UKFPO Bulletin: 11 August 2021

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Welcome to this latest UKFPO bulletin. 

I hope everyone is settling into the new training year and managing the demands of the new curriculum.

As it’s the start of the year, this bulletin is rather long so I won’t say much in my editorial except to ask all our new F1s to complete the F1 trainee induction survey (link below). This provides us with a lot of useful information when planning the programme.

Tony Choules, Operational Advisor to the UKFPO

UKFPO F1 trainee induction survey


New F1 doctors are invited to complete the UKFPO F1 trainee induction survey during August and September 2021. This is part of a long term project to identify any concerns/anxieties you may have about starting your F1 post. The information you provide will help to develop a realistic evaluation of the induction programme and help us to improve working life for future trainees. It should only take you approximately 10 minutes to complete. The questionnaire is anonymous and your thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated. See further information in this invitation letter.

UKFPO Call for Foundation Doctor Case Studies

To help prepare new F1 doctors for life in foundation training, we are still requesting case studies from current foundation doctors for the UKFPO website. Have a read of our new case studies, submitted by current foundation doctors, for an idea of what this can look like, but we are open to ideas on what aspects of foundation training you would like to write about. Please contact helpdesk@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk to discuss your ideas or request more information. Thank you!

We welcome content from those on any programme type, including FPP, PFF and AFP.

2021 FP Curriculum

As part of the introduction of the 2021 UKFP Curriculum, the UKFPO have put together resources to help trainers and foundation doctors understand what the curriculum means for them. This includes three recent webinars (for trainees, trainers and IMG trainees specifically), all available on our website.

Other information on the curriculum can be found on the curriculum webpage.

Doctors in Training Induction Programme

This programme is created by Health Education England (HEE) and it is available to all UK foundation doctors. However, doctors training in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales should check with their local employer what online induction activities they should complete.

The Doctors in Training (DiT) Induction e-learning programme has been reviewed and updated for the new training year. Following feedback and reviews on the current content, the programme has been updated and reviewed by subject specialists to improve the experience for learners. The updated programme is now available on the e-LfH Hub. 

DiT is aimed at Foundation Doctors (F1 and F2) and provides knowledge in 8 key clinical areas. It addresses some identified gaps in knowledge for doctors prior to starting their next year on 1 August. The programme focuses on professional skills in the workplace through 3 patient journey scenarios and each one comes with an assessment to confirm compliance. 

More information, including access details, is available on the Doctors in Training Induction page. 

Enrolment now open for Safeguarding Adults Level 3 online courses

Health Education England has announced the next two start dates for the online course are 20 September 2021 and 22 November 2021 and are now open for enrolment. The courses are open to all NHS staff across the UK free of charge.

Join a large cohort of learners on this free Safeguarding Adults Level 3 online course with expert mentors on hand to support your learning. Completion of this course contributes towards the achievement of level 3 safeguarding competencies, as set out in Safeguarding for Adults: Roles and Competencies.

Topics covered include:

  • Taking part in, and contributing to, wider multi-disciplinary safeguarding meetings
  • The challenges of complex safeguarding concerns
  • How communication, information sharing and confidentiality contribute to effective safeguarding
  • Professional and contemporaneous safeguarding documentation
  • Reflective practice and the role of supervision in safeguarding.

For more information about the course and to enrol for free visit the FutureLearn website.

Events, Information and Opportunities from External Partners

General Medical Council (GMC) – Supporting doctors with their practice

A doctor’s faith and values can be a great personal support to them throughout their life and career. But there may be times when their beliefs impact the way they practise. 

Our new webpage brings together key aspects of our guidance on personal beliefs. It contains resources and good practice examples for medical schools, employers and training organisations, to help them better support their colleagues and students. And it will help doctors to practise in line with their faith and values, while ensuring their patients receive the care they need.

Developing this new resource is part of our ongoing work to champion equality, diversity and inclusion in medicine, for the benefit of both doctors and patients.

Research call out – Only Time Will Tell: The Temporality of Occupational Stress in Foundation Doctors

Are you an F1 or F2 doctor who has recently experienced stress as part of your job?

Do you want to participate in a novel research study which will help to inform stress interventions for foundation doctors?

Do you want to receive a £50 payment, be entered into a cash prize draw, and receive a tailored report on your wellbeing from a team of experts?

We understand how challenging these past 18 months have been for you as junior doctors in the NHS, with the COVID-19 pandemic taking its toll on the mental health of many staff. That’s why we would like to invite you to participate in this research exploring work-related stress over time in foundation doctors. We hope that the findings from such research can be used to shed more light on the well-being of staff, draw more resources towards this and develop targeted interventions for foundation doctors.

Please see the attachment to learn more about participating. Reply YES to bn14s9p@leeds.ac.uk if you are interested and want to learn more.

RCPath Foundation Fellowships 2021

Following the success of this scheme last year, the College will again be making available up to 25 new Foundation Fellowships annually. The Foundation Fellowship scheme is open to foundation doctors who secure a post in which they will rotate through a pathology specialty – this includes histopathology, haematology, medical microbiology and infectious diseases or any other specialty represented by the College. Candidates will be selected through a competitive application process, and successful applicants will hold the status of Foundation Fellow throughout their Foundation rotation. Fellows will be eligible for a range of benefits and opportunities.

Applications are open until 31 August 2021, with successful candidates informed at the end of September. Further information is available on the College website. Please forward this information to any foundation doctors who may be eligible and have an interest in applying.

Mind the Bleep

Mind the Bleep supports foundation doctors with free content on clinical, employment & career topics. Get in touch if you’re keen to boost your portfolio e.g. lead a national QIP. If you’re a new FY1, they’re providing weekly webinars to help you! Mind the Bleep is created by Dr Akash Doshi, a medical registrar who loves teaching & supporting foundation doctors. He’s always happy to be contacted to offer help & support to anyone

National Sarcoma Awareness Project – closing end of August 2021

Final year medical students and foundation doctors are invited to complete a free e-learning module on sarcomas as part of the National Sarcoma Awareness Project. On completion, you will receive a certificate for your e-portfolio and the top scoring participants will be given the opportunity to take part in a funded short-term clinical fellowship at a regional sarcoma centre to further their knowledge on sarcoma and boost their CV.

If you are interested in taking part, please contact sarcoma.awareness@rlbuht.nhs.uk.

E-Learning for Healthcare (E-LfH) August 2021 updates

The Foundation curriculum has now been updated and foundation doctors will have been invited to sign up to the Foundation elearning programme which aligns with the new 2021 curriculum. Here are some highlighted sessions from the programme:

Failure to prescribe safely is one of the most common causes of untoward patient incidents in medical practice

Available in elearning for healthcare Foundation Programme (2021 curriculum) – these sessions cover areas in your curriculum on; FPC 1: Clinical Assessment, FPC 2: Clinical Prioritisation, FPC3: Holistic Planning, FPC 4: Communication and Care and FPC 5: Continuity of Care (Specific Areas of Core Learning – High Risk Prescribing and Patient Safety):

Supervised Learning Events (SLE) are an essential part of your learning in your 2 foundation years. Find out how to get the best out of them and consider doing the sessions now at the start of the year.

Available in elearning for healthcare Foundation Programme (2021 curriculum) – these sessions cover areas in your curriculum on; FPC 10: Teaching the teacher and FPC 12: Continuing Professional Development:

You can sign on to the elearning with your login supplied by elearning for healthcare at any time during your foundation training: https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/foundation-programme/

Horus and Turas have deep links to elearning for healthcare sessions from the Foundation Curriculum and therefore accessible to all trainees, making it quicker and easy to access the appropriate session linked to the curriculum.

SCRIPT elearning for safer prescribing

Created in 2010, the SCRIPT elearning programme was developed by the University of Birmingham and OCB Media and commissioned by Health Education England. The elearning programmes have been designed to encourage safe and effective prescribing and optimal medicines management among healthcare professionals. 

The European Association for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (EACPT) Working Group on education conducted a review to identify and assess the effects of digital learning on learner-related and clinically relevant outcomes.  

They concluded that “e-learning is the most-used type of digital learning for safe and effective prescribing education and is efficacious in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate prescribers the required knowledge, skills, and attitudes“. 

The elearning programmes for foundation doctors is delivered through a dedicated learning platform, specifically designed to help improve the prescribing competency and safety of trainees.  

A module usually takes approximately one hour to complete but does not have to be completed in one sitting. Content has been authored by a team of expert healthcare professionals and is reviewed and updated on a regular basis. 

You can read more about the SCRIPT elearning programmes on the website.