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GP return to practice programme

Return to Practice (RtP) programme (for UK qualified GPs)

The Return to Practice (RtP) programme provides a safe, supported pathway for qualified GPs wishing to return to NHS General Practice after an absence.

The Return to Practice (RtP) programme is designed for General Practitioners (GPs) who have previously been on the General Medical Council (GMC) GP Register and All Wales Medical Performers List (MPL) and would like to return to work in general practice after a break in their career.

The programme offers personalised pathways based on the individual needs of each returning GP.

All GPs are required to be on the GMC GP Register with a Licence to Practise and the All Wales MPL.

 

Features of the programme

You will have access to a dedicated GP Educator and central administrative coordinator to help guide you through the process. They can provide support such as:

  • Developing a personal educational pathway suited to your needs
  • Coordinating any assessments that you may be required to undertake
  • Finding an approved practice that can offer you a placement
  • Employment by NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership for the duration of the placement
  • Indemnity under the Welsh Risk Pool for the duration of the placement

Financial support is also available for candidates which includes:

  • Help with the “top up” element of indemnity
  • A salary that is equivalent to that of a GP ST3 (minus banding)
  • A one-off payment of up to £464 towards the costs of General Medical Council (GMC) Membership
  • Up to 4 fully funded attempts at the Multiple Choice Questionnaire (MCQ) assessment (if required and subject to starting on the programme)
  • One year’s free associate membership to the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP)

All the available funding is only claimable upon commencing the programme

 

Registering for the Return to Practice (RtP) programme

You should register your interest in completing the RtP programme by completing the online application form - https://forms.office.com/e/es6R9ZgQS8

This will be received automatically by the GP training school in HEIW who will register your application with the local GP Associate Dean (AD) for the area in which you wish to carry out your placement.

The local GP AD will contact you to arrange a review of your needs, based on your circumstances and previous experience.

Following the review, the local GP AD will then be able to advise you on the next steps of the programme. Your pathway may include:

  • Undertaking a supported clinical placement in an approved GP practice
  • Providing advice on what further requirements are needed before you can undertake a RtP programme, for example, undertaking the Multiple Choice Questionnaire (MCQ) assessment
  • A recommendation to complete a portfolio of evidence

 

Clinical Placements

Following an appropriate learning needs assessment with the local GP Associate Dean, satisfactory inclusion onto the GMC GP Register with a Licence to Practise and conditional inclusion onto the All Wales Medical Performers List, the clinical placement will commence, under the supervision of an approved GP trainer/Educational Supervisor (ES).

Workplace based assessments (WPBAs) will inform the final recommendation by the local GP Associate Dean to the local Health Board about the doctor’s clinical ability, and this will inform the decision regarding unconditional inclusion on the All Wales MPL.

Gathering information for the WPBA needs to be planned from the outset, and discussing the contents of the end of placement report would be a useful topic for discussion between the doctor and their ES in the first few days of the placement.

The doctor is required to demonstrate their competence under a range of headings including the following:

  1. Clinical expertise
    1. History and examination
    2. Clinical management
    3. Investigations
    4. Urgent care
  2. Communication and teamwork
    1. Consultation and communication skills
    2. Teamworking skills
  3. Professionalism
    1. Professional integrity
    2. Primary care administration and record keeping
    3. Understanding NHS systems and community orientation
    4. Organisation and planning
    5. Learning and development

The GP ES is asked to carry out specified assessments such as recorded videos and case-based discussions, as well as completing a trainer's report. This is so that they can provide evidence of the doctor making progress towards demonstrating their competence.

 

Duration of Placements

The duration of the placement is guided by the educational needs assessment that has taken place, such as the structured interview with the local GP Associate Dean or the Multiple Choice Questionnaire.

Any particular educational needs that have been identified will be drawn to the attention of the Educational Supervisor by the local GP Associate Dean. This will be discussed with the doctor returning to general practice and will form part of the educational plan for their placement.

 

Starting at the practice

The doctor’s first few days at the practice will take the form of an induction during which they will need to familiarise themselves with how the practice operates, computer systems, and medical geography, amongst other aspects.

It would also be appropriate to do some “sitting in”, observing other doctors and practice nurses in consultations, and attend practice meetings. The purpose of all this is to help the doctor understand the practice ethos, the role, and responsibility of other NHS team members in the practice.

 

Completing the programme

To successfully complete the Return to Practice (RtP) programme and be eligible to apply for unconditional inclusion on the All Wales MPL, there are a number of requirements:

  • A satisfactory GP trainer’s report
  • Completion of the mandatory e-Learning for Health modules on Safeguarding Children and Adults (Level 3)
  • Submitted videos of consultations to be assessed by the trainer and a trainer external to the practice, if required to do so