GP Fellowships and Mentoring - £10000 a year?

Details have come out about a new fellowship scheme which will be available to all newly qualified GPs (and nurses) working in Primary Care. It will be offered to all newly qualified GPs in a fellowship scheme which will provide at least 1 hour of mentor-ship every 4 weeks and at least 6 sessions of coaching over the 2 years. Locums cannot apply, it is aimed for salaried GPs though partners can apply. It is also offered to nurses interested in primary care but I will not cover that here.

You would sign up to a 2 year scheme  and participants receive funded mentor-ship and funded CPD opportunities of one session per week (pro rata), and rotational placements within or across PCNs to develop experience and support transition into the workforce.

To allow this to happen, the NHS will pay £10,200 to the practice to release their GP fellow out for a session a week for their CPD and also mentor-ship. Over the 2 years, it will form a sort of curriculum which I assume will make the doctor more ready for partnership as there is lot about how to manage a practice in it. Below is the example curriculum that is proposed.

Year 1

Year 2 

For this to work they will need GP mentors to look after the new fellows.

To be eligible to participate in the scheme, the prospective GP mentor must:

•             Be a GP, either as a partner or in a salaried post, working in general practice who holds full registration and a licence to practise with the General Medical Council (GMC)

•             Meet the requirements for remaining on the NHS England GP Performers List and report to NHS England any concerns that might affect their status on the National Medical Performers List and

•             Not be subject to interim suspension under section 41A of the Medical Act 1983

•             Commit to deliver one session of mentoring every week

They will be reimbursed £289 a week for this one session, which will capped at a maximum of £10,115 a year (assuming 35 weeks worked). It is likely you will have to manage 4-6 mentors at once through the year. It is aimed for partners and those in leadership roles, and those nearing the retirement are encouraged to sign up to pass on their experienced.

It sounds like an interesting scheme, and I hope it takes off to support new GPs as leave training. I wonder if in the future it may form part of the compulsory training of becoming a GP, and bring training times up to what other specialties are like.

LINKS : Supporting Mentors Scheme Guidance,  General Practice Fellowships operation guidance

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