UKFPO Bulletin: 21st April 2021

Posted on:

A Message from the new Operational Advisor to the UKFPO, Tony Choules

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new Operational Advisor to the UKFPO and editor of this bulletin.  In stepping into this role I am taking over from Clare van Hamel, FSD for Severn, who deserves all our thanks for advising the UKFPO for longer than I’m sure she cares to remember.  I’m hopeful that I can live up to the standard she has maintained through her tenure.

As many of you will know, the UKFPO is a very small organisation, particularly when compared to the number of foundation doctors, supervisors, administrators and school managers out there.  In adding an editorial to this bulletin, I hope to provide you with a little more information about UKFPO activities as well as keeping you up to date with new developments and resources for all those involved in Foundation.

I also plan to remind you about the new curriculum coming in from August 2021 and ensure you are fully prepared for it.  Please look out for announcements and resources and follow the UKFPO on Twitter and Facebook, as well as keeping an eye on your emails to receive latest updates which will begin to appear shortly.

Foundation ARCP Webinar – 25 March

The Foundation ARCP Webinar which took place on 25th March 2021 has been recorded and can be found on the UKFPO YouTube Channel. Please also review the ARCP Webinar FAQs for further information.

UKFPO Call for Foundation Doctor Case Studies

To help prepare new F1 doctors for life in foundation training, we would like to request case studies from current foundation doctors for the UKFPO website. Have a read of our new case studies, submitted by current foundation trainees, 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 Ellie at ellie.walsh@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk to discuss your ideas or request more information. Thank you!

COVID-19 Ways of Working

Please visit the HEE Covid-19 Ways of Working update here to find learning resources such as rapid training webinars and COVID-19 vaccination e-learning materials. This material is available to staff and trainees in all four UK nations.

The Learning Hub – resources to support the management of the tracheostomy in COVID-19 patients

A suite of videos on tracheostomy management in COVID-19 patients has been contributed to the Learning Hub.

The short videos are aimed at colleagues involved in the COVID-19 response including nurses, auxiliary health professionals and hospital, and pandemic field hospital, doctors.

The series of videos include:

For more information about the Learning Hub follow us on Twitter: @HEE_TEL and visit the Learning Hub website to read about our journey so far.

Events, Information and Opportunities from External Partners

Eating Disorders Training for Foundation Doctors and Medical Students

This training was developed in response to the PHSO investigation into avoidable deaths from eating disorders as outlined in recommendations from the report titled Ignoring the Alarms: How NHS Eating Disorder Services Are Failing Patients (PHSO, 2017). It is the result of collaboration between Beat, Health Education England and the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Faculty of Eating Disorders and is designed to ensure that all medical students and foundation doctors are trained to understand, identify and respond appropriately when faced with a patient with a possible eating disorder. The training can be accessed via the Beat Eating Disorders website.

Prescribing Safety Assessment

BPS Assessment is pleased to announce that the Prescribing Safety Assessment is now available to international candidates. Please visit their website for more information.

Learning Resources

The Foundation e-learning programme has been developed specifically for Foundation doctors by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in partnership with Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare (HEE e-LfH) and is approved by UKFPO.

Do you need to complete parts of the curriculum on your e-portfolio which you do not cover in day-to-day practice? If so, why not try some of our free e-learning mapped directly to the Foundation Professional Capabilities (Training Outcomes) in the 2016 Foundation Curriculum. The sessions in the e-LfH Foundation e-learning programme can be found on the e-Learning for Healthcare website.


You can sign in to the e-learning with your login supplied by e-LfH at any time during your foundation training.

Horus and Turas link to e-LfH e-learning sessions from the FP Curriculum and are therefore accessible to all trainees, making it quicker and easier to access the appropriate session linked to the curriculum.