No. If your application is successful, you need to apply for an Out of Programme Experience (OOPE) through your Training Programme Director (http://www.scotlanddeanery.nhs.scot/trainee-information/out-of-programme-oop) . To leave your training for a year, the Deanery must approve your application and a six- month notice period is recommended to request OOP approval. Please discuss your plans with your Educational Supervisor and Training Programme Director before applying for the Fellowship.
Fellows work closely with leading figures in the host organisations, so they learn by active engagement in an apprenticeship model. For example, if a fellow is working in NES they may be working on projects related to improving quality of training in Scotland, and if the fellow is based in the Government their work will involve projects related to Government policy and implementation.
There is a common core of management and leadership training that fellows in all host organisations will engage in. NES delivers this core training. All fellows will work in a team to build a Scottish network of clinicians interested in improving the quality of health care and cascading a better understanding of future challenges.
You do not have to relocate, as long as you are prepared to travel to your host organisation. The widespread use of MS Teams means that the need for travel is now much reduced. You should expect to work from home and as such you should ensure you have access to broadband. Any request for relocation expenses should be discussed at interview and would have to be approved in writing by the employing organisation in advance of appointment.
NES will pay your salary at the appropriate point on clinical scale based on your last pay, without banding supplement; i.e. you will be paid your basic salary only. You may want to take some locum work over the weekends to supplement your income.
Exact working pattern to be agreed with host organisation but likely to be Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00. Similarly, the inclusion of up to one clinical day per week can be discussed.
You may undertake clinical work by separate arrangement. You should ensure that you have appropriate indemnity and contractual arrangements in place. However, the expectation is that this would not be at the expense of your commitment to your host organisation(s). For example, it would not normally be appropriate for you to do an overnight shift and take the following day off. Some SCLFs have chosen to do locum work at weekends or bank holidays.
Study leave can be negotiated with NES and the host organisation. Fellows have the opportunity to attend courses relevant to leadership and management. Funding will not normally be provided for courses relevant to your clinical specialty.
Many of the host organisations are based in the central belt and the Edinburgh or Glasgow offices would be very suitable. However, NES offices in Aberdeen, Dundee or Inverness could also be used as a base for NES-hosted Fellows. However, the Fellow would still need to attend regular events in the central belt.
The working day is an indicative 09:00-17:00 office job. As a Fellow who is based in the NES office for example, you will attend meetings with the NES team, actively participate in a project related to medical training and link it to national strategies such as 2020 vision and Professionalism and Excellence in Scottish Medicine. The Fellow will have access to leadership and management training workshops alongside management trainees and senior clinicians.
The Fellowship provides a different type of a challenge to what you will normally face as a doctor. It gives access to decision-making circles, and an insight into how policies are shaped on a national level. The environment of the programme is very supportive, there are no limits to creativity and hard work is highly valued.
The Fellowship is, by design, not as well defined or structured as your medical training programme; you have to experiment and improvise on the go. The year will be a mixture of hard work and adventure and will involve a steep learning curve. Another disadvantage is that the Fellow will lose banding supplements, and entails a year away from clinical practice, so some may wish to undertake some locum work to compensate.
Current Fellows highly recommend it and we will be pleased to put any prospective applicants in touch. Here is a sample testimony from a previous Fellow:
”As a doctor, I want to be an active participant in how patient care is designed. I don't want to be frustrated by system failures, I want to be inspired by the challenge, and this fellowship is helping me acquire the knowledge, skills and contacts required to do so.”
The programme does not include a PG certificate. However, there are several short courses available on distance-learning basis that you might want to consider.
The Fellowship is an Out of Programme Experience (OOPE), and so it will not count towards your training. If you join the fellowship, then you will extend your training by another year. It is well worth it though!
