What can SuppoRTT offer?

Each employing trust within the South West region has a designated SuppoRTT Champion whose role is to oversee the return-to-work process. One of the roles of the SuppoRTT Champion is to liaise with the unit/department, particularly the Clinical Lead, College or Specialty Tutor and the Educational Supervisor prior to a resident doctors return date, to highlight that they are returning from a period of absence and additional support and enhanced supervision is required during the return period. Throughout the process, reviews will be with the Educational Supervisor, but if additional guidance or support is required, the SuppoRTT Champions are a fantastic resource.

Details of your SuppoRTT Champion can be found here.

On returning to work, all resident doctors are entitled to 10 working days enhanced supervision – this means you should not be rota’d to undertake any out of hours work (unless you are supernumerary), and you should have a greater level of supervision in your practice. The details of how this will look should be decided in the pre-return meeting with your supervisor. Your supervisor should alert your rota co-ordinator after this has been decided, and it is worth checking this has happened before the rota is released if possible. This period of enhanced supervision can be extended if needed. 

Before returning, residents who have been on parental leave might want to take advantage of KiT or SPLiT days. These can be used for many things, including courses (in person or done online at home) and shadowing clinical activities, among other things.

There are also Return to Training Activity days (RTTA), which are KiT-equivalent days for non-parental leave returners, but also provide financial support for undertaking pre-return to work activities.

There are numerous great online courses and webinars, available here: SuppoRTT – digital and online resources.

These include knowledge refreshers for a range of topics, knowledge updates for many specialities about recent developments, and teaching about practical tips for returning to work.

The e-learning for healthcare hub also has some great specialty-specific modules that can be used as knowledge refreshers.

Some South West trusts run return to work courses. These have a generic part to them which covers the psychological aspects of returning to work, the practicalities of the return process, and general skills that are likely to be useful for returning to all specialties. The second part of the course will be more bespoke and will likely include some relevant clinical skills revision on models and high-fidelity simulation. These courses are also a great opportunity to meet other returners and share experiences.

Coaching can be accessed through your educational supervisor, via your SuppoRTT Champion.   
The aim of the coaching is to bring out the best in the individual, unlocking your potential through guided conversation and questioning.  A coach will work with you as a facilitator, helping to raise your awareness through analysis and reflection, and therefore enabling you to formulate your own ideas and solutions. 
 
SuppoRTT Champions can make an application for coaching by completing the South West Referral Form.
 
Further support may be available through the South West Professional Support & Well Being Team.