suppoRTT

What is SuppoRTT

Background

During the 2015-16 junior doctors' employment contract negotiations there was a necessary change of focus towards the issues and challenges experienced by doctors in training. It was recognised that a significant proportion of doctors - around 10%, would be out of postgraduate medical training at any given time.

In addition, there is robust evidence indicating that time out of practice can not only impact a clinician's competence and skills but also their confidence when returning to work. Therefore the 2016 Acas junior doctor contract agreement made a commitment to develop innovative evidence-based initiatives.

The aim of SuppoRTT is to "remove as far as possible the disadvantage of those who take time out due to for example caring responsibilities." Each year this programme is funded by the Department of Health.

So, what does this mean for you, the trainee?


	SuppoRTT Champion and Supervisors Everyone should be assigned an educational supervisor who should be your port of call for any information and advice. They are also responsible for completing you pre-absence and pre-/post-return paperwork. However, each Trust has their own champion to help guide both you and your supervisor through the process. RUH Champion: Dr Gurjit Chohan Deputy Medical Education Manager: Emma Clements See SuppoRTT Champions for more information.
	KiT / SPLiT / RTTA Days Before returning, trainees who have been on parental leave might want to take advantage of KiT or SPLiT days which can be used for a wide variety of activities including in person courses and online courses at home, shadowing clinical activities among other things. Please see KiT / SPLiT / RTTA days for more information on how this works. If you have returned from training for non-parental reasons, there will be financial support available for undertaking any pre-return-to-work activities known as Return to Training Activity days. Again, see the KiT / SPLiT / RTTA days for more information.
	Return to Work Courses There is a list of return-to-work courses available which relate to the psychological aspects of returning to work, the practicalities of the return process, and general skills that are likely to be useful for trainees returning to all specialties. The second part of the course will be bespoke to the course and the trainees that day, but will likely include some relevant clinical skills revision on models and high-fidelity simulation. These courses are also a great opportunity to meet other returners and share experiences. See Courses, Activities and Resources
	Enhanced Supervision On returning to work, all trainees are entitled to 10 working days enhanced supervision - this means you should NOT be on a rota to undertake any out-of-hours work (unless you are supernumerary), and you should have a greater level of supervision in your practice. The details of how this will look can vary for each trainee and should be discussed in your pre-return-to-work meeting with your supervisor. Your supervisor should alert your rota co-ordinator after this has been decided. This period of enhanced supervision can be extended if needed.
	Online Courses and Webinars There are a great number of online courses and webinars that contain up to date knowledge and refreshers on many different topics which may be helpful for you when returning to work. Please see Courses, Activities and Resources section for more detail.
	Professional Coaching Coaching is now available through the Deanery. See Coaching section for more information and the link for your educational supervisor to complete.