The Trainee Development and Wellbeing service (TDWS) is run by NHS Education Scotland (NES). The service is here to support all doctors in training. It can support you with the challenges and choices you may face during your time in training in a confidential, non-judgmental service. The service provides support with challenges around exams, career advice, adjustments to working, advice when returning to clinical practice, wellbeing at work, deanery transfers and ARCP advice. It functions in addition to local sources of support, such as clinical/educational supervisors, training programme directors, and local associate deans.
Firstly, the TDWS website provides information in a range of areas:
If trainees require further assistance, they can contact the TDWS team using the contact form. This will be reviewed by a helpful member of the admin team, who will provide assistance in the form of answering questions, linking in with another team within NES, or arranging a one-on-one meeting with one of our Associate Post Graduate Deans (APGDs) for a discussion as to how their needs can be met.
The TDWS can be accessed by any Doctor in training in Scotland.
To get in touch with the TDWS, please complete the “Contact Us” form available on the left of this page. Trainers can also refer trainees to the service, if they feel the trainee would benefit from this level of support.
A member of our admin team will review your form, make contact with you to provide assistance as required. They may then arrange for you to have a one-to-one session with one of the APGDs as a trainee support coach. This session will normally take place virtually on Microsoft teams, but if the trainee prefers can be arranged in-person at a suitable location away from their place of work.
All records (barring those which raise significant patient safety concerns) of meeting with an APGD will be confidential and only shared as agreed with the trainee. It would be hoped that in most cases trainees would see the benefit of sharing issues they are facing with the wider training management team. If the trainee wishes to keep any details of their case confidential (barring those which raise significant patient safety concerns) then that information will be kept, separate to training record, in a confidential folder accessible only to the Deanery team.
APGD’s will be tasked with communication of concerns and agreed actions with local training teams.
Whilst we would recommend the benefits of discussion with your training programme director, we understand that there may be situations in which discussion with someone outwith your local leadership team may be preferable. We would only share information regarding use of the service with your permission (barring where there are significant patient safety concerns).
The TDWS runs in conjunction with local support networks, which would ordinarily begin with clinical/educational supervisors, Training Programme Directors, and local Associate Deans. There is a trainee rep for each of the 4 regions for Flexible Training/LTFT. Other groups have trainee reps involved in their organisation to ensure the programme remains up to date with the needs of trainees.
Our trainee support coaches are experienced in addressing the needs of trainees, however, if you feel the service has not met your needs, we can provide onward links with other professionals who may be better suited to address your requirements.
The following website gives information of organisations which can provide financial support: Financial support for doctors and their families (doctorshelp.org.uk)
We aim to respond to online submissions within 3 working days. If required, a trainee support coach session should take place within 1 month, with at least 1 weeks’ notice to allow planning around clinical activities.
This page was last updated on: 31.10.2022 at 15.14
