As a newly qualified GP, CPTH’s General Practice Fellowship scheme is designed to provide you with a 2-year programme of support and education when you take up a substantive role in a Cambridgeshire & Peterborough practice.

You’ll benefit from a combination of early career learning, mentorship, peer support and coaching, to help you develop clinical and leadership skills and to facilitate development within your practice and across the wider Primary Care Network.

We are now able to offer fellowship places on the 2-year programme for any GP who

  • qualified in the last 12 months (rolling) and
  • is employed in a substantive post (salaried, partnership or fixed term contract for a minimum term of 2 years)

Fellowship Highlights

  • A SMOOTH TRANSITION: A structured and supported induction.
  • TIME TO LEARN: Weekly protected study time: 3 out of 4 sessions per month of practice-based learning or private study time.
  • TAILORED EDUCATION: 1 out of 4 sessions per month to learn alongside your peers at dedicated monthly Fellowship education sessions.
  • SKILLS DEVELOPMENT: Access to our Training Hub learning programme with a wide range of topics.
  • 1:1 GUIDANCE: A named in-practice mentor, protected mentoring time and individual attention.
  • NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES: Access to our First5 and other peer groups to help you build your new network of colleagues and clinical friends.
  • CAREER COACHING: Experienced coaches will help you explore issues, set goals and manage your progress.
  • FUNDING: A financial grant to your practice to support time to learn and mentoring.

  • Supporting transition from GP training to full case load of a GP.
  • Gaining clinical experience and confidence
  • Time to engage with QiP and practice organisation priorities in study time
  • Building local supportive relationships to continue through your career, particularly important for GPs moving into area from other training schemes.

 

Learning & Development:

  • Induction Pack
  • Weekly study session
  • Programmed monthly half day education sessions
  • Priority access to TH education and events programme on a wide range of population health, business skills and career development topics

 

Mentorship:

  • 1 hour per month of mentorship with assigned in-practice GP mentor
  • Training of mentors by CPTH
  • You will also have access to fully trained out of practice mentors to discuss career development

 

Peer Support:

  • Engagement in peer networking to share knowledge, experience and practical help with each other, via existing First5 network and other peer groups

  • Ongoing tailored education programme supporting appraisal and revalidation
  • Continue to build networks within the local clinical team,
  • Supporting developing specialist interests
  • Career guidance and support

 

Learning & Development:

  • Access to CPTH education and events programme
  • Access to CPTH directory of opportunities to further develop experience and knowledge in areas of specialist interest including placements and projects in clinical areas, research, education and  leadership
  • Small study budget allocated to Fellows for use in year 2
  • Leadership development

 

Mentorship:

  • Continued regular engagement with GP mentor
  • Access to coaching
  • Career development planning

 

Peer Support:

  • Continued participation in GP peer networks, via existing First5 network and other groups

Tailored Fellowship Programme

C&P Training Hub is developing a tailored programme of monthly education sessions that all GPs on the Fellowship scheme are expected to attend in protected learning time. The half day sessions (Thursday mornings) will be facilitated by the CPTH Early Career GP Lead and delivered by experienced clinicians and trainers. This programme is constantly evolving, you can keep up to date on our Fellowship Education Programme web page.

VIEW PAGE

 

Training Hub Learning Programme

Fellows will also have priority access to the Training Hub’s full learning programme. Check out the events calendar on our website for more information.

During your Fellowship you will be assigned an in-practice mentor who will provide a minimum of 1 hour of dedicated mentorship per month. Your mentor will work closely with you, providing frequent informal feedback, professional support and advice to help you benefit from:

  • A better understanding of the culture and structure of the organisation
  • Improved self-confidence
  • Increased skills and knowledge
  • A supportive environment in which progress, successes and failures can be evaluated
  • Provision of necessary support and information
  • Potential for increased visibility and demonstration of career focus and engagement

C&P Training Hub has a team of GP First5 Leads covering the area, building peer support networks for First5 GPs working around the three localities. The format of these varies including face-to-face or virtual evening meetings and WhatsApp groups, for First5 GPs to network, share thoughts, discuss challenges, and access one-to-one advice or signposting.

We also offer courses on facilitation and peer coaching, and the First5 leads are available to provide ongoing support to Fellows wishing to set up their own peer groups.

Funding is via a grant to the employing practice, there is no grant direct to fellows.

How to apply

Application is via your employing practice. If you are a newly qualified GP employed in a Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Practice then please ask your practice to consider enrolling you in the Fellowship scheme. The practice can submit an application prior to the start of your contract, or even if you are already in post, provided it is still within 12 months of qualifying.

More information for practices including details of funding can be found on our Fellowship in General Practice page for practices, and they can contact us by email with any queries or to register their interest in the scheme in principle whilst you undertake contract negotiations.

VISIT PAGE

If you are seeking employment, ask at interview whether the practice is already signed up to the scheme and if they are willing to enrol you in the Fellowship programme.

When your practice is ready to enrol you they can apply via our simple online application form

Questions?

If you have questions on any aspect of the fellowship, please do get in touch:

 

What our current fellows say…

“I have found the fellowship to be an invaluable experience and I would highly recommend it to other new GPs in the area.”

“The teaching sessions have all been excellent and covered a wide variety of clinical and non-clinical topics, including plenty of things that I wouldn’t have chosen myself. Also, through the Being a Portfolio GP speaker I managed to secure an extra post and now I work 2 sessions per week as a specialty doctor at iCaSH. The Fellowship session meant I was in the right place at the right time to access this opportunity.”

“Well structured, relevant and such an immense support for any newly qualified GP”

“The independent CPD time has been incredibly useful and I really appreciated the autonomy to design a programme that worked for my interests. I was able to make really constructive use of my CPD time in the second year, with the £400 study budget and the ‘Year 2 clinical opportunities pack’. I set-up a clinical placement with the Women’s Health Division at CUH, which was very useful and interesting both from clinical and networking perspectives. I also used my CPD time to complete courses in the menopause and sexual health.”

“Really quality teaching and excellent peer support”

“The small group peer support sessions have been very helpful, particularly at such a lonely time in General Practice.  It has also been useful to have protected time for mentoring, to be able to talk to a senior colleague about complicated cases or work-related issues.”

“There were points over the last two years when it was only the fellowship that kept me in my salaried role. I am very grateful for the support I received and for helping me to access coaching and mentoring which has given me a plan to continue my job in a way that feels sustainable. I feel very positive about work for the first time in months.”

“Fantastic networking opportunities!”

 

Living & Working as a GP in C&P

C&P Practices

Click to open interactive map of C&P practices

With over 90 GP practices now working in 21 Primary Care Networks, we have diverse patient populations, a talented and passionate workforce and a drive to deliver quality primary care at scale.

Our practices range in size from smaller family practices to large super practices, and we serve over one million patients from a mix of urban centres and rural communities across our 3 localities – Peterborough, Huntingdon & Fenland and Cambridge. This means plenty of opportunities to develop the skills and experience you need in a range of settings. We have big ambitions and we’d love you to be part of our future.

  • Excellent employment opportunities for newly qualified GPs and Nurses
  • Wide variety of options for flexible working and a portfolio GP career
  • General Practice Fellowship to help you transition to practice and develop your career
  • A forward-thinking Training Hub providing high quality learning
  • Cosmopolitan cities, busy market towns, idyllic villages and beautiful countryside
  • Affordable housing, excellent schools and a really strong sense of community
  • Plenty of sports and leisure facilities and quality eating, drinking and shopping
  • Excellent local and national transport links providing easy access to regional hubs, London and the rest of the UK

Our region offers a hard-to-beat combination of culture and heritage, scientific and cutting-edge technology, world-class educational institutions and progressive development.

Peterborough is an ambitious and rapidly growing but still affordable city of around 200,000 residents. There’s a wide choice of homes and leisure activities including an extensive network of urban and rural cycleways to get you out and about. Although rich in heritage, modern Peterborough is a vibrant melting pot of cultures, currently thriving with major programmes of retail, leisure, housing and business development plus a new university in the works.

Famed for it’s history and internationally renowned university, Cambridge is frequently ranked in the top best cities to live in the UK. At the heart of the high tech Silicon Fen, it has become a major centre for technology and medical research. Go punting along the River Cam, join a walking tour of the city or explore the narrow winding streets and green spaces from the seat of a bicycle. There’s also world-class shopping with The Grand Arcade and an abundance of
independent and speciality shops.

Further afield, medieval Ely with its magnificent cathedral is a popular and pretty riverside city that retains the friendly feel of a market town and has rapidly become one of the region’s most sought after locations. It combines stunning architecture and spectacular countryside with new housing development and good road and rail links to Cambridge and London.

Nestled between Peterborough and Cambridge, rural Fenland is renowned for it’s wildlife, quiet cyclist-friendly roads and extensive network of rivers for lazing about on. Historic Huntingdon is home to charming churches, markets, cafés, bars and restaurants. Nearby attractions include Huntingdon Racecourse and Grafham Water Centre for a wide range of outdoor activities.

We know you want to work in a supportive environment, with people who share your values and who want to work together to make a difference to the lives and health of the local community. Finding the right fit takes careful research so we’ve put together our top hints and tips to help you with your search. You can also contact the Training Hub if you have any questions or want more advice.

EXPLORE
The practice website – details on staff, team composition, access model, practice ethos and contact details should all be available.

READ
The last CQC report – don’t be put off by “requires improvement” – aim to understand the issues as identified by inspectors and explore the practice’s response to the most recent report.

REVIEW
Practice patient questionnaires at: www.gp-patient.co.uk/compare
Practice demographics and public health comparison metrics at: www.fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/
general-practice/
(As always, care should be taken with interpreting the data and understanding what this means in context.)

REQUEST
A copy of a proposed job plan, a standard day, and a copy of the practice standard contract before you visit.

VISIT
Aim to schedule your visit for a coffee break to meet the team on a ‘normal’ working day. It is reasonable to ask to see a clinic list from a similar role from the last week or two, to give you a feel for workload and team communication.

JOB PLAN
1. If the job description contains flexible sessions, what are they likely to entail?
2. How many sessions are there and what are the expectations in relation to their use?
3. If the post is on split sites, ask questions about how that would work for you.
4. Is the proposed job plan a long-term one? How is it likely to change after 1 year? 5 years?
5. Ask about special interests and how they fit within the job plan.
6. If you have interests which do not feature in the job plan, will there be opportunities to develop an involvement in those?
7. Nature of on calls.
8. Ask whether the practice has already signed up to participate in the GP Fellowship Scheme.

TEACHING
1. Ask about the links between the medical school and the practice.
2. Ask about the practice’s involvement with GP trainees and expectations with regard to your own responsibilities.
3. What about the opportunity to become a clinical supervisor (associate trainer) or educational supervisor (trainer)?
4. Are there particular areas which they feel would need to be filled by the new recruit?

RESEARCH
1. Is the practice involved with the CRN?
2. Are there opportunities or expectations to be involved with research work?

MANAGEMENT
1. What are the opportunities to develop an involvement in management within the practice?
2. Are there opportunities for an involvement at regional level (e.g. networks)?
3. What are the immediate needs for service improvement and service development within the practice?

PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES
It is sometimes worth raising problematic issues at this stage as the response you get may influence your decision to apply for the job or not. Issues might include:
1. Job sharing.
2. If the job is part-time, whether there may be opportunities to make it full time later on.
3. If you lack experience in one area but you know that you can gain that experience quickly if given a minimum of support, would this cause an issue for the practice?
4. If you have developed a lot of experience in an area of interest which is not immediately relevant to the job, will your experience be of use at some point in the future?