Leadership and Management Fellow Scheme FAQs

Here you can find frequently asked questions for the College's Leadership and Management Fellow Scheme

If you have any additional questions, please send us an email.

Details of how to apply for the 2024/2025 Scheme are now available here

 

The RCPsych Leadership and Management Fellow Scheme combines a face-to-face and virtual training programme with a local apprenticeship model.

Organisations are required to identify a senior medical leader within the organisation who will mentor the Fellow throughout the scheme. The expectation is that this is the Medical Director, Deputy Medical Director or Associate Medical Director.

Organisations are required to identify and nominate a Fellow to the RCPsych Leadership and Management Fellow Scheme through an open and competitive process. Organisations may nominate one or more Fellows, although only one place will be accepted initially to maximise equity of access. Additional nominations will be considered after the initial closing date on a first come first serve basis.

Trainees ST4 and above and Specialty and Specialist Doctors on pay scale MC75 01-09 (SAS on the 2021 contract) or equivalent MC46/41 01-10 (SAS on the 2008 contract) may be nominated by their organisation. There is a requirement for eligible Specialty and Specialist Doctors to demonstrate leadership experience to progress through the “higher threshold” (SAS 2021) and “threshold 2” (SAS 2008), it is anticipated that the scheme will not be sufficient for SAS doctors above these criteria.

Organisations are required to provide a purchase order number for the sponsorship fee of £2,700 (VAT not applicable) when nominating their chosen Fellow.

The RCPsych Leadership and Management Fellow Scheme requires an organisational sponsor.

This is the person responsible for:

  • nominating fellows through an open and competitive process
  • securing the £2700 (VAT not applicable) funding and providing the purchase order number which is required on the nomination form
  • ensuring that the fellow has sought permission from their Training Programme Director (TPD) to be located clinically within that organisation for the duration of the scheme
  • identifying a senior medical leader within the organisation (the expectation is that this is the Medical Director, Deputy Medical Director or Associate Medical Director) to mentor the fellow throughout the scheme.

The organisational sponsor may also be the organisational mentor.

In addition to individual project supervision, Fellows should be supported and mentored throughout the scheme by a senior medical leader within their organisation. This is a key aspect of the scheme and is essential to the success of the Fellow’s role.

The mentoring role is anticipated to be held by the Medical Director, Deputy or Associate Medical Director who can ensure that they get access to the necessary meetings or contacts to support their work.

A minimum of six mentoring sessions should be held throughout the 12-month duration of the scheme.

It is also expected that Fellows will have opportunities to shadow at an executive level and with key external health and local authority partners to gain a deeper understanding of healthcare leadership and management within the wider social, political and economic context.

The RCPsych Leadership and Management Fellow Scheme Alumni will support the running of Action Learning Sets who will provide ongoing support around the course and the project.

The RCPsych Leadership and Management Fellow Scheme combines a face-to-face and virtual training programme with a local apprenticeship model.

It should be funded by the organisational sponsor.

It should not be funded by the local education board or self-funded.

This helps ensure that the Fellow has the full support of their organisation throughout the scheme.

The scheme is intended to run across a 'traditional' training year. 

While the national training programme launches in September and closes in June, dates of the ten modules will be available in June. Fellows should hold their position as an RCPsych Leadership and Management Fellow between August to August of each year.

We have adopted a digital and face-to-face contact day approach, expenses for the three in-person modules in September, January and June are to be claimed from the sponsoring Trust.  Module dates will be announced in late June.

Modules will be delivered face-to-face and virtually, dates will be announced in late June.

There is no anticipation that a trainees CCT date should need to be extended.

It is a 12 month 'in programme' experience utilising special interest time for local leadership and management experience.

The RCPsych Leadership and Management Fellow Scheme is being opened for a pilot phase in 2024/25. This is one strategy to meet Aim 3 of the RCPsych SAS Doctor Strategy (2023-25) and offer equitable access to leadership and management training.

  • It is proposed to provide equivalence with trainees on the scheme, making places available for early and mid-career SAS Doctors on pay scale MC75 01-09 (SAS on the 2021 contract) or equivalent MC46/41 01-10 (SAS on the 2008 contract). There is a requirement to demonstrate leadership experience to progress through the “higher threshold” (SAS 2021) and “threshold 2” (SAS 2008), so it’s anticipated that the scheme will not be sufficient for SAS doctors above these criteria.

Trusts can apply to nominate one trainee and one specialty doctor for the scheme. As in previous years, further places will be considered for Trusts wanting to nominate more fellows once the initial deadline has passed.

Trusts are responsible for the selection of suitable candidates as long as they meet the pay scale MC75 01-09 or equivalent MC46/41 01-10 and are employed by the trust under the national terms and conditions for SAS contracts.

The inclusion of SAS psychiatrists in the scheme will be a pilot for the 2024-2025 scheme and will be reviewed during and after the scheme.

It is a 12 month 'in programme' experience utilising special interest time for local leadership and management experience.

For this reason, Fellows cannot be out of programme in any capacity (i.e. C, E, R or T), for any duration, while undertaking the scheme.

The RCPsych Leadership and Management Fellow Scheme is inclusive of all trainees meeting the eligibility criteria, this includes those working Less Than Full Time (LTFT).

Please ensure that, prior to nomination, your organisational sponsor, mentor and Training Programme Director (TPD) are aware of your personal circumstances and are in agreement that any local leadership and management experience is tailored accordingly.

Eligible trainees or Specialty and Specialist Doctors must be clinically located within that organisation for the duration of the scheme. It they don’t know what organisation they will be clinically located within, they cannot apply.

We understand the difficulties regarding this.

We recommend approaching potential organisational sponsors as early as possible and with their support, exploring potential options with your Training Programme Director (TPD) +/- Heads of School.

If you’re an organisational sponsor, we recommend advertising the scheme through an open and competitive process, and supporting Fellows to gain permission from their Training Programme Director (TPD) for them to be clinically located within that organisation for the duration of the scheme.

It is the organisational sponsor's responsibility to ensure that the Fellow has sought permission from their Training Programme Director (TPD) for them to be clinically located within that organisation for the duration of the scheme.

Training needs always take priority.

Trainees are required to be ST4 or above and cannot CCT prior to completion of the scheme.

Speciality and Specialist Doctors must be on pay scale MC75 01-09 (SAS on the 2021 contract) or equivalent MC46/41 01-10 (SAS on the 2008 contract). There is a requirement to demonstrate leadership experience to progress through the “higher threshold” (SAS 2021) and “threshold 2” (SAS 2008), it is anticipated that the scheme will not be sufficient for SAS doctors above these criteria.

The fellowship is accredited by The Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management.

On successful completion of the scheme, Fellows will receive a certificate of completion from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Fellows will also be eligible to apply for Associate Fellowship of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management.

Successful completion of the RCPsych Leadership and Management Fellow Scheme is not determined by individual project success or failure.

Success is more meaningfully determined by the Fellow’s engagement with the programme and the growth of their leadership behaviours in accordance with the FMLM's Leadership and Management Standards for Medical Professionals.

Fellows are required to:

  • meaningfully engage with and attend at least 80% of the leadership programme and action learning sets
  • undertake a leadership project of strategic or operational significance within their local organisation
  • engage with their organisational mentor
  • undertake a quantitative evaluation of their individual development at the beginning and end of the scheme
  • complete a complementary leadership and management multi-source feedback tool specifically designed for doctors (FMLM 360)
  • complete a leadership Direct Observation of Non-Clinical Skills (DONCS) with their organisational mentor
  • undertake a qualitative reflective evaluation of their individual development at the end of the scheme
  • subscribe for complementary membership of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM).
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