NCA Foundation Programme Director

The NCA Foundation Programme Director (FPD) is responsible for the overall organisation, management, and quality control of the Foundation Programme across the Northen Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. The FPD will work with educational leads to ensure that each placement/track of the programme meets the required national standards for training. This will allow trainees to access a comprehensive range of experiences and resources enabling them to meet curriculum & competency requirements for full GMC registration and completion of their Foundation training. The FPD will ensure there are robust systems in place to deliver both educational and pastoral support to trainees across the organisation.

The FPD will work closely with the other Foundation faculty members for effective development and implementation of strategy and practice, through involvement in the formal and informal forums for debate and updating. The FPD will ensure the NCA is appropriately represented in recruitment of Foundation trainees as well as those involved in any aspect of Foundation training.

The post holder will work closely with the Postgraduate Medical Education Head of Service /Deputy Head of Service to ensure an administrative service is provided by the NCA PGME Foundation Hub.

The appointment is for 1 year initially, to be renewed for a further 3 years based on satisfactory progress & performance.

• Programme Organisation


• Quality Management


• Recruitment


• Assessment


• Trainee Support


• Trainer Support


• Line Management of Foundation Clinical Team


Main duties of the job

Programme Organisation

• Overall responsibility for the provision of a high-quality foundation training programme which meets General Medical Council (GMC), and NHS England Education Northwest (NHSE ENW) standards, supported by in-depth knowledge of the Foundation curriculum.



• Ensure all posts are set within high quality learning environments which ensure safe patient care through excellent clinical supervision.



• Work with the local lead educators (Directors of Medical Education, GP Programme Directors and TSTLs) to ensure each placement/track in the programme provides high quality experience and meets the educational and training competencies for the national Foundation Curriculum and Foundation Reference Guide.



• Oversee an appropriate induction to the training programme, to each post, for all new trainees, highlighting NHS values and encouraging trainees to reflect on how their values map to the NHS values.



• Promote workplace learning that is learner-centred and makes use of current best practice in adult learning techniques.



• Lead delivery of a high-quality interactive teaching programme, ensuring trainees can feedback on the quality of the sessions.



• Liaise with local educators, clinical leads, service managers and other stakeholders, to ensure Trust staff are familiar with the requirements of the training programme and trainees are released for the teaching programme.



• Lead annual reports to the local Foundation board and NHSE Foundation School to demonstrate that the programme is meeting the required standards and to develop and implement action plans to address any areas of underperformance.



• Ensure all Clinical and Educational supervisors are appropriately trained for their role and educational supervisors are familiar with the local and national process; ensure documentation is completed prior to full GMC registration, to support completion of Foundation training and revalidation.



• Overall responsibility for the Foundation Academic Programme ensuring an academic lead is in place and support meetings for academic trainees take place in FY1.



• Lead on reports required for NCA PGME meetings, board meetings, and NCA PGME Annual Reports.



• Chair and contribute to monthly NCA PGME Foundation Hub meetings.


Quality Management

• Work with the Deputy Dean and the Quality Team in NHSE to monitor the quality of the programme. Ensure an effective process for trainees to feedback on their placements, which may be confidential where necessary.



• Work with the Deputy Dean in implementing the NHSE office policy, criteria and standards for the appointment and re-appointment of supervisors, ensuring GMC standards.



• Work with the Deputy Dean to review training data including the GMC survey, identify trends and ensure appropriate responses and actions are taken.



• Assist the Deputy Dean in preparation for GMC inspections of NHSE's North West office.


Recruitment

• Support the Foundation School in national and regional recruitment activities by ensuring representation from the Trust.



• Ensure the Trust is appropriately represented at centrally organised events related to recruitment, such as shortlisting days and interviews.



• Produce materials and publicity information for trainees and prospective trainees about the local programme and training opportunities to ensure effective recruitment.


Assessment

• Support the Deputy Dean and NHSE operational staff to ensure there are effective ARCP processes in place which are compliant with the Foundation Programme Reference Guide.



• Overall responsibility to support Educational Supervisors in ensuring trainees collect required documentation for their ARCP panel and provide feedback to educational supervisors on the quality of their reports on trainees' progress.



• Overall responsibility to support Educational Supervisors in ensuring ARCP panel recommendations for individual trainees are put into effect.


Trainee Support

• Deliver a high-quality interactive teaching programme for all trainees and ensure their duties are arranged to ensure attendance



• Facilitate the organisation and delivery of teaching/education/ simulation sessions



• Identify and ensure the aspects of the specific and generic competencies that are best taught in a peer group setting and arrange a suitable programme



• Link the educational teaching programme to the curriculum and map the competency opportunities



• Work with the local lead educators and Trust colleagues to ensure that services are familiar with the timetable for Foundation training and that routine activities are minimised for this period



• Define the educational aims of each teaching session, consider the most effective educational method and most effective facilitator, thereby producing a trainee-centred interactive educational programme



• Evaluate the teaching programme, giving feedback to clinical and educational supervisors and producing reports as appropriate



• Ensure all trainees have access to well-informed and appropriate careers advice and counselling, liaising with the NHSE Careers Team.



• Ensure trainees have appropriate pastoral care enabling them to achieve their full potential.



• Ensure trainees not meeting the required standards are identified early, that the 'Trainee Requiring Extra Support' procedure is followed and that Trainee Revalidation Exception Reports are submitted to NHSE. This will include working with the local patch Associate Dean and the Associate Dean for Foundation Trainees.


Trainer Support

• Ensure all Clinical and Educational supervisors for Foundation trainees are appropriately trained & developed and meet the GMC standards.



• Overall responsibility to ensure TSTLs in the Trust are well briefed on the Foundation Curriculum and Reference Guide requirements so that posts provide high quality experience which meets the UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) and GMC standards.



• Provide an educational contribution to the annual appraisal/review of F2 GP supervisors to ensure support and development of the trainers is fit for purpose.



• Support the GP Associate Director or the local GP Programme Director (as appropriate) in the revisit/re-approval of GP Trainers.



• Devise effective methods of selection, reselection, and appraisal of Clinical and Educational supervisors in conjunction with the NCA DPGME, HR departments (Recruitment and selection, Clinical Directors, and NHSE ENW.


Line Management Duties

• Line management and annual educational/role appraisal of NCA Associate Foundation Programme Directors (AFPDs), within the NCA PGME Clinical Leadership team.



• Ensure an up-to-date Associate Foundation Programme Director (AFPD) job description is maintained to enable full coverage of the responsibilities, duties and benefits of the programme and trainees.


NCA Specific

• Bring together the historic Salford Care Organisation (SCO) and Bury, Rochdale, Oldham Care Organisation (BRO) Foundation Programmes into one NCA Foundation Programme, ensuring equity across all the NCA sites.



• Provide reports to the NCA Director of Postgraduate Medical Education monthly for submission to the NCA PGME Subgroup.



• Overall responsibility to ensure Trainee Revalidation Exception Reports are submitted to NHSE ENW.



• Chair the monthly Foundation Planning Board.



• Support the delivery of Grand Rounds across the NCA.


Partnership Working

• The requirement to interact with others to achieve the objectives or purpose of the post. This will range from co-operating with other team members to multi agency working.
  
  GMC Accredited Clinical Supervisor (Certified and on NHSE Register).



• GMC Accredited Educational Supervisor (Certified and on NHSE Register).


Desirable criteria


• Postgraduate Qualification in Education.


Experience

Essential criteria


• Experience in a senior medical education Role e.g.: o College Tutor o Specialty Tutor o Foundation Tutor o Trust Specialty Training Lead o Training Programme Clinical Lead
  
  The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) provides hospital and integrated health and social care services to over one million people living across Greater Manchester. Our 20,000 colleagues care for people in hospital and in the community, working across Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Salford, to save and improve lives.


As a large NHS trust we are committed to enhancing the health of our local population by delivering consistently high standards of care and working closely with local authorities and key partners. We believe in our power and potential to make a difference and we're always looking for people who demonstrate our three core values - care, appreciate and inspire - to join our team.

In return, we can offer you a job role with purpose and flexibility. The size and scale of the NCA means we can provide more challenge and opportunities so your career can always be moving in the right direction. By joining us you can also access a competitive benefits package, including, a fantastic annual leave allowance, flexible working opportunities and protected hours for health and wellbeing activities, helping you to achieve more personal downtime and a better work-life balance.