Out of Hours Experience

It is recognised that Out of Hours (OOH) experience is an essential part of specialist training in psychiatry, with different skills learned outside the better resourced and supervised daytime work. The Psychiatric Trainees' Committee (PTC) is concerned that the quality and quantity of OOH experience is decreasing due to service reconfiguration, working hours legislation, increasing prevalence of shift-working, and NHS financial pressures. A document was produced by the PTC and has since been accepted by the Education, Training and Standards Committee within the College.  

The recommendations from the report are:

In line with Occasional Paper 65, core trainees should undertake “a minimum of 55 nights on call during the period of basic specialist training” and see “at least 50 individuals with a range of diagnosed conditions and with first line management plans conceived and implemented”. 

The PTC propose that advanced trainees should undertake a minimum of 50 out-of-hours cases supervising core trainees/ other members of the Multi-Disciplinary Team, and 30 complex assessments (which may include assessments for detention under the relevant legislation). These cases should be included in a College-approved log-book and cover a range of clinical experience and competencies.

The above recommendations have now been accepted as generic guidance for trainees.

• Click here to view the PTC report (opens in a new window)