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 are now open, the £2,750 (VAT not applicable) nomination fee is payable by the nominee's organisation. Applications will close at 11am on 9th June.
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 eligible Fellows to the RCPsych Leadership and Management Fellow Scheme through an open and competitive process. Organisations may nominate up to one Resident Doctor in higher training and one SAS Dr per cohort. If an organisation identifies additional suitable candidates then further 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 of £2,750 (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 £2,750 funding (VAT not applicable) 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.
The £2,750 nomination fee (VAT not applicable) 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 can be viewed on the 2025/26 programme. Fellows are expected to attend all 10 modules in full. 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 can be viewed on the 2025/26 programme.
Modules will be delivered face-to-face and virtually, dates can be viewed on the 2025/26 programme.
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.
Doctors in the independent sector and their organisations will be required to fulfil the same requirements as Residents in higher training and SAS doctors, namely that their employer is funding the fellowship, has agreed to releasing them for a day a week to facilitate working on the project/the study days, and is agreeing to finding them an organisational mentor. Candidates who are unsure of their eligibility should contact lmfs@rcpsych.ac.uk, our Scheme leads will be happy to explore whether the programme is at the appropriate level and aligned to their career stage and aspirations.
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.
More information on requirements and expectations can be viewed here.
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).
