NHS WEST MIDLANDS WORKFORCE DEANERY
Dental Foundation Training
A HANDBOOK FOR
TRAINERS &
FOUNDATION DENTISTS
Revised October 2011
I n d e x
Page
2 / Handbook for Trainers & Foundation Year 1 Dentists (DF1)4 / Dental Foundation Training (DFT)
5 / Foundation Dentist
8 / The Trainers role in Foundation Training
12 / Person specification
14 / Trainer Interview Score Sheet
15 / The Practice
17 / Sequence of Trainer's appointment
18 / The study day course
19 / The Agreement
34 / Practice visit checklist
43 / Useful information
47 / Application forms for prospective Trainers
62 Foundation Dentist Year 1 Post Person Specification
63 Sequence of Foundation Dentist Appointment for August 2012
Handbook for Trainers and Foundation Year 1 Dentists (DF1)
Foreword
Dental Foundation Training (Vocational Training) is primarily aimed at the new graduate to provide the initial stage of general professional training and education. Emphasis is placed on continuing professional development throughout one's practising career. The Trainee (Foundation Year 1 dentist) is encouraged to develop and expand the clinical and personal skills learned as an undergraduate. During the Dental Foundation training year, the new graduates have the opportunity to consider their future - whether a career in general dental practice, the Salaried Dental Services, or specialisation within dental practice, the Hospital Service or the University.
Introduction
This handbook is designed to explain the working of the Dental Foundation Training Scheme in General Dental Practice in the West Midlands. There are separate sections describing the role of the Foundation Year 1 Dentist (DF1), the role of the Trainer, the arrangements for the study day course, a copy of the Trainer/Trainee contract, the report form used by the practice visitors and an information section. An application form for the Trainer and Foundation Dentist is included. The DF1 application form is available online at www.westmidlands deanery.nhs.uk
Potential trainers who wish to apply for the scheme should read the handbook carefully and either complete the relevant application form at the back of the book or complete, print and sign a downloadable copy.
If you require further information, the relevant addresses and phone numbers are included in the information section. The Postgraduate Dental Dean, Associate Dental Dean (Vocational Training) and the course organisers will be pleased to answer any queries.
General practice is a specialty, which requires the development of particular skills. Recognition of this requirement has led to the emergence of a system of vocational training centred on the general practice environment. The scheme is open to those who are looking for their first post in general practice, either as new graduates or following a period in some other branch of dentistry. On 1st October 1993 mandatory vocational training in general dental practice became a requirement for all UK graduates who wish to practise within the General Dental Services.
The introduction of the new General Dental Service (GDS) contract on 1st April 2006 made it a requirement that to be a Performer or Provider, individuals would have to be undertaking, or have undertaken, Vocational Training. Other applicants are required to satisfy the local Deanery that they possess equivalent experience to Vocational Training before they can join the Primary Care Trust list as Performers.
Pilot schemes of vocational training have operated in the region since 1980. There are now 6 Schemes commencing in August & 1 in February. This long experience has allowed the West Midlands considerable insight into the operation of VT Schemes. The educational input arises firstly from in-practice tutorials run by the Trainer on a weekly basis and secondly from the study day course.
Dental Foundation Training (DFT)
A new graduate is now required to undertake a period of supervised practice in an approved vocational training practice and for this to be certified as having been completed before they can be considered by a Primary Care Trust as a performer or provider of dental services in the GDS. Without such certification a graduate cannot work in the GDS, they are no longer able to work as Assistants in NHS general dental practice.
The certification process depends upon the completion of the Foundation Training and Learning Portfolio throughout the period of the training year. This has various elements, commencing with the agreed record of a discussion between the Trainer and Foundation Dentist at the start of the year, where they note their expectations of what is to come. There are periodic reviews of progress at intervals during the year and at the end of the year. The Foundation Dentist (FD) is also asked to complete an initial record of clinical experience and to note when certain basic proceedings have been undertaken. There is also a log to be completed, which covers various details including, teaching tutorial time, hours worked and various aspects of the week's activity. Attendance at the study day course is compulsory and is recorded.
At the end of the year these various records are considered, along with the views of the Trainer and Adviser and if all has gone well a Certificate of Completion will be issued by the Associate Postgraduate Dental Dean.
This Certificate should be retained by the FD to provide evidence to PCTs of the individual’s eligibility to become a Provider or Performer in the GDS.
List of abbreviations
· FD Foundation Dentist
· DF1 Dental Foundation Year 1
· DF2 Dental Foundation Year 2
· DFT Dental Foundation Training
Foundation Dentist
Are you thinking of entering General Dental Practice?
Dental graduates who are entering general dental practice for the first time are invited to apply for a place on the Vocational Training Schemes within the region. They will be appointed as an FD within general practices or salaried services in the West Midlands. The length of the appointment is one year, and during this period the FD attends a study day course at one of the Postgraduate Centres within the area.
Currently seven schemes run within the region. Six commence on 1st August annually, based at City Hospital, Birmingham; Stafford District General Hospital, Stafford; University Hospital Coventry; Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Worcester; Princess Royal Hospital, Telford & Solihull Hospital, Solihull. The seventh commences on 1st February annually at Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley.
Are you a potential Foundation Dentist? Your questions answered
Am I eligible to become a Foundation Dentist FD Year 1(DF1)?
All entrants to Dental Foundation Training in General Dental Practice will need to meet the essential criteria’s set out in the Person Specification produced by the Conference of Postgraduate Dental Deans. See page 63.
Payments in respect of Dental Foundation training are payments to a contractor who employs a Foundation Dentist. They are intended to meet the salary costs of employing the Foundation Dentist, provide payment to the Dentist Performer who is providing the vocational training to the Foundation Dentist practitioner and to provide a payment to the contractor to cover service costs. The payments are only intended to meet the costs of providing Dental Foundation training to those graduates who are required to complete 12 months Foundation training to remain on the performers lists (apart from any “relevant period of employment” determined in accordance with Regulation 28 (3) of the National Health Service (Performers Lists) Regulations 2004)
How do I apply on line?
An online application form and information guide will be available to download from the London Deanery website www.londondeanery.ac.uk.
Where will I work?
In a general practice or salaried services where one of the dentists has been appointed as a Trainer, having been judged to offer both the guidance and the environment necessary to allow a new graduate rapid and complete transition to the role of a general practitioner.
How do I get appointed?
The Deanery will be using a National Recruitment Process. This is being run by the London Deanery. See page 62 for the Sequence of Foundation Dentist Appointment for February/ August 2012
Further details are available at www.westmidlandsdeanery.nhs.uk
Should I accept the Placement?
If you agree to accept a position for training you are bound by the legal and ethical frameworks that exist in any recruitment procedure. Do not accept a position until you are certain. You may be asked to sign a “Letter of Intent”:- this pre-contractual agreement, signed before graduation, gives a sense of security to both parties. Do not sign more than one “Letter of Intent”.
What is special about my appointment?
You will be employed as a Performer on a salary. This will allow you to manage patients free from immediate financial pressures. This is in contrast with the previous Associate arrangements, where payment is based on the amount of work that is done. You also have the benefit of an assured income from the end of the first month in practice.
How will I be paid?
Your Trainer will arrange payment for you, via the Business Services Agency, as an employee. The salary will be approximately £2,511.00 per month from 1st April 2011. This is raised annually in the light of the pay awards in the General Dental Services. Your payments will be monthly in arrears and will be paid via your Trainer.
When is the study day course held?
This is held on Fridays during normal University terms, allowing approximately 30 whole day sessions. There may be occasional variation from this format including residential elements.
Which study day course will I attend?
This will depend on two factors. Firstly, the time of year you wish to start vocational training. If it is an August start you will be based at Birmingham, Stafford, Coventry, Worcester, Telford or Solihull depending on your practice location. However, if it is a February start you will be based at Dudley.
Who pays for the study day course?
The courses are centrally funded, and most reasonable expenses incurred by Foundation Dentists can be reclaimed from the local Primary Care Trust.
Can I have a holiday?
Yes, you are allowed 5.6 weeks leave which is equivalent to 28 working days, including 8 bank holidays for an employee who works five days a week. However, this must be taken during the vacation, not during the study day course terms.
What if I fail to attend a study day session?
The study day course is part of your salaried appointment and attendance is compulsory. If you miss a session you will be asked to arrange an equivalent postgraduate training session in your own time and provide proof that you have attended.
What if I have problems?
Where appropriate, talk to your Trainer. Otherwise, the Course Organisers are very willing to help. In the case of sickness, you are allowed four weeks' sick leave. See pages 22 & 24 for full details.
If you have any problems with your recruitment procedure, please contact the Associate Postgraduate Dental Dean (Vocational Training), whose address is given on page 43.
What if I want to stay in the practice at the end of the year?
If you and your Trainer decide that you wish to continue in the same practice, participation in the scheme in no way prevents this happening. You will, however, have to apply to the Primary Care Trust in your area and ask whether they are willing to fund a contract for you to continue to provide National Health dental services in this practice
Do I get anything at the end of the year?
The Postgraduate Dental Dean issues a certificate, subject to your completion of the course. If you leave the course, or practice, before the end of the year you will not be eligible to work as a Performer or Provider in the National Health dental services.
Can I undertake Dental Foundation training as a part-time Foundation Dentist?
Arrangements may be made to accommodate individuals who are only able to undertake part-time appointments. If this should apply to you, please contact the local Vocational Training Adviser, whose details are given in the back of this booklet, to discuss the possibilities.
The Trainer’s role in Foundation Training
The West Midlands Vocational Training Schemes in General Dental Practice can accept up to 84 practices per year in which to place dental graduates new to general practice.
The practitioner who wishes to become a Trainer should demonstrate awareness of the current patterns in dentistry and have taken part in continuing postgraduate education. The physical circumstances of the practice should reflect good contemporary standards of equipment and organisation. It is most important that there should be an adequate workload to ensure that sufficient experience is gained within the training year.
The training practice should be one in which the new graduate undergoes the initial stages of general professional training within the environment of general dental practice. To this end, a Trainer is appointed in each practice to be responsible for the day-to-day guidance of a FD.
The Trainer
Who is eligible?
A Trainer should be an experienced practitioner with high clinical and ethical standards and be in good standing with the GDC, PCT and other regulating bodies. A practitioner must have declared superannuable earnings of £20,000 within the GDS as the minimum level of commitment required to providing dental care within the GDS before being considered for appointment. They should have a minimum of four year experience in general practice/community dental service on the date of commencement of the Foundation Dentist.
What is the role of the Trainer?
The Trainer/FD relationship is the fulcrum of the scheme. It is intended that it will be closer than previous Associate/Principal relationships. The emphasis will be on developing an interchange that allows the Trainer to form an awareness of the FD’s progress on the one hand, and the FD to be able to call on the Trainer's experience and guidance on the other. Although the Trainer’s role may be shared between two practitioners, preference will normally be given to individual applicants, willing to undertake sole responsibility.
Joint Trainer Applications
· For joint trainer applications each trainer completes an application form.
· One trainer must have a 20% NHS commitment as shown by superannuable earnings