Peninsula & Severn Foundation School Guidance:
Psychiatry Foundation Fellows
The Psychiatry Foundation Fellowship Programme is a joint initiative by NHSE and the Royal College of Psychiatrists with the intention of improving exposure to mental health throughout Foundation training and encouraging recruitment to core psychiatry training.
The Psychiatry Foundation Fellows have been recruited through an extremely competitive process and have strong academic credentials as well as an interest in mental health. It is anticipated that they will also contribute to the departments they work in as mental health champions and providing a link to the local mental health trust.
Foundation psychiatry fellows will be expected to attend additional activities relating to their interest in psychiatry and mental health in addition to the requirements of the foundation programme. These will include 3 development days across each 12 months of the foundation programme and attendance at the Royal College of Psychiatrists International Congress annual meeting.
The following statements set out the expectation for the foundation school and individual fellow to manage the objectives associated with the role of foundation psychiatry fellow.
- The Foundation School fully supports foundation doctors who are appointed to a Psychiatry Foundation Fellow (PFF) role and is committed to supporting activity connected to this role
- Foundation psychiatry fellows should ensure good communication with clinical and educational supervisors so they are aware of their psychiatry related activities. These are additional to the general foundation programme requirements and should not affect the completion of the standard programme
- Foundation psychiatry fellows must give adequate notice to supervisors, colleagues and rota coordinators of the need for attendance at PFF related activity
- Psychiatry fellows must ensure that attendance at any additional activities, e.g. Balint group, is balanced against the service and educational/training requirements of each foundation placement
- The GMC 20 days statutory leave cannot be used in a planned way to cover leave required to attend events.
- Self Development Time (SDT) must not be used for PFF activities. SDT time is for activities related to completing the requirements of the general foundation programme
- Clinical and educational supervisors should support the psychiatry fellows to attend additional activities as appropriate and in balance with the service and educational / training requirements of each foundation placement.
- The foundation education team at each employing trust should advise and support in situations where conflict is identified between attendance at PFF activity and the standard requirements of each foundation placement. Within reason, PFF activities should be accommodated if possible
- During F1, attendance at the 3 development days and annual congress should be facilitated by using a maximum of 5 days taster leave. This should be applied for through the usual study leave process and should be recorded on the foundation school study leave record and presented in the portfolio for ARCP. No other taster activity will be possible in F1.
- 5 days of taster experience in a different specialty can be applied for in F2
- During F2, attendance at the 3 development days should be facilitated by applying for study leave in line with any other career related activity.
- All expenses related to attending PFF activities should be covered by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The southwest study leave policy will not cover these expenses.
- Foundation doctors may need to use annual leave to facilitate additional leave.
This guidance will be reviewed a minimum of every 3 years and sooner if changes are made to the foundation psychiatry fellowships.
Sarah Rawlinson
Peninsula FSD
August 2023