Career Break Guidance

Transcription

1 Cumbria and North East Career Break Guidance Policy implementation date: January P a g e

2 Contents Page no. 1. Introduction 3 2. Sick leave, support and your appraisal 3 3. Planning on working abroad 4 4. Planning a non-working career break 4 5. Maternity, paternity, adoption leave and your appraisal 4/5 6. Failure to notify NHS England of a prolonged period of leave affecting 5 your annual appraisal 7. Induction and Refresher Scheme 5 Appendices Appendix 1 Sick leave, support and your appraisal information sheet 6 Appendix 2 GP Health Service leaflet 7/8 Appendix 3 Planning on working abroad information sheet 9 Appendix 4 Planning a non-working career break information sheet 10 Appendix 5 Maternity, paternity, adoption leave information sheet 11 2 P a g e

3 1.0 Introduction 1.1 The Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) regulations 2010 and the Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) regulations 2013 require each body designated under the regulation to appoint a responsible officer who must monitor and evaluate the fitness to practise of doctors with whom the designated body has a prescribed connection. 1.2 In line with the Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) regulations, both 2010 and 2013, detail a requirement for the provision of a suitable appraisal process for licenced medical practitioners who have a prescribed connection to NHS England. Therefore, it is vital that if you are unable to complete your annual GP appraisal you inform the Responsible Officer. 1.3 If you plan to take some time out of UK practice to work, travel or live abroad, please let the appraisal team know of your plans. The Team will do everything possible to work with your plans. 1.4 If you intend to be away from the UK for two years or more, NHSE advice is to resign from the GMC register and the NPL (unless you return to the UK each year for work around 40 sessions and do an appraisal). 2.0 Sick leave, support and your appraisal 2.1 During your career it is possible that you may require allowances to be made in regards to sick leave due to illness. 2.2 NHS England are experienced in directing doctors to appropriate supportive resources available during times of illness, therefore contacting NHS England Appraisal Team on england.cnegpappraisals@nhs.net advising of an extended period of sick leave which may affect your GP appraisal or revalidation is important. This ensures that NHS England area aware of your circumstances and can support you where necessary. 2.3 If you are absent from practise in excess of a 6 month period, you may wish to consider return to work support via a NHS England GP Tutor, who are trained to provide such support to individuals. 2.4 It is to be noted that if you are absent from practise for more than one year NHS England may wish to meet with you to discuss supportive mechanisms and future plans which you may have. In addition, an absence from practise for two years or more will result in a requirement for the completion of the Induction and Refresher Scheme. Further information relating to the scheme is detailed in section 7 of this guidance document. 2.5 For further information relating to sick leave please refer to Appendix It is to be noted that support is available from the GP Health Service in relation to mental health issues, the leaflet publicised by the GP Health Service can be located at Appendix 2. 3 P a g e

4 3.0 Planning a period working abroad 3.1 If you are planning on working abroad it is important that you inform NHS England and your Responsible Officer. This communication can be achieved by ing the Appraisal Team at england.cnegpappraisals@nhs.net and completion of the NHS England postponement form, which can be located on the Appraisal section of the website. 3.2 At the time of your notification to NHS England you may be unsure of the duration of your working abroad, if this is the case it is important to update NHS England as soon as possible, once you are aware of when you may return to the UK. 3.3 It is to be noted that if you are absent from UK practise for more than one year NHS England may wish to meet with you to discuss supportive mechanisms and future plans which you may have. In addition, an absence from practise for two years or more will result in a requirement for the completion of the Induction and Refresher Scheme. Further information relating to the scheme is detailed in section 7 of this guidance document. 3.4 For further information relating to working abroad please refer to Appendix Planning a non-working career break 4.1 It is vital that you make contact with NHS England if you are planning a nonworking career break. In order to inform NHS England of your plans please the Appraisal Team at england.cnegpappraisals@nhs.net and completion of the NHS England postponement form, which can be located on the Appraisal section of the website. 4.2 It is to be noted that if you are absent from UK practise for more than one year NHS England may remove you from the Medical Performers List in accordance with Regulation 14 (5) of the NHS (Performers Lists)(England) Regulations 2013 (as amended). 4.3 For further information relating to non-working career break please refer to Appendix Maternity, paternity, adoption leave and your appraisal 5.1 Upon confirming your dates of leave with your employer please notify NHS England of the dates of your leave under maternity, paternity or adoption leave please the Appraisal Team at england.cnegpappraisals@nhs.net and completion of the NHS England postponement form, which can be located on the Appraisal section of the website. 4 P a g e

5 5.2 Confirmation of your leave will prompt the Appraisal Team to note your leave on the system to enable postponements or (if required) deferments of your GP appraisal. 5.3 For further information relating to maternity, paternity and adoption leave, please refer to Appendix Failure to notify NHS England of a prolonged period of leave affecting your annual appraisal 6.1 In accordance with the NHS England Medical Appraisal Policy, a failure to notify NHS England of a period of leave which may affect your annual GP appraisal may result in involvement of the non-participation process. 6.2 The non-participation process involved a 4 stage letter approach which may result in formal action under the NHS (Performers Lists)(England) Regulations 2013 (as amended) if an appropriate response or engagement is not received. 6.3 Therefore it is vital that all doctors aligned to NHS England Cumbria and North East inform the Appraisal Team of any period of leave, under this policy, which may affect their annual GP appraisal. 7.0 Induction and Refresher scheme 7.1 The Induction and Refresher Scheme (I&R scheme) provides a safe and supported route for qualified GP s to return to NHS general practice, for those GP s who have been absent from practise for 2 years or more. However, it is to be noted that the Responsible Officer has the direction to request completion of the I&R scheme if your absence is around 2 years (i.e. 23 months). 7.2 In order to be considered for the I&R scheme a GP must apply for the scheme via the NHS England Cheshire and Merseyside Team, who operate the I&R scheme on behalf of all NHS England offices. 7.3 The process of applying for the scheme is to submit an application form which can be located at and ing to IandR@hee.nhs.uk, this will begin the process of your application being considered. 7.4 For all queries relating to the I&R scheme please access the following web link; 5 P a g e

6 Appendix 1 Six-point information sheets for GPs Sheet 1 Sick leave, support and your appraisal 1 We fully appreciate that appraisal will be the last thing on your mind if you suddenly become unwell, and need time off from work All we ask, in the early stages of your sick leave, is that if your appraisal is due, you send the team a brief explaining your circumstances, so that we are aware of what is going on, and we will postpone your appraisal for an appropriate period if necessary 2 If you are off work with a mental health issue, please be aware of the help available from the GP Health service which can offer support to any GP or GP trainee who is registered on the National Performers List in England or, who is looking to return to clinical practice after a period of absence and has mental health or addiction concerns. Contact is by SELF-REFERRAL only : Web: Tel: gp.health@nhs.net 3 If your revalidation is due when you are off sick, this can still go-ahead if your previous year s appraisal was fully revalidation ready [with MSF complete etc]-otherwise your Revalidation date can be postponed for up to a year [longer than a year requires GMC involvement and an individual review ] 4 If you are off sick for more than 6 months you may want to consider some return to work support when you are able to plan your return. We use our GP Tutors [experienced GPs and appraisers, with educational expertise] to provide this support, which can focus on any of the challenges of the transition back into clinical work. Just let us know what you are planning and whether you would like any tutor input. 5 If you are off work for more than a year, PLEASE contact us and let us know your plans and intentions. The Academy of Royal Colleges says that all doctors out of work for more than a year should have some return to work support and we provide this via the GP Tutor network. This is particularly important for GPs who have to undergo formal re-entry assessment and update training if they are out of GP work for more than TWO years. Our aim is to work with you, and the GP Health service if appropriate, to get you back to work before the two year cut off period. Depending on your circumstances, we may ask you to sign a voluntary undertaking that you will not return to work without informing the appraisals team, and having some Tutor support. We will postpone your appraisal as needed but we would hope that you are able to keep some CPD going whilst on sick-leave to facilitate your return to clinical work [Your GP Tutor can help here] 6 If your period of sick leave extends to two years or beyond, please let us know your plans. It is likely that at this point we will ask you to sign a voluntary undertaking that you will not return to work without informing the appraisals team, applying to the Induction and Refresher Scheme [contact Dr Iain Lawther at HEE in the first instance iain.lawther@nhs.net] You will need a formal assessment of your skills/knowledge and then a funded programme of return to work support [usually for between 3 weeks and 6 months]in a practice with trainer, and an outcome assessment that you are competent to return to work independently Appraisal Telephone: england.cnegpappraisals@nhs.net Team 6 P a g e

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9 Appendix 3 Six-point information sheets for GPs Sheet 2 9 P a g e Planning a period working abroad 1 The most important thing to do is to make contact with the appraisals team as soon as you are planning your period working abroad. We will try to be as flexible as possible, bringing your appraisal backwards or forwards to fit in with your plans, and there should be no difficulty fitting your time away around your appraisal if you are going to be away from the UK for less than a year 2 If you intend to be away from the UK for between one and two years, then you will need to postpone your appraisal -use the form on the CNE appraisals website.if the timing of your period away is under your control, then leaving soon after your annual appraisal gives the maximum flexibility, with one postponed appraisal the following year, and a return to work appraisal when you get back to the UK, this gives you two years away without the need to resign from the NPL. 3 Please be aware that if you are out of UK practice for TWO or more years, you will need to resign from the NPL and to restart work you will have to undergo formal re-entry assessment and update training before you can re-join the NPL and return to clinical work. In these circumstances you will need to the Induction and Refresher Scheme [contact Dr Iain Lawther at HEE in the first instance iain.lawther@nhs.net] You will need a formal assessment of your skills/knowledge and then a funded programme of return to work support [usually for between 3 weeks and 6 months]in a practice with trainer, and an outcome assessment that you are competent to return to work independently All of this takes some time and your return to UK practice will be much easier if your period away does not exceed 2 years 4 If you are working abroad, it is sensible to keep going with some UK based CPD, which will help your transition back to UK work. This can be internet based eg reviewing NICE guidance, doing some BMJ learning or doctors.net learning modules, reading the BMJ online etc Keep your CPD log going and if you have the opportunity to discuss and record a couple of case reviews or SEAs whilst you are away, this will be very helpful for your return to work appraisal when you come back to the UK. We feel that an appraisal soon after you return to the UK is helpful both to reflect on the experiences you have had whilst abroad, and to set a UK based PDP for your next appraisal, inline with the requirements of revalidation 5 Our aim is to support GPs to have the experience of working abroad and to make the transition back to UK work as smooth as possible. If you have been working abroad in a context very different from the UK, eg rural developing world, humanitarian assistance etc your transition back to the UK maybe challenging, and we are happy to offer GP Tutor support to help the re-entry process. GP Tutors are experienced GPs and appraisers, with educational expertise and they can work with you to define your educational needs after a period of absence and help you plan how to address these needs 6 If your revalidation is due when you are away from the UK, this can still go-ahead if your previous year s appraisal was fully revalidation ready [with MSF complete etc]-otherwise your Revalidation date can be postponed for up to a year [longer than a year requires GMC involvement and an individual review ] Appraisal Telephone: england.cnegpappraisals@nhs.net Team

10 Appendix 4 Six-point information sheets for GPs Sheet 3 10 P a g e Planning a non-working career break 1 The most important thing to do is to make contact with the appraisals team as soon as you are planning your non-working career break. We will try to be as flexible as possible, bringing your appraisal backwards or forwards to fit in with your plans, and there should be no difficulty fitting your time out around your appraisal if you are going to be away from practice for less than a year 2 If you are intending to be off work for more than a year, PLEASE contact us so that we are aware of your plans and we can advise you if necessary. The Academy of Royal Colleges says that all doctors out of work for more than a year should have some return to work support and we can provide this via the GP Tutor network. GP Tutors are experienced GPs and appraisers, with educational expertise and they can work with you to define your educational needs after a period of absence and help you plan how to address these needs. 3 We would strongly recommend that you keep going with some UK based CPD even if you are doing something completely un-medical whilst you are away from work, as this will help your transition back to clinical practice. This can be internet based eg reviewing NICE guidance, doing some BMJ learning or doctors.net learning modules, reading the BMJ online, or attending occasional meetings or peer group learning sessions etc Keep your CPD log going with a note of your reflections from any formal learning you do, and you can also include any relevant learning from non-work activities such as travelling, carer responsibilities etc 4 If you intend to be away from clinical work for between one and two years, then you will need to postpone your appraisal -use the form on the CNE appraisals website.if the timing of your period away from work is under your control, then leaving soon after your annual appraisal gives the maximum flexibility, with one postponed appraisal the following year, and a return to work appraisal when you get back to work, this gives you two years away without the need to resign from the NPL 5 Please be aware that if you are out of UK practice for TWO or more years, you will need to resign from the NPL and to restart work you will have to undergo formal re-entry assessment and update training before you can re-join the NPL and return to clinical work. In these circumstances you will need to the Induction and Refresher Scheme [contact Dr Iain Lawther at HEE in the first instance iain.lawther@nhs.net] You will need a formal assessment of your skills/knowledge and then a funded programme of return to work support [usually for between 3 weeks and 6 months]in a practice with trainer, and an outcome assessment that you are competent to return to work independently This whole process can take some time and for a smooth transition back to clinical work we would strongly recommend planning a maximum of around 18 months of time away from clinical work. 6 If your revalidation is due when you are away from the UK, this can still go-ahead if your previous year s appraisal was fully revalidation ready [with MSF complete etc]-otherwise your Revalidation date can be postponed for up to a year [longer than a year requires GMC involvement and an individual review ] Appraisal Telephone: england.cnegpappraisals@nhs.net Team

11 Appendix 5 Sheet 4 Six-point information sheets for GPs Maternity/paternity/adoption leave and your appraisal 1 The most important thing to do once your leave is planned,is to make contact with the appraisals team.we will try to be as flexible as possible, bringing your appraisal backwards or forwards to fit in with your plans, and there should be no difficulty fitting your time out around your appraisal if you are going to be away from practice for less than a year 2 If you are intending to be off work for more than a year, PLEASE contact us so that we are aware of your plans and we can advise you if necessary. The Academy of Royal Colleges says that all doctors out of work for more than a year should have some return to work support and we can provide this via the GP Tutor network. GP Tutors are experienced GPs and appraisers, with educational expertise and they can work with you to define your educational needs after a period of absence and help you plan how to address these needs. 3 We would strongly recommend that you keep going with some UK based CPD whilst you are away on parental leave, as this will help your transition back to clinical practice. This can be internet based eg reviewing NICE guidance, doing some BMJ learning or doctors.net learning modules, reading the BMJ online, or attending occasional meetings or peer group learning sessions etc Keep your CPD log going with a note of your reflections from any formal learning you do, and you can also include any relevant learning from your carer responsibilities 4 If you intend to be away from clinical work for between one and two years, then you will need to postpone your appraisal -use the form on the CNE appraisals website.if the timing of your period away from work is under your control, then leaving soon after your annual appraisal gives the maximum flexibility, with one postponed appraisal the following year, and a return to work appraisal when you get back to work, this gives you two years away without the need to resign from the NPL 5 Please be aware that if you are out of UK practice for TWO or more years, you will need to resign from the NPL and to restart work you will have to undergo formal re-entry assessment and update training before you can re-join the NPL and return to clinical work. In these circumstances you will need to the Induction and Refresher Scheme [contact Dr Iain Lawther at HEE in the first instance iain.lawther@nhs.net] You will need a formal assessment of your skills/knowledge and then a funded programme of return to work support [usually for between 3 weeks and 6 months]in a practice with trainer, and an outcome assessment that you are competent to return to work independently This whole process can take some time and for a smooth transition back to clinical work we would strongly recommend planning a maximum of around 18 months of time away from clinical work. 6 If your revalidation is due when you are away from work, this can still go-ahead if your previous year s appraisal was fully revalidation ready [with MSF complete etc]-otherwise your Revalidation date can be postponed for up to a year [longer than a year requires GMC involvement and an individual review ] Appraisal Telephone: england.cnegpappraisals@nhs.net Team 11 P a g e