Increasingly,
doctors are seeking to train and work flexibly at varying stages in their
careers. Training and working on a less than full time (LTFT) basis can help
to achieve a better work life balance.
Who can Train Less Than Full Time?
All trainees, both men and women, are eligible to apply for LTFT training.
Those wishing to do so must show that they would be unable to train on a full-time
basis for well-founded individual reasons (EC Directive 93/16/EEC). In most
deaneries there is an associate dean who manages less than full time training
and determines whether a trainee's request to train LTFT is well founded.
If a trainee does not meet the eligibility criteria, the deanery may be able
to offer careers advice or discuss alternative career pathways.
The only formal requirement to be permitted to train LTFT is a well-founded
individual reason. Reasons for needing to train on a less than full time basis
are put into two main categories by COPMeD, and these categories are used
by the deaneries to assess eligibility.
Category 1
Doctors in training with:
• disability or ill health (this may include
those on in-vitro fertility programmes)
• responsibility for caring (men and women)
for children
• responsibility for caring for ill/disabled
partner, relative or other dependant.
These result in the individual doctor or dentist being professionally disadvantaged
by circumstances, and less able to fulfil their potential on a full-time rather
than on a part-time basis.
Category 2
Doctors in training with:
• unique opportunities for their own personal/professional
development, for example training for national/international sporting events,
or short-term extraordinary responsibility, for example a national committee
• religious commitment – involving
training for a particular religious role which requires a specific amount
of time commitment
• non-medical professional development
such as management courses, law courses, fine arts courses or diploma in complementary
therapies.
Other well-founded reasons may be considered but it would be dependent on
the particular situation and the needs of the specialty in which the individual
was training.
How to apply for a LTFT training
post?
The responsibility for Less than Full Time (LTFT) training lies with the Deaneries.
Therefore,the first step is to contact the Deanery in the region where you
will be working and speak to the Associate Dean with responsibility for LTFT
training (or Postgraduate Dean) to discuss your reasons for wishing to train
flexibly and to ascertain whether funding will be available. For contact details
see below and see also the Deanery tab on this web-site.
The Associate Dean (or Postgraduate Dean) will confirm your eligibility to
work LTFT and initiate the paperwork needed. The Training Programme Director
(TDP) for your specialty will then work out the logistics of the proposed
post. There may be some delay because the TPD will have to fit you into the
rotation and he/she may need to find someone of the same seniority of training
to fill a slot share with you. It is therefore important to seek advice early.
Trainees may also experience difficulties with obtaining LTFT placements because
of financial constraints in the Trusts and Deaneries may not be able to insist
on placements. Again this might take some time to sort out, so the earlier
you initiate arrangements with the deanery, the better. However, approval
to train less than full Time will only be given to trainees who have specified
a preferred start date within six months. Trainees with start dates beyond
six months will automatically be kept on the waiting list.
Once your LTFT training place has been organised you send your job-plan to
the LTFT Advisor at your Royal College so that he/she can check that the proposed
programme allows you both to access enough educational opportunities to reach
your targets and that the full-time trainees in the Trust are not disadvantaged.
Is there a difference between
Slotshare and Jobshare?
There can be confusion around the terms “slot share” and “job
share” so this section attempts to make things clear, with thanks to
Dr Melanie Jones Associate Dean, Careers and LTFT Wales and past President
of MWF.
Slot share
The term “slot share” applies to less than full time (LTFT) TRAINING
posts. The term was introduced in 2005 as part of the UK agreement on flexible
training between the Deaneries, the BMA and the 4 Departments of Health. When
a trainee is assessed as eligible for LTFT they may be placed in a slot share
by the training programme director or deanery.
There are many varieties of slot shares where 2 or more trainees are allocated
to a training department instead of full time trainees
Slot share examples:
• 2 LTFT at 50% slot share instead of 1
full time trainee
• 2 LTFT at 60% slotshare in a fulltime
slot.
• 3 LTFT at 65% share 2 full time slots
• 3 LTFTs in 2 fulltime slots, 2 working
at 60% and 1 working at 80%
Each trainee is paid on the Band F pay scale. They do not share the salary
of the full time slot. If 1 slot sharer leaves or moves on, the training programme
will look for another LTFT to share the slot or the remaining trainee may
work part time in a fulltime slot. Slotsharers are not required to cover each
others annual or maternity leave.
Job Share
The term “job share” applies when 2 or more individuals apply
to share a post – they share the duties, the salary and the annual leave
of that post. Job shares are used in career grade posts e.g. consultant or
specialty doctor posts or in general practice. How a job share is managed
requires careful negotiation and agreement when the arrangement is established.
Sharers may agree to cover each other when on annual or maternity leave. They
may agree to divide the working week or work 1 week on and 1 week off. There
are many advantages for the employer as each of the job share partners will
bring differing areas of expertise to the post i.e. 2 for the price of 1.
If 1 of the sharers leaves then the other may be expected by the employer
to work full time. Job shares are not used for doctors in training. There
are many examples of consultants job sharing and the arrangement works well
as long as there are clear arrangements for hand over, communication and continuity
of care, as other staff members must know who to contact about their shared
patients.
Frequently asked Questions
How are less than full time trainees funded?
In most postgraduate deaneries the deanery pays all the basic salary but the
out-of-hours supplement is the responsibility of the local Health Board or
Trust. Many deaneries will only fund a 5 or 6 session post (50% or 60% of
whole time) because of the demands of their budget.
Pay has two basic components - basic salary and supplement:
• Basic salary is determined by the actual
hours worked by the less than full time trainee. This needs to be no more
than the appropriate proportion of the actual hours worked by full-time trainees
on the same rota.
• The supplement is determined on the basis
of frequency and proportion of out-of -hours duties.
• The supplement is paid as a proportion
of the basic salary determined by the actual hours worked.
Will I have to reapply for Less than Full Time training
for each new post, or can I just extend?
You do not need to go through the full application procedure
for every Less than Full Time training post. Once you have started training
and have taken steps to secure your next post, you will need to contact the
Deanery for a Less than Full Time Training Extension Pack. This includes a
form, which asks for the reason for your continuing need to train Less than
Full Time as well as a blank Less than Full Time Training Approval Form, which
must be completed for each new post. You should allow at least three months
to complete the extension process.
On what grounds could the Deanery reject my application for Less than Full
Time training?
The Deanery may decide to reject your application if you do not fit
the eligibility criteria under Category 1. Often Category 2 applications will
not be considered by Deaneries
Does the Deanery fund Less than Full Time training for GPRs?
Yes. However, the GP Department handles these applications
directly. GP trainees in the GP Registrar year should contact their Trainer/Course
Organiser for advice.
Do I need to inform the Deanery if I go on maternity leave?
Yes. As well as informing you employer, you must notify the Deanery of your
planned maternity leave dates as soon as possible. If there is a change to
the initially approved end date of your current Less than Full Time training
post, you will need to apply for a Less than Full Time training extension
and complete a new Less than Full Time Training Approval Form stating the
date of your anticipated return to work and new post end date.
Am I exempt from shiftwork or on call duties?
No.
Am I able to take study leave whilst training Less than
Full Time?
Less than Full Time trainees are entitled to periods of study leave with funding
pro-rata to their sessional commitments. At the discretion of the local Clinical
Tutor, funding in a year may be the same as that allowed for full-time trainees.
This will enable Less than Full Time trainees to undertake a necessary course
of study, which requires the entire annual funding allowance. However, Less
than Full Time trainees should not expect to go on similar courses two years
in succession and will not be granted extra 'time out' of sessional commitment.
How much annual leave am I entitled to?
Annual leave for Less than Full Time trainees is calculated on a pro-rata
basis, so if you work 60%, your annual leave entitlement will be 60% of that
of a full-time trainee.
Can I appeal against the Deanery's decision not to accept my application?
Yes, though it is recommended that you first attempt to resolve any issues
informally in discussion with the Deanery. If agreement cannot be reached
you will then have recourse to the formal appeals process.
Deanery
Contacts
Eastern Deanery www.eoedeanery.nhs.uk
Dr Alys Burns, Associate PG Dean
Tel 01223884847
Recommended reading and useful
documents
• RCPSG Report: A Flexible and Functional
Workforce;
• RCPSG Suggested Action Plan;
• Doctors in flexible training: A guide
to the new arrangements for flexible training (PDF Format);
• Doctors in flexible training: Principles
underpinning the new arrangements for flexible training;
• Doctors in Training: Equitable Pay;
• "Women in Medicine: The Future"
- Royal College of Physicians of London (Full Report);
• "Women in Medicine: The Future"
- Royal College of Physicians of London (Executive Summary);
• PMETB Approval of Flexible Training.
• Partnership Information Network (PIN)
- Family Friendly Policies
• Guideline for trained doctors working
flexibly
• Flexible Retirement
• MWF document - Making Part-time Work
(this document is available to MWF members from Central Office - see contact
us)
• COPMED conduct bi-annual surveys into
LTFT training. Visit www.yorksandhumberdeanery.nhs.uk/the_deanery/lead_dean/ltft_forum.aspx
to read the current and previous reports.
Useful Links
Kent Surrey and Sussex deanery
London deanery
BMA
COPMED
WIS
