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ARCPOphthalmology Resident DoctorsSupported Return to Training
Please see the School of Ophthalmology ARCP pages for further information.
BMJ and HEE - Best Practice for Junior Doctors flyer
The Lead Employer's Respect and Dignity at Work policy can be downloaded from Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust's Lead Employer 'Policies and Forms' page (formerly St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust).
Please also see information on the GMC website.
COPMeD: Resident Doctors and clinical supervision at out-patient clinics
An e-learning module on 'Data Security Awareness' can be accessed through NHS England's e-learning for Healthcare website.
The Lead Employer's Code of Confidentiality policy can be downloaded from Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust's 'Our policies and procedures' page and there is also a social media policy which can be found on Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust's Lead Employer 'Policies and Forms' page. (Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust were formerly known as St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust).
4.11 There will be occasions when a postgraduate doctor in training progresses more rapidly than the expected rate of progress and in such cases, the award of an Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) Outcome 6 can be brought forwards. However, this can only occur if:
i. the individual has gained all the relevant capabilities required in the curriculum
ii. the individual has completed all the necessary examinations and assessments4.12 The early achievement of CCT needs to be planned via the ARCP process and would not normally be advanced by more than one year, the final opportunity to bring forwards the CCT date would normally be at the penultimate ARCP.
updated 23 Oct 2023
The RCOphth have reviewed their accelerated training policy in view of the transfer to a new curriculum in August 2024. Both application form and the revised guidance documents are once again available on their website.
Enhancing Junior Doctors’ Working Lives - a progress report 2018
HEE and EJDWL 2018 presentation by Dr Alistair Thomson
Enhancing Supervision for Resident Doctors
Enhancing Supervision for Resident Doctors – Handbook
The e-portfolio for ophthalmology is the FourteenFish. All postgraduate doctors in ophthalmology training are expected to engage with the e-portfolio to provide evidence of their progress in training which will be assessed at Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP).
There is a help section on the e-portfolio, or you can contact the Education and Training department at portfolio@rcophth.ac.uk
Added 26 March 2025
North West School of Ophthalmology Exam Support Padlet
Contact the Exam Support TPD: Fidan Jmor
NHS England will provide recompense for excess mileage expenses (payable at the reserve/PTR rate) incurred as a result of rotation when their home to place of work is more than 17 miles each way. Resident doctors appointed to single-site training programmes are not eligible to claim excess mileage as they are expected to live within a reasonable commute (less than 20 miles) of the place of work.
Excess mileage claims are managed by the Lead Employer on behalf of NHS England North West.
The policy and details on how to claim can be found on the Lead Employer website.
In 2025 the GMC survey will be available to complete from Tuesday 18 March to Tuesday 29 April 2025.
The Gold Guide is a Reference Guide for Postgraduate Specialty Training in the UK and is applicable to all resident doctors in training taking up appointments in specialty training which commenced on or after 1 August 2007. The tenth edition published in August 2024 replaces all previous editions of the Gold Guide with immediate effect and can be downloaded from the COPMeD website.
NHS England – North West's full LTFT guidance and application process can be found on the LTFT pages of this website and you can contact the LTFT via england.ltft.nw@nhs.net
COPMED - Principles for supporting programme management of LTFT resident doctors in training
Email from Jon Hossain RE: Educational Supervisors Less Than Full Time Training Package
Maintaining High Professional Standards (MHPS) in the modern NHS
"A Question of Balance" - Royal College of Surgeons
Presentation from Sara Dalby - Associate Lecturer, Winston Churchill Fellow
The Out of Programme (OOP) application form and information on the OOP process for NHS England North West can be found on the Out of Programme pages of our website.
Once your OOP application form has been signed by you, your AES and your TPD, please send the form and the supporting information to the NHS England North West School of Ophthalmology Admin Team who will seek approval from the Associate Postgraduate Dean.
Please also see the RCOphth website for information on their OOP processes.
If your post requires GMC approval, this will be applied for by the NHS England North West admin team once your application has been approved by the Associate Postgraduate Dean and the RCOphth.
Cancellation or Curtailment of OOP
If you want to cancel your OOP after it has been approved, or if you want to shorten your OOP, please complete the "OOP Cancellation and Curtailment form" available on the Out of Programme pages of our website.
Extending your OOP
If you would like to extend your OOP, you should complete the main OOP application form for the extension period (the extension start date should be the day after the currently approved OOP end date) and you should submit documentation explaining the reason you want your extension. Please note that an Educational Supervisors signature is not required for an OOP extension application.
A six-month Period of Grace (sometimes referred to as POG) is available to all resident doctors on a higher training programme (ST3+) or run-through training programme. Resident doctors in Core Surgical Training do not have access to a period of grace.
From August 2020 the way in which NHS England North West manages Period of Grace changed to be in line with NHS England's National policy. Resident doctors in run-through or higher training programmes with a CCT date after 1 February 2021 must give six-months notice of whether they would like their Period of Grace. Resident doctors will be contacted approximately seven months before their CCT date to complete a Period of Grace Request form. If no form is received, it will be assumed that the Period of Grace is not required and their employment will finish on their CCT date. If a doctor who indicated they would like a Period of Grace subsequently changes their mind, they will need to give the standard three months notice of resignation.
The Period of Grace policy can be found on the policies and procedures page of this website.
Please see the Resignation section below for further details on resigning.
You must ensure that all reflections in the portfolio, and used as evidence for appraisal and revalidation, must have any personal information that can identify individuals (including patient identifiers) or organisations removed prior to loading.
Recording of reflective practice - letter from Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and COPMeD Reflective Practice Toolkit
GMC - Reflective practice guidance
Upon resigning from a training post, the following notice of resignation is required from a doctor in postgraduate training:
| Type | Notice Period |
|---|---|
| Core Training (CT) | 1 month |
| Specialty Training (ST) - including run-through resident doctors at grades ST1 or ST2 | 3 months |
Resident doctors resigning from their training programme must advise the Lead Employer of their resignation by emailing lead.employer@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk within the above timescales.
Where a doctor wants to leave the training programme before completion of the required notice period, they must complete an Early Resignation Form and obtain approval from the Host Trust they will be based at on the date of leaving.
Please visit the Lead Employer's Online Forms page on their website and complete the Early Resignation Form.
If you have any queries about resigning, please contact the Lead Employer Team at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (formerly St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust).
Please visit the North West School of Ophthalmology SuppoRTT page and NHS England – North West's Supported Return to Training page.
Please see the NHS England - North West Revalidation pages for information.
The Revalidation team can be contacted by email on england.revalidation.nw@nhs.net
Please see the NHS England - North West Study Leave pages for guidance, application forms etc.
The Study Leave team can be contacted by email on england.studyleave.nw@nhs.net
Support for doctors - Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
NHS Practitioner Health is a free and confidential NHS service for doctors and dentists with issues relating to a mental health concern or addiction problem, especially where these may affect their work.
The service is open to any medical or dental practitioners in England, who are GMC or GDC registered, or those looking to return to clinical practice.
NHS Practitioner Health Leaflet
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 8am-2pm
Telephone: 0300 030 3300
Email: prac.health@nhs.net
Website: www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk
Please visit the North West School of Ophthalmology SuppoRTT page and NHS England – North West's Supported Return to Training page.
Time Out of Training - GMC position statement - November 2012
For details of who your TPD is, please see the TPD page.
Information on specialist support services for resident doctors who are experiencing difficulties which may affect their ability to train.
Page last updated: 25 September 2025