Advice for trainers

 

LTFT Advice for Trainers, educators and other trainees.

More and more trainees are beginning to work LTFT, and Full-time Trainees who wish to explore this in the future. We are committed to support trainees who wish to work LTFT. We want to help recruit and retain the required medical workforce to support quality mental health services. Trainees who work full-time and trainers and other educationalists often report that they do not have sufficient knowledge of LTFT training to support individual trainees. 

Information on LTFT training and working can be found in the Training and Members Sections on the our website. It may help trainers to be aware:

  1. If you work LTFT work in a variety of ways including slot shares and LTFT in a full-time post.
  2. If you are a LTFT trainee you often have a lot of experience, and usually you have been working in Psychiatry for many years, are more experienced and able than your actual stage of training, are efficient and work significantly more than your contracted hours. If you are an LTFT trainee and you may have recently returned to training , like your FTE colleagues, after an extended period of leave, including statutory leave; and you may in the short term need additional educational support.
  3. If you’re working LTFT in a full-time slot, you’re not expected to do the same amount of clinical work of a full-time trainee. You are expected to do pro rata amount of clinical work of a full-timer; and have pro rata time for non-clinical competencies, including teaching, audit, management and special interest sessions (if a Higher Trainee). 
  4. If you are a core trainee you may need proportionately more or less time in any given training post in order to be able to achieve your psychotherapy competencies. This is because, if you work say 60% LTFT of a full-time colleague, you cannot do 60% of a long case, but need to do 100% of that long case in that training year. But in subsequent years, you may have no long case to complete, and so have proportionately more time for other training. 
  5. As an LTFT trainee you will need to evidence pro rata achievements in each training year, including pro rata numbers of WPBAs, audit, management and other ILOs. 
  6. All trainees, whether you are a LTFT or Full-time, need to submit evidence every calendar year for ARCP. For LTFT trainees, this will be less evidence that your full-time colleague. But the same ARCP College forms will need to be completed each calendar year.
  7. Trainers will be able to seek further advice and support of LTFT trainees from your College Tutors, TPDs, Trust Champion of Flexible Training, and Head of School.