F1 Placement Descriptions

Employer information

The employer for these posts, except psychiatry, is Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The GWH is a modern medium sized acute NHS Foundation Trust providing emergency care, surgery, diagnostics, paediatrics, maternity, out-patient and day case services.

The hospital opened in December 2002, replacing the Princess Margaret Hospital in Old Town, Swindon. The GWH is superbly designed and equipped and offers a first class environment for patients, visitors and staff, with over 30% of our beds provided in single rooms with en-suite facilities, helping maintain patients’ privacy and dignity whilst under our care.

With more than 600 beds, the GWH offers a range of services and facilities from a busy Emergency Department, a dynamic radiology department and one of the best maternity units in the country which includes the new ‘White Horse Birthing Centre’.

Psychiatry and GP Placements

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will remain your employer during your psychiatry or GP placement.

Psychiatry placements are with Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP), a significant provider of specialist mental health services to adults and older people in: Bath and North East Somerset (BANES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Swindon.

They provide specialist drug and alcohol services and specialist and secure mental health services including prison mental health services, to people living across a wider area.

Increasingly AWP provide treatment and care in people’s own homes and other community settings, reflecting the preferences of our service users. AWPs community services are supported by high quality inpatient services that provide short term assessment, treatment and care.

F1 Placement Descriptions

Information on the placements that make up the F1 rotations at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Click on the specialty to learn more.

• F1 Acute internal medicine (AAU)

• F1 Cardiology

• F1 Endocrinology and diabetes mellitus

  Placement	F1 Endocrinology and diabetes mellitus Great Western Hospital
  The department	The Diabetes Care Team is made up of four Consultants, eight Diabetes Specialist Nurses, two Dieticians, two Podiatrists, a Clinical Psychologist, three Medical Secretaries and one Diabetes Specialist Nurse Secretary.
  The type of work to expect and learning opportunities	All F1 Doctors in hospital posts will generally be ward based during the ‘normal’ working day and expected to deliver the daily medical care of all the patients on their ward irrespective of specialty. The overall educational objectives of the F1 year are to provide the trainee with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to Take a history and examine a patient Identify and synthesize problems Prescribe safely Keep an accurate and relevant medical record Manage time and clinical priorities effectively Communicate effectively with patients, relatives and colleagues Use evidence, guidelines and audit to benefit patient care Act in a professional manner at all times Cope with ethical and legal issues which occur during the management of patients with general medical problems Educate patients effectively Become life-long learners and teachers
  Where the placement is based	Mercury Ward (Endocrine side) 18 beds
  Clinical Supervisor(s) for the placement	Allocated upon commencement of the rotation
  Main duties of the placement	The F1 doctor is responsible with other staff for the ward care of patients and the maintenance of the patient’s medical record. They are expected to attend the structured teaching programmes provided by the department. The doctor will be responsible for such other specific clinical duties as allocated by consultants including performing other duties in occasional emergencies and unforeseen circumstances.
  Typical working pattern in this placement	Mon: Ward work am. Consultant WR pm Tues: Ward round til lunch. Ward jobs afterwards Wed: Ward round til 1245. F1 teaching til 2pm. Jobs afterwards Thurs: Ward round all day different cons Fri: Ward til lunch. Departmental teaching at 1245 – 2pm. Jobs afterwards Sat: off or ward cover (1100 to 2000) Sun: off or ward cover (1100 to 2000) On call requirements: ONCE A WEEK, WARD COVER FROM 5PM TO 9PM. WEEKEND ONCALL EVERY FEW WEEKS

  It is important to note that this description is a typical example of your placement and may be subject to change.

• F1 Gastroenterology

  Placement	F1 Gastroenterology Great Western Hospital
  The department	Neptune Ward isa 39 bed medical ward which specialises in treating adult male and female patients with gastro-intestinal conditions. We are on Level 4 of the Great Western Hospital.
  The type of work to expect and learning opportunities	All F1 Doctors in hospital posts will generally be ward based during the ‘normal’ working day and expected to deliver the daily medical care of all the patients on their ward irrespective of specialty. The overall educational objectives of the F1 year are to provide the trainee with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to Take a history and examine a patient Identify and synthesize problems Prescribe safely Keep an accurate and relevant medical record Manage time and clinical priorities effectively Communicate effectively with patients, relatives and colleagues Use evidence, guidelines and audit to benefit patient care Act in a professional manner at all times Cope with ethical and legal issues which occur during the management of patients with general medical problems Educate patients effectively Become life-long learners and teachers
  Where the placement is based	Neptune Ward
  Clinical Supervisor(s) for the placement	Allocated upon commencement of the rotation
  Main duties of the placement	The F1 doctor is responsible with other staff for the ward care of patients and the maintenance of the patient’s medical record. They are expected to attend the structured teaching programmes provided by the department. The doctor will be responsible for such other specific clinical duties as allocated by consultants including performing other duties in occasional emergencies and unforeseen circumstances.
  Typical working pattern in this placement	Mon: Registrar Morning wards rounds/Jobs/ Consultant afternoon ward rounds Tues:   Consultant Morning ward rounds/afternoon registrar rounds/jobs Wed:  All day Registrar ward rounds/jobs afternoon journal club/ SWIFT teaching Thurs: Morning registrar ward rounds/ward jobs/consultant afternoon ward rounds Fri: Consultant morning ward rounds/ward jobs/Lunch time Gastro radiology meeting/registrar afternoon ward rounds Sat:    as per rota Sun:  As per rota    On call requirements:  Once weekly ward cover

  It is important to note that this description is a typical example of your placement and may be subject to change.

• F1 General psychiatry

• F1 General surgery

  Placement	F1 General surgery Great Western Hospital
  The department	The Surgical department comprises 3 Emergency and General Surgical Consultants, 3 registrars, an F2 and a team of nurses who are based in the Brunel Treatment Centre. They also cover General Surgical cases. SAU The Surgical Assessment Unit is currently an 15-bedded mixed-sex assessment unit for surgical patients located adjacent to A and E. At present there is the capacity to accommodate a further four patients who require surgical assessment on either chairs or within an extra bed area between 8am and 8pm There is a daily SAU clinic for assessment of surgical patients, run by the SAU consultants and staffed by the on-call junior staff.
  The type of work to expect and learning opportunities	You will gain experience in the identification, assessment and management of the common surgical emergencies. All F1 Doctors in General Surgery are team based, working in the firm with their seniors and are expected to deliver the daily medical care of all the patients under the care of their 3 consultants There is opportunity to attend theatre and outpatients for further training. The Great Western Surgical Department provides a dedicated week of F1 training in specialities allied to surgery, ENT, radiology, orthopaedics and breast imaging. Each F1 is assigned a week rotating through these departments and have 1 to 1 consultant led training. During this week F1s have no on call or ward commitments. It is an excellent opportunity to be trained in other skills. The educational objectives of the F1 year are to provide the trainee with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to Take a history and examine a patient Identify and synthesise problems Prescribe safely Keep an accurate and relevant medical record Manage time and clinical priorities effectively Communicate effectively with patients, relatives and colleagues Use evidence, guidelines and audit to benefit patient care Act in a professional manner at all times Cope with ethical and legal issues which occur during the management of patients with general medical problems Educate patients effectively Become life-long learners and teachers.
  Where the placement is based	Brunel Treatment Centre / SAU
  Clinical Supervisor(s) for the placement	Allocated upon commencement of the rotation.
  Main duties of the placement	The F1 doctor is responsible with other staff for the ward care of patients and the maintenance of the patient’s medical record. These duties will include the preoperative assessment and preparation of patients for elective or emergency inpatient surgery, postoperative assessment and management and effective discharge communication including ensuring appropriate follow-up arrangements. They will have opportunity to work with the consultants in outpatients clinics, attend theatre lists, and also take responsibility for identifying and managing problems arising in on the ward. The on call commitment includes exposure to both general surgical and urological emergencies. They are expected to attend the structured teaching programmes provided by the department. The doctor will be responsible for such other specific clinical duties as allocated by consultants including performing other duties in occasional emergencies and unforeseen circumstances.
  Typical working pattern in this placement	Daily- ward rounds with SHO and SpR assessing each consultants’ patients. Usually finished by lunchtime. Rest of day doing jobs/EDS/ etc. Mon: 8:00 – 18:00 Tues: 8:00 – 18:00 Wed: 8:00 – 18:00 12:30 -14:00 F1 teaching Thurs: 8:00 – 18:00 Fri: 8:00 – 18:00 On call requirements: Over 12 weeks - 7 days on call 08:00 – 21:00 and 7 nights 20:30 – 10:00 with annual leave and time in lieu in between Each F1 has at least one week of “rest” allocated as well as two weeks of annual leave in each 4 month attachment

  It is important to note that this description is a typical example of your placement and may be subject to change.

• F1 Geriatric medicine

  Placement	F1 Geriatric medicine Great Western Hospital
  The department	DOME is a Directorate of Adult Medicine and is responsible for a wide range of services including: Stroke TIA Movement Disorder Falls
  The type of work to expect and learning opportunities	All F1 Doctors in hospital posts will generally be ward based during the ‘normal’ working day and expected to deliver the daily medical care of all the patients on their ward irrespective of specialty.  The overall educational objectives of the F1 year are to provide the trainee with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to Take a history and examine a patient Identify and synthesize problems Prescribe safely Keep an accurate and relevant medical record Manage time and clinical priorities effectively Communicate effectively with patients, relatives and colleagues Use evidence, guidelines and audit to benefit patient care Act in a professional manner at all times Cope with ethical and legal issues which occur during the management of patients with general medical problems Educate patients effectively Become life-long learners and teachers
  Where the placement is based	Department Of Medicine for the Elderly (DOME)
  Clinical Supervisor(s) for the placement	Allocated upon commencement of the rotation
  Main duties of the placement	The F1 doctor is responsible with other staff for the ward care of patients and the maintenance of the patient’s medical record. They are expected to attend the structured teaching programmes provided by the department. The doctor will be responsible for such other specific clinical duties as allocated by consultants including performing other duties in occasional emergencies and unforeseen circumstances.
  Typical working pattern in this placement	Daily:  0900 – 1200 Ward round  Mon:  1500 discharge meeting. Tues:  Ward work Wed:  1230 – 1400 F1 teaching Thurs:  Ward work Fri:  Ward work        Teaching 1400-1500  One night oncall a week until 9pm One weekend oncall every 1:5 and 1:9 alternating    On call requirements:  1 month block oncall with 4 nights followed by: One week of 12-7pm shift Two weeks of 9-9pm with one 8-9pm shift 3 more nights 2 weeks annual leave Then 4pm – midnight for one week

  It is important to note that this description is a typical example of your placement and may be subject to change.

• F1 Intensive care medicine (ICU)

• F1 Old age psychiatry

  Placement	F1 Old age psychiatry Victoria Centre
  The department	The Victoria Centre located on the GWH site which provides inpatient services for older people with mental health problems.
  The type of work to expect and learning opportunities	The F1will be supervised by Dr Manchip, Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry. Trainees will be responsible, under supervision, for the day to day medical management of patients on the dementia assessment ward and the functional ward. In both case there will be a higher trainee covering the ward too  (for advice and for example to complete a section 5(2))  There will be one memory clinic/week. This will be under supervision and will be new assessments and cognitive testing for people with early dementia.  There is the opportunity for joint visits with other trainees into care homes and community- there will  be no visits alone.  Recent trainees have been encouraged in audit and in the last 3 years, 6 have had articles published in peer reviewed journals.  There is one hour weekly clinical/educational supervision. The consultant is directly contactable for advice.  There is a weekly academic programme that takes place every Wednesday afternoon.  There is also the Foundation Doctor training programme on the Great Western Campus site.  Opportunities are available to go out with the community team, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and OT to get a broad multi disciplinary experience.  The overall educational objectives of the F1 year are to provide the trainee with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to: Take a history and examine a patient Identify and synthesise problems Prescribe safely Keep an accurate and relevant medical  record Manage time and clinical priorities effectively Communicate effectively with patients, relatives and colleagues Use evidence, guidelines and audit to benefit patient care Act in a professional manner at all times Cope with ethical and legal issues which occur during the management of patients with mental health problems, special attention/training in this post is given to understanding of legal frameworks such as the Mental Capacity Act Educate patients effectively Become life-long learners and teachers.
  Where the placement is based	The Victoria Centre
  Clinical Supervisor(s) for the placement	Dr Simon Manchip
  Main duties of the placement	The F1 doctor is responsible with other staff for the care of patients and the maintenance of the patient’s medical record. They will have the opportunity to work with the consultants in outpatients clinics, and also take responsibility for problems arising in their area of Psychiatry.  They are expected to attend the structured teaching programmes provided by the department. The doctor will be responsible for such other specific clinical duties as allocated by consultants including performing other duties in occasional emergencies and unforeseen circumstances.  Assessment of Medically Ill Patients: Guidance for Foundation trainees.  As a Foundation doctor, you may be called on to assess patients who are medically unfit either in the psychiatry in-patient units or possibly in the community.  It is important to be aware that psychiatric hospitals do not have facilities to support patients with serious physical health problems and you are not in a position working in these settings to facilitate urgent investigation, or initiate immediate and complex treatment such as IV support, catheterisation. In many respects the support available may even be less than in a standard community setting as there is a lack of access to GP level medical advice. In the event that a patient needs more immediate and complex physical assessment, it is advisable to discuss with a senior psychiatry colleague and it is generally necessary to have these individuals seen in the nearest A&E department.  It would of course be helpful if a patient was referred, to discuss the case with the casualty team, while the transfer is being organised.  This would normally require an ambulance, which the in-patient team would generally organise.  As a Foundation doctor working in psychiatry, you would not normally be expected to initiate complex physical treatments.  If you are uncertain about appropriate physical care of an individual, you should always discuss this issue with a senior psychiatry colleague, who may be the local core/advanced trainee in your unit or your consultant or the consultant on-call.  It may be useful to contact the specialist team in the general hospital for advice, but where a complex decision is being made this should always be shared with senior colleagues in the psychiatric team, who will be responsible for the treatment while the patient is in a psychiatric hospital. Note that discussion of the physical problems with a more senior psychiatric colleague is not generally to get expert medical advice (bearing in mind that as the psychiatric specialists become more senior their physical medicine skills tend to become out of date), but to bring the concerns to their attention so they can advise on the need to contact local acute medical/surgical services and how best to do this.
  Typical working pattern in this placement	Mon 1000-1230  Functional Ward Round 1400-1630  Memory Clinic  Tue 1100- 1200  Supervision 1300-1400   Community team meeting 1400- 1630  Dementia care ward round  Wed 1000-1300    ward work 1400- 1700   teaching Thurs 1000- 1300   ward work 1400-1700    audit  Fri 1000-1300    ward work 1400 1700    admin  There is no on call, but the F1 may shadow one of the higher trainees on their on call during the day  Note: Access to a car preferable but not essential

  It is important to note that this description is a typical example of your placement and may be subject to change.

• F1 Paediatrics

• F1 Palliative medicine

• F1 Respiratory medicine

  Placement	F1 Respiratory medicine Great Western Hospital
  The department	The Respiratory department consists of 5 Consultants who are supported by a team of junior doctors and nurses. They provide care for patients with a wide range of general respiratory complaints as well sub-specialty areas including Sleep medicine, Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease, Interstitial Lung Disease and Lung Cancer.
  The type of work to expect and learning opportunities	All F1 Doctors in hospital posts will generally be ward based during the ‘normal’ working day and expected to deliver the daily medical care of all the patients on their ward. Whilst in the Respiratory attachment the F1 will be involved with the generic clerking of patients being admitted and the ongoing care of the patients in the unit. The overall educational objectives of the F1 year are to provide the trainee with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to Take a history and examine a patient Identify and synthesise problems Prescribe safely Keep an accurate and relevant medical record Manage time and clinical priorities effectively Communicate effectively with patients, relatives and colleagues Use evidence, guidelines and audit to benefit patient care Act in a professional manner at all times Cope with ethical and legal issues which occur during the management of patients with general medical problems Educate patients effectively Become life-long learners and teachers.
  Where the placement is based	Saturn Ward
  Clinical Supervisor(s) for the placement	Allocated upon commencement of the rotation.
  Main duties of the placement	The F1 doctor is responsible with other staff for the ward care of patients and the maintenance of the patient’s medical record. They are expected to attend the structured teaching programmes provided by the department. The doctor will be responsible for such other specific clinical duties as allocated by consultants including performing other duties in occasional emergencies and unforeseen circumstances.
  Typical working pattern in this placement	Mon 9am Board Round (all team &* nurse) followed by consultant WR 2pm Ward         Tues 9am -5 Ward cover Grand round 12.30 – 2pm Wed 9am ward cover 12.30 F1 teaching     2-5 ward cover Thurs 8am Lung CA MDT 10 am Consultant ward round Fri 9am Board Round 9.20 Ward Round with consultants 12.30pm Respiratory team teaching            On call requirements one twilight oncall shift a week (5-9)  and 1 weekend  and  then we rotate onto a 6 week acute medicine block for 6 weeks

  It is important to note that this description is a typical example of your placement and may be subject to change.

• F1 Trauma and orthopaedic surgery

• F1 Urology

  Placement	F1 Urology Great Western Hospital
  The department	The Urology Surgical department comprises 3 Consultants, junior doctors and a team of nurses who are based in the Brunel Treatment Centre. They also cover General Surgical cases. SAU The Surgical Assessment Unit is currently an 15-bedded mixed-sex assessment unit for surgical patients located adjacent to A and E. At present there is the capacity to accommodate a further four patients who require surgical assessment on either chairs or within an extra bed area between 8am and 8pm There is a daily SAU clinic for assessment of surgical patients, run by the SAU consultants and staffed by the on-call junior staff.
  The type of work to expect and learning opportunities	You will be attached to the Urology team with on call duties for both General Surgery and Urology where you will gain experience in the identification, assessment and management of the common surgical emergencies.   The Urology F1 Doctors work as a team with the urology registrar, staff grade and consultants. Most of the urology patients are based on one urology ward although the urology F1 may be caring for urology patients on other wards. The urology F1 will work on the urology firm There will be opportunities to attend theatre and outpatient clinics and endoscopy.  The Great Western Surgical Department provides a dedicated week of F1 training in specialities allied to surgery, ENT, radiology, orthopaedics and breast imaging. Each F1 is assigned a week rotating through these departments and have 1 to 1 consultant led training. During this week F1s have no on call or ward commitments. It is an excellent opportunity to be trained in other skills.  The educational objectives of the F1 year are to provide the trainee with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to Take a history and examine a patient Identify and synthesise problems Prescribe safely Keep an accurate and relevant medical record Manage time and clinical priorities effectively Communicate effectively with patients, relatives and colleagues Use evidence, guidelines and audit to benefit patient care Act in a professional manner at all times Cope with ethical and legal issues which occur during the management of patients with general medical problems Educate patients effectively Become life-long learners and teachers
  Where the placement is based	Brunel Treatment Centre / SAU
  Clinical Supervisor(s) for the placement	Allocated upon commencement of the rotation.
  Main duties of the placement	You will attend ward rounds and manage the ward patients on a daily basis with support from the Urology team. You will also be expected to attend operating theatre sessions where possible to develop an understanding of the principles underlying the practice of surgery. The F1 doctor is responsible with other staff for the ward care of patients and the maintenance of the patient’s medical record. They are expected to attend the structured teaching programmes provided by the department. The doctor will be responsible for such other specific clinical duties as allocated by consultants including performing other duties in occasional emergencies and unforeseen circumstances.
  Typical working pattern in this placement	Mon: 0800 Ward round with the Urology registrar Tues: 0815 MDT followed by ward round Wed: 0800 ward round / 1230 F1 teaching Thurs: 0800 ward round Fri: 0800 2 x consultant ward rounds  On call requirements:  Over 12 weeks - 7 days on call 08:00 – 21:00 and 7 nights 20:30 – 10:00 with annual leave and time in lieu in between  Each F1 has at least one week of “rest” allocated as well as two weeks of annual leave in each 4 month attachment

  It is important to note that this description is a typical example of your placement and may be subject to change.

This page was last updated March 3rd 2020 (3 years ago)