SuppoRTT Activities to consider

The Postgraduate Doctor in Training together with their ES or TPD should consider appropriate SuppoRTT activities to ensure a safe and confident return to training.  It is recommended that these activities occur no more than three months prior to the return and within three months of the return date. 

Enhanced Supervision

It is strongly recommended that a period of enhanced supervision is considered for all Postgraduate Doctors in Training upon their return to allow the individual to regain confidence, clinical knowledge, and skills in a supported environment. This time should not be used to provide service provision alone and should be tailored to individual training needs particularly in relation to duration and exposure to different clinical environments.  Examples of enhanced supervision arrangements are:

• Inpatient/Ward work
• Outpatients/Clinic work
• Acute services – Emergency Medicine/Assessment Units/Delivery suite as applicable to trainee
• Optimisation of skills/procedures – theatre, procedure lists, simulation, courses as appropriate
• Amendments to out of hours work - representative of specialty commitments with a clearly identified colleague and not as “on-call doctor”
• Experience relevant to ongoing work commitments. For example, if a GP trainee was returning to a Paediatric rotation, it may be relevant for this time to be utilised in acute Paediatrics.

Where it is agreed that a period of enhanced supervision is not required, it may be enough for a pairing or buddy system to be in place for the trainee for a few days on their return.