This guidance provides practical information to help you during your GP placement. Staff in your Postgraduate Centre are still available to support you and answer any additional queries.
What should you do in preparation for your post in GP?
Find out where you are going and how you will get there. Many practices are some distance from the acute Trust, so you may need to make specific transport arrangements.
At least 2 weeks before your post starts, contact your GP supervisor by telephone and introduce yourself. This is a professional courtesy and gives you both an opportunity to discuss expectations for the post, any personal circumstances that may affect your work at the practice, and any educational objectives you have. The Postgraduate Centre may be able to put you in touch with the current F2 for useful advice.
What should you expect when you arrive in the practice?
When you arrive in GP, you will spend the first week, or most of it, on induction. Use this time to find your way around, understand the practice area, sit in on surgeries, meet doctors and other staff, learn the computer system, and know how to get yourself a cup of coffee. Make sure you know where to find key equipment, panic buttons, and how to contact key staff in an emergency. The practice will adapt induction to your needs, so ask your supervisor if there is anything you would particularly like covered.
After induction, you are likely to spend a few days in directly supervised practice until you are ready to see patients independently, with supervision provided in other ways.
Holiday arrangements during GP
IMPORTANT: Whilst in a GP placement your annual leave entitlement will be calculated in hours. You are still entitled to 9 days but taken as 9 x 8 hour days (72 hours total).
For example, if you work 4 x 10-hour days each week in GP, you will need to deduct 40 hours to book a week off. In this case, if you work a 4-day, 40-hour week, you should expect 7 days and 2 hours of annual leave during the post (72 hours), rather than 9 days (90 hours).
All annual leave during the GP post must be agreed in advance with the GP supervisor or practice manager, even if you book it before the post starts. Please liaise with both the Postgraduate Centre staff and the practice before making holiday arrangements, or make sure your Centre Manager has liaised with the GP practice on your behalf.
Please also liaise with your Postgraduate Centre and GP Supervisor if you need to arrange additional leave, such as paternity leave, compassionate leave, study leave or special leave for interviews, while in GP. Usual Trust rules apply for leave request notice periods, usually 6–8 weeks depending on your employer. Practices may accommodate shorter notice, but this is at their discretion
Who should you inform if you take sick leave?
If you need to take sick leave, please inform your Trust HR Department and your GP Supervisor or Practice Manager. You must also tell your Trust when you return to GP.
What if you are incurring additional travel expenses during your F2 GP post?
You may be able to claim travel expenses in line with WTE Relocation & Travel Expenses.
For queries, please contact your Postgraduate Education Centre. All claims must be submitted through your Trust.
What F2 teaching should I attend whilst in GP?
You are expected to attend Learning Sets designed for F2s in GP. The Trust will give you the dates, and these days will be taken from your study leave allocation. You may also attend regional F2 teaching during GP, with appropriate notice for study leave approval.
Should you still complete SLEs whilst in GP?
Yes. Your GP Supervisor will expect this. Remember, it is your responsibility to make sure your assessments are completed.
Who is your contact for any queries, problems or concerns whilst in GP?
If you have problems in GP, speak to your GP supervisor first. If this is not possible, or you feel uncomfortable doing so, speak to your Educational Supervisor, Foundation Training Programme Director, or Trust Postgraduate Centre Manager. While in GP, the Trust remains your employer for all HR-related issues.
If you encounter issues while working in GP, please feed these back to your supervisor during the placement. GPs are usually keen to improve experiences where they can, and constructive feedback is normally welcomed.
What working hours are expected in GP?
Your working and learning week will be 40 hours.
This should be worked Monday to Friday only, between 8am and 7pm.
You must not work outside these hours during your General Practice placement.
If you work extra hours and agree time off in lieu, you must take this while you are still working in the practice. You may not be able to claim this time back in your next hospital placement.
Travel time
If your journey from home to the GP practice takes longer than your usual journey from home to your hospital base, the extra travel time counts towards your working week.
For example, if your usual journey to your hospital base is 30 minutes, but your journey to the GP practice is 60 minutes, the extra 30 minutes each way counts towards your working week. This means 60 minutes per day can be deducted from your 40-hour working week. You should discuss this with your supervisor and agree your clinical working hours before you start your GP post.
What can you expect from a typical week in GP?
Every experience should be a learning opportunity. Your supervisor will aim to balance learning through seeing your own patients in formal surgery settings with other learning opportunities.
The table below shows how a typical week might run. All practices are different, so your time may not be spent exactly like this:
| 6 x Surgeries | Appointments will usually start at 30 minutes per patient and reduce to 20 minutes as you develop your skills, knowledge and confidence, and as your supervisor gains confidence in you. You must always have access to another doctor (not a locum doctor) but not necessarily your supervisor in the practice. You may not have a dedicated room. You will see patients in your own room, but this may be a different room on different days. You may attend home visits. Always discuss any unaccompanied visit with your supervisor before and afterwards. |
| 2 x sessions in other learning opportunities | This could be: 1:1 sessions with your trainer or other members of the practice team Small group work with other learners in the practice Small group work with F2s from other practices Shadowing or observing other health professionals or service providers, for example outpatient clinics relevant to |
| 1 x session on project work or directed study | You may be able to undertake a project or audit during your GP placement. As part of your Self Development Time, you may be able to research, collect data, write up the project, and present your work to the practice team. |
| teaching session | You will also be expected to attend half-day facilitated learning sessions (learning sets) organised by the Peninsula Foundation School. |
Practices are not required to offer formal teaching sessions, although some do. If your practice does not offer regular teaching and you would find it useful to cover a specific topic, please ask your GP supervisor, who may be able to arrange something.
Indemnity
You are covered by NHS indemnity through your employment contract with the acute Trust. You are advised to tell your medical defence union that you have a GP placement as part of your F2 programme, but this should not affect your cover.
We hope you enjoy your GP post and make the most of it.