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FAQs

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We want to ensure that you are comfortable when using our services. Please take a moment to read these frequently asked questions which will provide you with some further information about accessing the services that we offer.

Access to the Professional Support Unit (PSU) can be via self-referral, by an educational supervisor, programme director, or  a PSU lead. If you are referring on behalf of the trainee, please ensure that you discuss the referral with them and gain their consent.

We will ask for some background, including the challenges faced, the circumstances and the desired outcomes

No. During the support we will establish a plan to help you and will discuss with you whether that plan will be shared with your supervisor, line manager, educational supervisor or clinical supervisor. It may be that sharing the plan will provide you with access to additional support or resources, however, we will not share without your consent. You will always see what we intend to share and you have the opportunity to propose amendments before it is shared.

No, however, we advise you to speak with whoever made the recommendation to let them know that you’re not pursuing their suggestion.

Provided you are a doctor, dentist or ophthalmologist in training you can contact the PSU without referring to anybody else.

Doctors, dentists and pharmacists in training have free access. If you are a trainee in a different programme, please speak with your team at Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) as they may be able to organise support. Please also be aware of support available from:

Access to and support from the PSU is confidential. We will not provide feedback to you directly without the knowledge and permission of the trainee concerned and in accordance with our confidentiality policy.

Yes, however, we recommend that you do not try to take on too much too quickly. When you contact us, we will discuss and agree a plan with you.

Doctors, dentists and pharmacists in training can access the PSU as many times as required throughout training.

Once you contact the PSU for support we create an electronic record for you which is held on a secure system (Insight) – your record is only accessible to those within the PSU team.  Some of the data that we hold, such as your name, address, email address, mobile/contact number, GMC/GDC number, career grade, employer are taken from Intrepid. Thereafter, Insight will hold correspondence/communication (eg emails, letters, memos etc), we will also record the particular services you access and your appointment dates/times.

We record this information to ensure that we are providing you with the best possible support and generally for us to administer the provision of our services. 

This information may only be disclosed in certain circumstances, such as where there is a regulatory requirement to share information about your professional development. You can find full details in our ..

Yes, the details recorded in your casework record when you receive a PSU service are confidential. However, in restricted, rare circumstances (for example, if your safety is at risk) we may disclose this information.

Upon contacting the PSU the admin team will contact the trainee to arrange a suitable date, time and means for a meeting.

Currently all meetings are virtual but we hope to return to some face to face contact in the future and will ensure we cover all of Wales geography.

The case manager will ask about the trainees academic and career history and explore the support need background.

Together with the trainee they agree a plan which may involve self-development or a referral to specialist services.

Following the meeting the case manager shares a draft summary with the trainee and once consented they agree on who should be confidentially shared into the final copy. This may include the specialist support service, a trusted faculty member or a PSU Lead for the specialty.

PSU will follow up with the trainee according to the plan agreed and review any support needs until such time that no further support is required and case is closed.

It can mean that the challenges have been overcome, that strategies have been put in place for support, or that you've passed the exam, or you've got the ARCP outcome you were looking for or that you've left the programme.