Medical Education Centre

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We provide clinical leadership and administrative support for Postgraduate and Undergraduate Medical Education activity taking place within the Trust. We work in partnership with Health Education England Yorkshire and the Humber, West Yorkshire Foundation School and the University of Leeds regarding clinical training for medical students, doctors in training at all stages of their careers and GP trainees.

There is a strong medical educational governance structure throughout the Trust, led by the Medical Director, and supported by the Director of Medical and dedicated clinical staff focussed on delivering and supporting high quality education and training.

Dr Sharon Nightingale is the Director of Medical Education (DME) who chairs the Trust Medical Education Committee, which makes decisions on medical education initiatives within the Trust.

Undergraduate Medical Students

A dedicated undergraduate administrative team ensures a timetable is produced for 4th year medical students undertaking a five week placement at the Trust.  We provide induction and a personalised timetable for each student which, consists of a breakfast club, educational teaching, rotas, shadowing core trainees and Formative Observation of Clinical Assessment Skills (FOCAS).

In addition to 4th years, we also host 2nd year students “Campus to Clinic”.  The emphasis being learning to take a medical history, performing physical examinations and understanding of psychiatry presentations.  The campus to clinic sessions are led by psychiatry core trainees.

Foundation doctors

Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides four month placements for Foundation Year 1 and 2 doctors in a range of specialties across psychiatry including;

  • working age general adult and older age adult inpatients
  • community mental health teams for working age
  • working age adult and older age liaison
  • eating disorders

Trainees receive a bespoke induction into working in psychiatry and have a dedicated Educational Supervisor who oversees the trainees regularly during their posts.

We provide excellent quality teaching sessions tailored for foundation trainees and led by consultant psychiatrists. This includes small-group and large-group learning and clinical simulation training.

There are numerous teaching, leadership and management opportunities for Foundation Year doctors including protected Balint groups held fortnightly and led by an accredited Balint group leader. Foundation Year doctors are also able to experience local “taster sessions” in a variety of specialties according to their individual interest.

Foundation Year 2 doctors will also take part in the psychiatry resident on-call rota.

Core trainees

The Leeds and Wakefield Core Training Scheme exposes trainees to a comprehensive range of clinical experiences over a three year rotational programme.  Trainees will gain competences needed in the assessment and management of psychiatric conditions across all ages, in a range of settings and with different levels of complexity.

All core trainees starting at CT1 will be registered to attend the Core Training Psychiatry Course (CPTC) at the University of Leeds. The content is primarily based on the Royal College curriculum and areas of core medical knowledge underpinning specialist training, and the list of topics included in MRCPsych examinations.

Formative Clinical Assessment (FACs) takes place at CT1 and CT2 levels.  In addition the Safer Care in Psychiatry Course (SCiP) has been running in LYPFT since August 2017. This course has been developed from Health Education England’s RAMPPS Course (‘Recognising and Assessing Medical Problems in Psychiatric Settings’) to meet the needs of our workforce.

All Trainees receive one hour a week supervision from their Consultant Clinical Supervisor.  Core Trainees are allocated an Educational Supervisor/Royal College Tutor who will provide career and pastoral support throughout core training.

There is an internal teaching programme which takes place monthly incorporating guest speakers, teaching and training.  In addition there is a junior doctors committee which takes place monthly.  Protected time is provided for teaching.

There are opportunities to teach medical students and core trainees lead on campus to clinic for 2nd year medical students..

Higher trainees

Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides twelve month placements for higher trainees. The Trust offers a variety of training posts in general adult, old age, psychotherapy, intellectual disability, forensic and child and adolescent.  Endorsements are available in liaison posts for general adult and old age.

We also offer higher trainees leadership and management development on the Mary Seacole programme (created by the NHS Leadership Academy in conjunction with internationally renowned business and academic experts Korn Ferry Hay Group).

There is a monthly regional higher trainees’ committee, which provides peer support with other trainees across the Yorkshire and Humber region (North, East and West Yorkshire).  Within the higher training committee there are also bi-monthly teaching sessions.  The programme is developed with the Director of Medical Education and higher trainees.  Protected time is provided to attend the Higher Training Committee.

The Trust hosts clinical and non-clinical sessions for higher trainees undertaking their personal development day.  Examples of non-clinical sessions include;

  • management shadowing with clinical leads and the Director of Medical Education,
  • Formative Assessment of Communication Skill facilitator (held at the University of Leeds)
  • Mary Seacole Programme
  • Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act special interest sessions

For clinical sessions, LYPFT offers personal development day opportunities in all core curriculum competencies for higher training and offer the following specialised sub-specialties;

  • Tertiary for Yorkshire Centre of Eating Disorders
  • Yorkshire Centre for Psychological Medicine
  • Old age and general adult liaison psychiatry
  • Peri-natal Psychotherapy and Early Intervention Psychosis