Dear NELG Member,
Here is this month's education information.
This programme has been running for nearly 3 years to provide an opportunity for sessional GPs to learn together with their peers. Many sessional GP have valued this environment where they can get to know their fellow GPs, from similar professional backgrounds and feel safe asking questions which they might not otherwise feel included to do amongst strangers.
It runs on the 1st Wednesday of every month at the Tomlinson teaching centre, Newcastle General Hospital, at 8pm (after the NELG business meeting). It is open to all sessional GP and is often attended by principals who also do some sessional work.
Forthcoming dates are:
7TH NOVEMBER ATRIAL FIBRILLATION AND FATS (LIPID) GUIDELINES- JAN SKINNER
5th December- Food allergy and intolerance- Gillain Vance
January- No meeting.
6th February-Chronic fatigue syndrome- Dr Spickett
Appraisal management systems across the deanery have changed reflecting PCT re-organisations. Updated contact details are available on the NELG appraisals page.(www.nelg.org.uk ).
It is a requirement for remaining on a performers list; many PCTs and long with the CSA are moving towards tighter management of these lists with potential removal of doctors who do not take up offers of appraisal.
It should (and can !) be a helpful formative experience specially when returning from a career break
It is likely to make it easier for you to prepare and undergo revalidation
It helps inform your practice or the PCT about your developmental needs.
For more information about appraisal you may wish to consider:
Reading the NELG appraisal toolkit which can be downloaded from page: http://www.nelg.org.uk/content/Appraisal%20and%20Revalidation
Download appraisal forms from the DOH website:
http://www.doh.gov.uk/pricare/gpAppraisal.htm
http://www.doh.gov.uk/gpAppraisal/index.htm
This transition offers many opportunities to see a variety of practice settings, and to allow more opportunities for longer breaks or part-time working, and exploring other portfolios. Some GPs however find this experience isolating and miss the sense of belonging to a practice and having a regular peer group to discuss professional experiences and cases. It will also be your first year undergoing a formal appraisal and this can be specially challenging for locums. Here are few things you can do which you may find helpful:
1. If working regularly at one practice ask to attend their clinical meetings
2. Take all informal opportunities to discuss cases with colleagues, even where you just wish to exchange views
3. Ask for practice induction packs when starting a locum
4. Check out what educational events are available (see the NELG education /events page of the NELG website)
5. Join or form a self directed learning group (more information about these on the nelg website
6. Access opportunities for Mentoring, or co-mentoring- these too are listed on the NELG website, and if you want an NELG mentor (e.g. another locum) you need to be an NELG member.
7. Dont leave you appraisal to the last minutes- look at the Appraisal toolkit document written with sessional GPs in mind- it is available on the NELG appraisals page.
8. Contact your PCT appraisal manager to ask for a list of appraisers and any other appraisal information which the PCT produces for its GPs.
9. Keep a diary of the educational events you attend and your reflections as well as clinical queries you come across.
10. Consider attending the monthly sessional GP lecture programme which is held every at 8pm on the first Wednesday of every month at the Tomlinson teaching centre.
11. Find out who organises educational events in your PCT (GP tutors are listed on the northern deanery website: educational contacts are listed on the Education Contacts page of the NELG website or against PCT time out events) and aks to join their mailing list to obtain information directly from them.
12. Join the National Association of Sessional GPs it is a well established organisation providing lost of useful advice.
13. Sign up to receive the BNF posted directly to your home.
14. Sign up for Chief Medical Officer Cascade Alerts cascade alerts by email by emailing
15. icdb1@dh.gsi.gov.uk and ask to be added to the public health link mailing
list giving your full name, job title, job role (if different to your job
title), workplace organisation name and full address (including postcode),
email, fax and telephone details.
Following the meeting held in February 2007 about these lost of you have taken further steps to form SDLGS and are finding this a valuable complement to other individual and group educational activities. To find out more about this have a look at the NELG page on http://www.nelg.org.uk/content/Education%20and%20CPD.
I am interested in learning from the experience of recently formed groups in order to develop and share good practice and further promote this initiative. I would be interested in hearing from GPs currently involved in SDLGs about their experiences.- please email me pfwright@doctors.org.uk (Gp tutor)
Educational events are posted regularly on the NELG website. To obtain automatic notification of these join NELG (www.nelg.org.uk) or consult the education page on that website.
The BMA GPC document "Focus on Salaried GPs" has been revised and republished and is available on the BMA website under Sessional GPs.