General Practice SPIN &
Newly Qualified Fellowships Programme
for Newly Qualified GPNs
General Practice SPIN &
WHAT IS IT?
- 1 or 2-year programme of support for new to practice nurses
- Aimed at improving recruitment into substantive posts within General Practice, and enriching the availability of skills and portfolio working within PCNs
- You take up a substantive contract, and you select an area of interest/development for you to pursue over 2 years: the Fellowship
- You are released for 1 or 2 paid session per week to enable you to pursue your Fellowship interests.
- You also gets other benefits, such as funded mentorship, a CPD grant and peer support sessions.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR THIS?
- The scheme is open to ALL GPNs
- who are new to general practice and within one year of moving to general practice
- OR who qualified within the last 12 months, or will be due to qualify soon in anticipation of taking a substantive post in a practice, a PCN, cluster of PCNs or another body.
- There is scope to extend the post-qualifying period to 18 months in the instances of being in GPN Academic and Foundation Programme, maternity/adoption/parental leave, long-term sickness or other caring responsibilities. Please check with your Training Hub lead.
- You must hold a substantive, permanent contract. (You can apply even whilst trainee, but funds will be released once your employment starts.)
WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?
Option 1:
The first option you have is the SPIN model. The preferred model is that you work 1-7 sessions as a GPN, and an additional 2 sessions in your chosen Fellowship interest using one of the available models: E.g. attending a speciality outpatients, CCG work, Training Hub work etc. Your practice will be paid for these additional 2 sessions.
Your local Training Hub will also be able to advise you on any local options.
There is no funding direct to fellows. Your practice will receive two sessions per week reimbursement so you can participate in Fellowship activities. In addition, your practice will receive 30% on-cost for tax, NI and pension.
- If you are doing 9 clinical sessions in total, your practice will be able to use the reimbursement to release you from the practice.
- If you are working less than full time and doing your fellowship sessions in addition to your clinical sessions, your practice will transfer the reimbursement to you.
Option 2:
If Option 1 doesn’t appeal to you, then you can make your own arrangements to pursue your area of interest during your 1 session per week entitlement. Your Practice, Training Hub and Fellowship PD would need to approve your plan.
You are released from Practice for 1 session per week during which time you attend to your own fellowship commitments. E.g. attend rheumatology outpatients clinics.
There is no funding direct to fellows. Your practice will receive two sessions per week reimbursement so you can participate in Fellowship activities. In addition, your practice will receive 30% on-cost for tax, NI and pension.
- If you are doing 9 clinical sessions in total, your practice will be able to use the reimbursement to release you from the practice.
- If you are working less than full time and doing your fellowship sessions in addition to your clinical sessions, your practice will transfer the reimbursement to you.
Option 3:
HEE are offering a limited number of places across London on a Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Practice, to experienced General Practice Nurses (GPNs).
Course Overview
This course helps develop systems leadership and workforce transformation skills through delivery of quality improvement projects. The course consists of 3 modules (60 credits), delivered over 12-months. Learners must be able to commit 1 day per week to study days and taught sessions. Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Practice.
Support funding and spaces available
• Places fully funded by HEE (incl. bursary of 11,000 per nurse)
• 5 spaces across London – 1 place per London ICS area
“During my PGCert I had the opportunity to learn about leadership in healthcare, my leadership style, and emotional intelligence. In my nursing career I had not previously had the chance to learn how to lead, but now I can say that I am more confident and more effective in my clinical and non-clinical leadership roles.”
Eligibility criteria
• Working at an appropriate leadership/advanced level
• Be an independent prescriber
• Has seen all undifferentiated illness in primary care
• Has significant primary care / general practice experience
• No minimum timeframe from qualification
Interested?
To find out more or express your interest, please contact NEL GPN Programme Director Charlotte Cooley (charlottecooley@nhs.net) by Monday, 15 August 2022.
Option 4:
HEE are offering a limited number of places across London on a Postgraduate Certificate in Education.
Five places are available pan-London (One per ICS area). Funding as follows:
- up to £4k tuition
- £5k supervision education support package to employing practice
Training Hubs to identify one GPN per ICS to take up this offer; and identify and select an appropriate course at a HEI.
Interested?
To find out more or express your interest, please contact NEL GPN Programme Director Charlotte Cooley (charlottecooley@nhs.net)
WHAT THE DEAL?
- You can get one or two sessions per week for Fellowship activities. It is a structured and supported programme.
- In addition, you receive a CPD grant.
- You receive induction and appropriate supervision and support in your Practice.
- You receive free access to a trained mentor with whom you meet quarterly for external and independent support.
- You participate in monthly peer support sessions (2hrs). The Practice gives you paid time off to attend these.
- The Training Hub will support you throughout your journey, from choosing your project to final evaluation. HEE/NHSEI will be evaluating the scheme, and you might want to evaluate your particular Fellowship as well.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF ME?
- You find a Practice in NEL. We will share vacancy data with you, which will help you.
- You negotiate T&Cs, pay, hours of work, etc. as you normally would. You sign an employment contract (or partnership deed)
- You look at the options available and liaise with your employer/PCN/Training Hub about your interests – your fellowship plan. They may be able to guide you in terms of how valuable or useful it is likely to be, for example.
- You and your Practice will sign and commit to an MoU.
- You take part in the core activities (practice induction, peer support and mentorship sessions, evaluation). This will normally be from the protected time that you receive.
OK, I’M IN. WHAT DO I DO?
- Complete the brief online form to formally notify the central NEL team. It’s brief, but important: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NELFELLOWSHIP
- Let your local training hub clinical lead know if you’re looking for a job. We keep a list of vacancies.
- You can directly look for vacancies through word or mouth or other means. If you find a job in that way, you are still eligible to take part, provided you meet the criteria.