GPSTs in hospital attachments
As a GPST you will rotate through hospital/secondary care rotations. A good secondary care rotation is an opportunity to improve the knowledge and skills set of future GPs, improving confidence in managing patients in the community, whilst building greater understanding of referral practice and meeting curriculum needs. There is also an opportunity for improving the interface between primary and secondary care with stronger inter-professional relations. We hope this is a fulfilling and rewarding rotation where you are valued and part of the team.
Below are links to the hospitals you may be based in during your hospital rotation. Here you'll find more details about the hospital site, ID badges, induction, resources and much more.
GPST teaching
There are a range of teaching opportunities on each GPST hospital attachment. These depend on the clinical unit but can be bedside teaching, tutorials including GP specific tutorials, teaching clinics, sessions on triage and referrals.
There are also a range of GPST educational opportunities available through NES, as detailed here.
Support and Wellbeing
GPSTs have support systems in place within NES, this includes your educational supervisor and Training Programme Director (TPD). There is also additional support available whilst you're on your hospital attachments. More information can be found here.
IMG support
We in MED aim to reach out to all GPST International Medical Graduates (IMGs) a few months prior to your first hospital attachment. Some IMGs may have had limited experience of the UK NHS System and we want to offer support to ensure this transition is as smooth as possible. Other IMGs may have had plenty of exposure and experience within the NHS, however, some resources and support may still be useful.
As GPSTs you will attend the Scottish Trainee Enhanced Programme (STEP), an enhanced induction programme, organised by NES in your first few months of GP training. If your first rotation is in a hospital attachment you will be given study leave to attend these days. This is an incredibly valuable programme, more details can be found here.
During your first hospital rotation you will also be invited to an NHS Lothian IMG induction, and simulation days. Alongside this there is a Local NHS Lothian IMG WhatsApp Group - for asking questions, arranging socials and peer outings, promote wellbeing and inclusion. A teams page, Peer Mentoring and much more. The IMG lead for NHS Lothian is Dr Goran Zangana, we're always looking to further improve our support to IMGs so please do reach out.
For more information on NHS Lothian IMG support follow this link.
Useful resources for Clinical Supervisors of GPSTs
There are a range of useful resources for Clinical Supervisors of GPST:
High Impact Actions to Improve the Experience of hospital attachments for GPSTs and the Clinical Unit Hosts (see useful documents below)
GPST contacts list - this is a list of useful contacts within GP training in South East Scotland (attached below)
Super condensed GP curriculum guides - These were developed by NES as guides to the RCGP Curriculum, including roles, assessments and CBD guide for Clinical Supervisors and trainees whilst in specific hospital attachments.
GPST Clinical Supervisor Network - interactive session with the team from NES to update Clinical Supervisors on portfolios, assessment updates etc. We hope to have another session later in 2024.
There are a range of resources for all trainers in NHS Lothian, not specific to GPSTs supervisors, these can be found on the MED website here.
If you're looking to further improve the GPST hospital attachment and are looking to discuss this further, please do reach out to the contacts below.
