Enhanced Supervision

Return to Work Courses

On returning to work, all trainees are entitled to 10 working days enhanced supervision - this means you should not be rota’d 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 for various trainees should be decided in the pre-return meeting with your supervisor (The SuppoRTT process - how does it work). Your supervisor should alert your rota co-ordinator after this has been decided, and it is worth checking this has happened before the rota is released if possible. This period of enhanced supervision can be extended if needed. 

Several trusts run return to work courses. These have a generic part to them which covers 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: SuppoRTT Courses.

KiT / SPLiT / RTTA Days

Online Courses and Webinars

Before returning, trainees who have been on parental leave might want to take advantage of KiT or SPLiT days. These can be used for many things, including courses (in person or done online at home) and shadowing clinical activities, among other things. See Reasons for Absence page on Parental Leave for more information.

There are also Return to Training Activity days, which are KiT-equivalent days for non-parental leave returners, but also provide financial support for undertaking pre-return to work activities. Please see SuppoRTT - Reasons for Absence for further information.

There are numerous great online courses and webinars, available here: SuppoRTT - digital and online resources | Health Education England. These include knowledge refreshers for a range of topics, knowledge updates for many specialities about recent developments, and teaching about practical tips for returning to work.

The e-learning hub - HEE elfh Hub (e-lfh.org.uk) - also has some great specialty-specific modules that can be used as knowledge refreshers.

Professional Coaching

SuppoRTT Champions and Supervisors

Coaching is now available through the deanery. The aim of the coaching is to bring out the best in the individual, unlocking your potential through guided conversation and questioning.  A coach will work with you as a facilitator, helping to raise your awareness through analysis and reflection, and therefore enabling you to formulate your own ideas and solutions.

This can be accessed via your educational supervisor, via your SuppoRTT champion.

Each employing trust within the South West region has a designated SuppoRTT Champion, whose role is to oversee the return-to-work process. One of the roles of the SuppoRTT Champion is to liaise with the unit/department, particularly the Clinical Lead, College or Specialty Tutor and the Educational Supervisor prior to a trainee’s return date, to highlight that the trainee is returning from a period of absence and additional support and enhanced supervision of the trainee is required during the return period. Throughout the process, the trainee’s reviews will be with their Educational Supervisor, but if additional guidance or support is required, the SuppoRTT Champions are a fantastic resource. Details of your SuppoRTT Champion can be found here: SuppoRTT Champions - who can help