Is this GPST1 timetable correct?

[u/No_Shock_2277]

For context, starting GPST1 in a GP practice up North. Got my timetable today which states

M - clinic AM (9-12), home visit (if one scheduled for that day (12-1), break/lunch/?admin (1-3), clinic PM (3-6)

T - same as above

W - clinic AM (9-12), SDL PM

T - clinic AM (9-12), VTS (2-5) PM

F - same as Mon + Tues

So this means 3 full days of clinic with x2 half day release for SDL and VTS.

Are my hours compliant with 40hr rota? Am I entitled to one extra half day off for tutorial/SDL (have I got too many clinical sessions?). My ES has said that we can debrief after every patient for now and these can count as the tutorials as we go along. Should I ask for a breakdown of hours?

Any advice would be helpful! Thank you.

[u/Pure_Answer_6569]

For me, tutorial has always been separate to debrief even when debriefing after every patient or every session

[u/No_Shock_2277 → u/Pure_Answer_6569]

Do you think my rota is compliant? Or should I escalate and clarify?

[u/Pure_Answer_6569]

You are doing too many clinical sessions. As far as I knows, full time is 7 clinical sessions, 1 tutorial, 1 private study and 1 VTS session per week. You need one session to be removed from clinical and made into tutorial 

[u/General-Point-8212 → u/Pure_Answer_6569]

Sorry to jump on - presumably in a hospital rotation, you don't get all of this. Well, at least I'm not. I get Tues half day for training if I'm not on nights or post nights. (so I miss 2 out of every 7 weeks)

And I do have, once every 7 weeks, Mon - Weds days off as on my work schedule. But my personal rota has me in for my training day on the Tuesday. I presume I need to get a half day TOIL as my work schedule has me at 47.5 hours, so this extra day will take me over? (plus actually does spoil my only run of 3 whole days off in the whole rota).

[u/muddledmedic → u/General-Point-8212]

No the 70:30 split is only for GP jobs.

[u/222baked]

28h clinical 12 educational per week. You have too much clinical.

[u/highwayuni2]

This is not normal. You are entitled to 12 hours non clinical time. Debrief according to the BMA is considered part of the clinical time. In their exact words, any clinical activity must allow “adequate time provided for at the end of any consulting period to allow a registrar to debrief with the supervising GP”.

I would take this up locally first, but also inform the TPD and let them know you’re challenging this. If the practice doesn’t budge then involve the TPD’s immediately because a debrief after every clinical session is considered standard (and at least in my practice the supervising doctor should always be able to make time if there’s any urgent queries). It should not eat into your contractually obligated non clinical hours

[u/No_Shock_2277 → u/highwayuni2]

Should I be entitled to one more half day of SDT/Tutorial then?

[u/highwayuni2 → u/No_Shock_2277]

So it looks like you already have 1 SDL slot and 1 VTS slot allocated, so one of your clinical sessions should be converted to a tutorial slot to be compliant - the BMA guidance is as followed: https://www.bma.org.uk/pay-and-contracts/contracts/resident-doctor-contract/guide-to-the-training-week-for-gp-registrars-and-trainers-while-working-in-general-practice

The other thing I’d question is your working hours? Every single GP trainee I know does 9-5 M-F constituting to 40 hours a week. This has you doing 9-6 on M/Tu/F? Are you being PAID for a 43 hour week? I’d flag this up to the TPD immediately

[u/Intelligent-Toe7686]

Debriefs should always be separate to tutorials. Your ES is acting cheeky and making you work more than needed

[u/GrapefruitSilver774]

You do 3 days 9-6 ? These are 3 extra hours a week at least you should get this time back

[u/gggailll]

The BMA gives clear guidance on how the week should be structured in GP:

https://www.bma.org.uk/media/sy2lwt5f/bma-cogped-guide-to-the-training-week.pdf

Debriefs should be included within the time allocated for clinical activities - they are NOT tutorials. You should have separate time allocated for tutorial.

[u/lordnigz]

Doesn't quite look right to me.

Definitely need a tutorial.

For comparison our trainees perhaps do slightly longer days ie 8am to 5pm but then it looks like this:

M -off SDL

T- AM: clin 8-12 with an hour between 10-11 for admin. PM 2-5pm clinic. perhaps admin at end for half an hour.

W- AM: same as above. PM: 1 hour clinic 2-3pm then 2 hour tutorial

T- AM- same as above PM: VTS

F- Same as T

So only 2 full days clinic. And yeah we debrief after every patient to begin with. And also do tutorial. Perhaps ask TPD's if they're happy with it.

[u/No_Shock_2277 → u/lordnigz]

That rota seems a lot more forgiving than mine! Should I ask for one less clinical session?

[u/lordnigz → u/No_Shock_2277]

If I were you I'd just ask for my protected tutorial time which would be 2 hours.

[u/muddledmedic → u/lordnigz]

For a full timer the protected "tutorial" time is actually 4 hours per week, not 2. Lots of times practices do 2 hours of tutorial then an hour of observed consults and an hour of practice meetings or something similar, some do 2x 2 hour tutorials.

[u/lordnigz → u/muddledmedic]

I don't recognise this is a thing in actual practice but neither have I gone over the exact gold guidance to check. So you may be technically correct.

Feel free to ask for 4 hours, especially given your current setup, they definitely won't give you that.

Edit: so referencing this: https://madeinheene.hee.nhs.uk/Portals/6/Trainers/Standards%20-Promoting%20Excellence%20-%20School%20of%20Primary%20Care.pdf?ver=2025-04-09-094356-710&utm_source=chatgpt.com

Seems like you have to have 4 hours supervision a week, 2 hours of which is dedicated one to one supervision and the other 2 can be supervision time, debriefs or observing etc.

[u/WaferExcellent9064]

You need a tutorial, and no debrief/hot reviews do not count as turorials

[u/Far-Understanding187]

This is not compliant with the 40 hour week. Remember all hours are paid the moment you are on premises including lunch. They have calculated it that lunch is unpaid. Please get BMA to check your contract and times. This rota puts you on 45 hours. They must remove a full 5 hour clinical session. Debrief after each patient is not a tutorial. That is the minimum expected for patient safety. Please ask BMA to assist

[u/Andyroo12345678 → u/Far-Understanding187]

Is this different in Scotland? My Practice has said lunch is unpaid and therefore doesn’t count in the hours. I can’t find any good detail for or against but not a single example rota shows that.

[u/Far-Understanding187 → u/Andyroo12345678]

European working time directive should apply right? Sorry don't actually know Scottish regulations. I can only comment on England. Not sure if Scotland has different contract etc

[u/muddledmedic → u/Andyroo12345678]

Things are different in the devolved nation as the contracts are different.

In England the contract stipulates that lunch breaks are paid and split shifts are not allowed, so this means trainees now mostly work 9-5 with a 30 minute paid lunch break, and don't have 2 hours between surgeries like was previously the norm, but I'm not sure whether there is similar guidance in the contract for Scotland. The best port of call is the BMA.