to ensure both patient and doctor safety. Any decision about whether an extension is required, and if so its duration, will be made on an individual basis by the ARCP panel.
How much would remote clinic, teaching, audit work contribute for ARCP for shielding foundation doctors?
The exact amount of experience gained during remote training would have to be considered on a case-by-case basis according to the evidence that the foundation doctor and their supervisors provided to the ARCP panel. Every Foundation doctor must have evidence of achievement of all 20 Foundation Professional Capabilities (FPCs).
If an extension to training is the outcome for a shielding foundation doctor how would the extension length be decided?
This would depend on the amount of training time missed but also on the individual foundation doctors progress.
Are there any guidelines on deciding the length of an extension for shielding foundation doctors?
It is impossible to give a response as this really does require an individual assessment but if you haven’t been having patient contact for a considerable period of your F1/F2 training it would be likely that an extension would be required in order to ensure you are safe to progress to the next stage of training.
E-portfolio
If there was some concern raised in the Placement Supervision Group (PSG) from one consultant but the other consultants have reported no concern, will this affect ARCP outcome?
A single concern is unlikely to prevent progress unless it is sufficiently serious in its own right to raise issues about the safety of the foundation doctor to proceed in their training. All concerns should be discussed and a plan put in place to address the concern raised to ensure that the concern can be resolved.
Can more Supervised Learning Events (SLEs) in one rotation replace less SLEs in another?
Best practice is to spread the SLEs throughout the training year although some placements do provide more opportunities to complete SLEs than others so some variation is normal.
Are there a minimum number of things we are required to put under each section of the curriculum mapping?
One is the minimum -in reality the quality of the evidence is far more important than the number of pieces of evidence. Try to envisage being the assessor and think ‘would I feel confident that the foundation doctor has demonstrated competence in this area?’.
For curriculum linking, do we need to provide evidence for each descriptor? For instance, a foundation professional capability (FPC) with 4 descriptors, does that automatically mean there should be 4 evidences there? (only relevant for users of the Turas e-portfolio)
No, evidence must be present for each of the 20 FPCs, but is not required for each of the descriptors. If you are not sure what to do, please ask your Educational Supervisor or Foundation ProgrammeTrainingDirector (FPTD)
Are FY2s still required to do a Quality Improvement (QI) project in order to pass ARCP? If not, how should they evidence understanding of a QI project?
For 2021, FY2 doctors don’t have to have completed a QI project, but must show their EducationalSupervisor that they understand QI. This could be through e-learning, reflection or having contributed to a QI project.
Oxford Foundation School originally asked we complete 2 Team Assessments of Behaviour(TABs)for our ARCP requirements, however with the new ARCP requirements, would we still be expected to complete 2 TABs?
Whilst there is sometimes some local variation, the UK wide ARCP requirements are shared on the UKFPO website.
Do foundation doctors need to complete Careers Support forms as part of ARCP?
This would be considered best practice but not currently mandated.
How do I know where to add items in the portfolio? For example, attending Junior Doctor (JD) forum, Local Negotiation Committee(LNC) meetings and other meetings where you represent foundation doctors?
We would suggest using the LEADER form or ‘Additional Achievements’. It is also worth considering that sometimes reflecting on what was achievedmight be better evidence than the appointment to a specific role per se.
Is there any limit on E-Learning logged in as teaching with the revised requirements?
No limit to e-learning in the current derogated ARCP requirements.
For showing Advanced Life Support (ALS) competence, if you did an ALS course in F1 and attached the certificate to your F1 E-portfolio, should you attach it again in the F2 E-portfolio?
Yes -please upload your ALS certificate to the F2 portfolio.
Are there any restrictions to how many times the same person can sign off your mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (mini-CEX)/Case-based discussions (CBDs)?
No there isn’t a specific limit as in some placements there may be limited numbers of available assessors. However, it is considered best practice to have a spread of people completing SLEs if they are available as it is helpful for your Educational Supervisor to get a wide range of views on you, and this is more helpful for your development as a doctor.
If you have completed all mini CEX’s and CBDs already do you still need to do more?
It is best to continue to receive feedback via SLEs for the duration of your training programme regardless of whether you have already completed the minimum number required.
Can F2s sign off Mini-CEXs?
No F2s cannot sign off SLEs for other Foundation doctors.
Can F2s sign off core skills?
Yes, F2s can sign off core procedures if they are competent in the performance of the skill themselves.
If you have senior house officers(SHOs) (more senior than F2 i.e. long term locums,“F3”, Core Medical Trainees (CMTs) etc), can they sign off SLEs?
Yes, doctors more senior than F2s can complete SLEs.
What is the advice for foundation doctors in departments where cons/regs say SLEs are not their job/problem?
This is unacceptable, please raise this with your Foundation School Director or PG Dean and use any quality processes, including the GMC national training surveys,to report your concerns.
Is there an advantage to a more impressive F1 portfolio (lots of SLEs etc) in terms of core training selection in the future?
Portfolio review may form part of the process of appointment to Core Training (CT) or Specialty Training (ST) and so this is likely to be useful although recruitment does vary by specialty.
Less than Full Time (LTFT)
If you are working LTFT, do the Covid ARCP guidelines still apply? For example, if my final ARCP is not due until next year, will I be working towards the 20/21 guidelines still?
It is anticipated that the Covid derogations will apply to all foundation doctors who have to extend but will complete their programmes prior to August 2022. Further guidance will be published on the UKFPO website when a decision on this is made.
When will the ARCP be for 60% LTFT foundation doctors? Can LTFT doctors be assessed at the same time as full time (FT) foundation doctors so they can at least get their competences signed off?
All foundation doctors need an ARCP annually, LTFT or not. They get an N code if they are LTFT and not due to progress. The key issue for LTFT is that they need an annual review, but the decision about what is being signed off is at the discretion of the ARCP panel.