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.

Applications for 2025/26 will open in May 2025. Please email lmfs@rcpsych.ac.uk to register your interest.

 

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 an eligible 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.

Residents in higher training 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 (to be announced in May) 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 funding (to be announced in May) and providing a purchase order number which will be 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 by July.

Modules will be delivered face-to-face and virtually, dates will be announced by July.

There is no anticipation that a Resident in higher training's 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 open to 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 Resident in higher training 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.

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 Residents in higher training 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) or Medical Director are aware of your personal circumstances and are in agreement that any local leadership and management experience is tailored accordingly.

Eligible Residents in higher training or Specialty and Specialist Doctors must be clinically located within that organisation for the duration of the scheme. If 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), Medical Director, +/- 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) or Medical Director 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) or Medical Director for them to be clinically located within that organisation for the duration of the scheme.

Training needs always take priority.

Residents in core training are not eligible to apply for 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.

 We welcome applications from everyone, no matter what your personal circumstances may be at the time of application. Where matters of extended leave occur, either for parental leave, adoption leave, or in other circumstances, we will work on an individual basis with the fellow and their organisation to try and ensure that the fellowship can be completed.

In some circumstances this may mean joining a future cohort. If you are concerned that this could be a barrier for you applying to the scheme then please don’t hesitate to get in contact and we will do our best to support you.

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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