Nursing
The Trust is committed to providing high quality medical education for all medical students and doctors in training. We work in partnership with Health Education England (North East and Cumbria) to provide postgraduate support and training.
There is a strong medical education governance structure throughout the Trust, led by the Medical Director, and supported by the Director of Medical Education and dedicated clinical staff focused on delivering and supporting high quality training.
We consistently rate above the national mean for Overall Satisfaction in the resident GMC Survey. We have ranked in the top quartile nationally for three consecutive years in both the resident and trainer survey.
Foundation Training
We provide four-month placements for Foundation Year 1 and 2 doctors in a range of specialties. Residents receive a bespoke induction into working in psychiatry. F2 residents are also supported in first-on-call rota, which offers them unique insight into emergency psychiatry. We maintain a close working relationship with all acute trusts to support FYs rotating into us. We are one of the only FPs in the region that provides FP placements in specialties such as neuropsychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. We have been in the top 10 mental health trusts for Foundation training across the country in the GMC survey. FP training is well integrated with the rest of the training opportunities, such as access to resident development programme and presentation opportunities in local postgraduate training. All our posts have elements of community working within their timetable.
Foundation Taster in Psychiatry
We encourage FP residents to access our taster sessions for up to five days. They are bespoke, created according to your interests and requirements, and are available in a wide variety of specialties and sub-specialties. Complete this form CNTW Mental Health Taster Request – Fill in form to request a taster. Please note this is available to foundation residents only.
GP Training
We provide six monthly placements for GP residents. Our GP training scheme has consistently performed to exceptional standards and evaluates very well in the regional GP surveys. GP residents are also supported in first-on-call rota, which offers them unique insight into emergency psychiatry. We are committed to offer community experience for all our GP placements and seek to continually evaluate and develop these posts. The GP specific monthly teaching programme is evaluated very well and incorporates all the relevant aspects of mental health presentations that one would encounter in primary care.
Core Psychiatry Training
Core Residents rotate through placements in a variety of specialties, including some of the unique opportunities within the region, such as tertiary regional affective disorders service, neuropsychiatry, forensic psychiatry, forensic child and adolescent, learning disability and national autism inpatient unit. All residents are allocated an Educational Supervisor who will provide career and pastoral support throughout core training, in addition to the named Clinical Supervisors for each placement. We have a portfolio of well embedded training sessions that we regularly offer to all Core Residents in communication skills, reflective practice and serious incidents. We are the only mental health trust in the region providing a growing portfolio for training via simulation which includes emergency scenarios in Psychiatry for CT1s and advanced complex scenarios appropriate for more senior core residents. We have a very well established and evaluated CASC training programme, which includes mock CASCs and evening preparatory sessions that are supported by our consultants who are also RCPsych examiners and our own higher residents. Psychotherapy training is well supported offering unique opportunities of Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), Psychodynamic psychotherapy and CBT to help achieve the competencies and widen training opportunities.
Specialty Training
We offer a variety of training posts in general adult, old age, child and adolescent, intellectual disability, forensic and psychotherapy. Residents have the opportunity to join a specialty specific forum for peer support and teaching. We are one of the only few trusts within the country that have developed training in simulated mental health tribunals. Our new expanded portfolio of simulation includes scenarios in advanced skills such as leadership, managing a difficult discharge ward meeting, supervising junior doctors and managing a busy out of hours shift. We offer a well organised residential event to support Higher Residents applying for consultant posts and help prepare them with mock consultant interview. Testament to the training offered is the positive career progression into consultants and high rates of retention within our trust. We closely integrate the newly transitioned consultants with the early years mentorship programme supported by senior consultants.
All residents receive one hour of protected supervision with their named Clinical Supervisor each week. Weekly postgraduate teaching is available in each locality for all doctors, supported by a fantastic group of dedicated College Tutors, and we strive to include all residents to actively participate and present in these teachings. We encourage and support residents in supporting medical students, either one to one or small or large group opportunities. Time permitting, we also encourage all residents to take up research, audit and other quality improvement projects these opportunities are supported by close partnership with the academic research department at RADs, the audit department and R&D department. We have dedicated speciality Tutors for Foundation, GP and Specialty Training, Psychotherapy, Child and ID, along with locality specific College Tutors. Study leave is supported in line with the NHSE policy. We support residents wanting to work LTFT and support reasonable adjustments where appropriate. We have a dedicated SuppORTT Tutor to support residents returning back to work after a gap.
Simulation
We have a high-spec well established simulation department, with dedicated simulation rooms at St Nicholas Hospital, as well as mobile and VR equipment to reach all sites when required. We have dedicated simulation leads that support the department for both postgraduate and undergraduate teaching, and we are continually evaluating and developing our scenarios.
We have several running projects within the department currently, simulation evaluation, mental health review tribunal simulation evaluation, serious incident training programme, rota improvements and evaluation (training rota), handover evaluation, equality and diversity project and training, differential attainment in MRCPsych examinations, evaluating the career progression of residents in CNTW, etc.
We support a variety of medical education trust doctor posts such as Teaching Fellows (with primary role of supporting undergraduate medical education) and Clinical Fellows (service support and special interest opportunities).
We have dedicated Medical Education offices and teaching spaces at St Nicholas Hospital, Hopewood Park and Carleton Clinic, with an admin support team in each location.
Join us and hope you enjoy our training as much as we do!
For further information contact meded