Location and Trusts
The North East and North Cumbria is a beautiful and vibrant place to live with outstanding training opportunities. From world-class NHS facilities and clinicians to stunning landscapes, towns and cities, our region has got it all.
The NHS in the north east is one of the highest performing NHS regions in the country. Across the region we have a clear vision for healthcare:
‘The NHS in the north of England will be the leader in excellence in health improvement and healthcare services’.
NHS England – Education North East in the North East and North Cumbria covers a large geographical area extending across Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham, Teesside and into North Yorkshire at its most Southern point.
The 2023 GMC Trainee Results reveal that once again the North East and North Cumbria are top of the class for postgraduate medical training. The North East was ranked 1st for training in the UK overall and 1st in 7 out of 18 of the longstanding indicators the GMC uses to evaluate training and second in 3 of the other indicators. The North East and North Cumbria has also been number one for overall satisfaction for nine out of the past ten years. For more information, including 5 year trend analysis please visit our survey page.
Internal Medicine Training
All of the hospitals have busy medical intakes. Most hospitals within the rotation participate in the training of Newcastle or Sunderland University’s undergraduate medical students.
Rotations include the following hospitals:
- Cumberland Infirmary (Carlisle)
- Wansbeck Hospital (Ashington)
- Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Centre (Cramlington)
- North Tyneside General Hospital (North Shields)
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Gateshead)
- Royal Victoria Infirmary (Newcastle upon Tyne)
- Freeman Hospital (Newcastle upon Tyne).
- Sunderland Royal Hospital (Sunderland)
- South Tyneside Hospital (South Shields)
- University Hospital of North Durham (Durham).
- Darlington Memorial Hospital (Darlington)
- University Hospital of North Tees (Stockton-on-Tees)
- James Cook University Hospital (Middlesbrough)
- Bishop Auckland (Durham)
- West Cumberland Hospital (Whitehaven)
The Programme
Internal Medicine Training (stage 1)
Internal Medicine stage 1 consists of IM years 1, 2 and 3. The first 2 years will be in 2 separate trusts and consist of a rotation through specialty posts. All IM 1/2 trainees will have a geriatrics post and rotate through other specialties such as:
Cardiology, respiratory, gastroenterology, acute medicine, haematology, oncology, renal medicine, rheumatology, dermatology, neurology, infectious diseases, clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, endocrinology and diabetes, palliative care and stroke medicine.
All rotations will provide experience of acute unselected medical take. This is likely to involve periods on a call rota as well as an intensive block in the admissions unit/medical receiving ward. All trainees will have dedicated time to gain critical care experience, usually a 12-week block during IMY2.
All IMY 1 trainees will have the opportunity to attend simulated procedural training and there is further human factors and simulation training in IMY 2 or 3.
Within our region, we are very proud to offer an IMY3 training year that is dedicated to your professional development with a unique training structure. We aim for trainees to spend 4 sessions in acute medicine, 4 in a speciality of which 2 are clinics, and 2 further sessions are set aside for additional self-development.
In IMT year 3 trainees will gain experience in acute medicine and other medical specialties. IMT year 3 posts may be in any of the hospitals that host IM year 1 or 2 trainees and possible specialties include geriatrics, acute medicine, cardiology, respiratory, gastroenterology, haematology, oncology, renal medicine, rheumatology, dermatology, neurology, infectious diseases, clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, endocrinology and diabetes and stroke medicine. IMT year 3 posts will be allocated in accordance with national guidelines and are subject to change.
Progression to the next year of training will always be dependent on a successful ARCP outcome. All IM trainees will be offered an interim review to review their progress prior to ARCP as well as ongoing high-quality educational supervision.
Some specialty trainees have expressed reluctance to being placed at North Cumbria University Hospital NHS Trust due to the additional commuting that this often entails. We understand that for some trainees this places significant extra demands upon their time and sometimes upon their financial situation. In recognition of this and to incentivise trainees being placed in North Cumbria University Hospitals we have secured an agreement that any specialty trainee, regardless of grade, placed there from August 2021 will be eligible for a single “Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme” gross payment of £7,000 for a 12-month placement (or pro rata if the placement is less than 12 months). This will be subject to terms and conditions and the payment will be subject to tax. Note that there is nothing we can do about the payment being taxable as regulations are set by HMRC, not ourselves. The payment is being generously provided by North Cumbria Integrated Care and Cumbria, Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trusts.
The intention is that you will receive payment via your employer, the Lead Employer Trust, within the first couple of months of your training placement in North Cumbria. We are informing our networks of this now to make doctors in training aware prior to making their ranking selections because, in some specialties, trainees are asked to express choices about where they are placed and this information may affect their choices. For rotations where you will automatically be placed at North Cumbria University Hospitals as part of your required training programme, you will also be entitled to receive this payment.
It is important to remember the final decision on trainee placement allocation will remain with your training programme director, who will take into account curriculum requirements, the individual trainee’s needs and fairness.’
A list of example rotations can be viewed here: North East and Cumbria Programmes list.
Please note that rotations are subject to change. All three years are usually offered at time of recruitment.
Posts may be added or withdrawn from the programme during the life-cycle of the programme as service configurations change
You can find out more about the Internal Medicine Training programme in the North East and North Cumbria here .
Programme Features
Internal Medicine Training
Here at NHS England – Education North East, our commitment to our trainees is simple - we will offer you the highest quality training, supervision and support.
NHS England – Education North East has an extensive programme of courses and educational support programmes. There are robust local and regional teaching programmes that are consistently rated highly in the National Training Survey.
We run a local Part 1 course and Mock PACES course for each Membership diet.
Both RCP Edinburgh and London host regional courses here.
There are opportunities to present your work regionally and nationally. One of our trainees won the Quality Improvement Programme showcase event in London and went on to present her work at the RCP National conference.
We care about the trainee’s experience and views and have developed a network of IMT trainee representatives across the region in order to gather feedback on your training. Trainees have opportunities to attend educational committees and share their views.
People who train with us get much more than just high-quality training. In addition to our first-class exam preparation, excellent clinical and academic supervision and the breadth of experience offered, we offer a high calibre of personal support. This includes access to high quality coaches, bespoke return to work support after any prolonged periods of time out of programme, as well as Occupational Health support. In NHS England – Education North East you also have the advantage of a Lead Employer Trust, so you will have a single employer for the duration of your training.
You'll gain a breadth of experience in selected and supervised hospital posts throughout the area in large university acute hospitals, community hospitals and district general hospitals to ensure you get the training you need to give you a rewarding future career. Within these areas you'll have the opportunity to work with nationally and internationally recognised clinicians and leaders.
We create well-rounded doctors who are ready to become consultants through our leadership and development programmes - and the majority of our trainee’s secure local consultant posts.
LIFE IN THE NORTH EAST
From world-class NHS facilities and clinicians to stunning landscapes, towns and cities - our region has got it all. The quality of life is excellent, the cost of living is low and we have some of the most beautiful cities, coasts and countryside in the UK. Here are just some of the highlights…
- Cost of living: The north east and north Cumbria are two of the best value regions in the UK. With no compromise on the quality of property, culture, cuisine and entertainment, you'll be amazed at how much further your money goes.
- Art and culture: Since spreading its wings in February 1998, Antony Gormley's Angel of the North has become one of the most talked about pieces of public art ever produced. But that's only the beginning of the thriving art and culture scene in our region.
- Foodie heaven: What do you do with some of the largest open spaces, cleanest seas and rivers and freshest air in England other than take it all in on a brisk walk? The answer is simple - you use it to produce some of the finest and freshest food in the country.
- Going off-road: You don't get puffins everywhere, but you do get them (in their thousands!) at the Farne Islands, just off the Northumberland Coast. But puffins aren't the only thing you can see if you go off road - our region is a nature lover's paradise.
- A sporting chance: If you think a long night shift is tiring, try sweating it out in the Great North Run, the world's biggest and best half marathon. And if hot-footing it from Newcastle to South Shields is not your thing, our region has a love of sport so strong and steadfast that there’s never a shortage of action.
- Star attractions: Did you know that the rural areas of Northumberland National Park and Kielder Water and Forest Park have the darkest skies in England?
- Travel and transport: No matter where you end up training in our region, you can be sure that with great transport links and infrastructure, living here means you’re never far from what you need. And with some of the lowest commuting times in the country, you'll have more of the day to enjoy for yourself too.
- World heritage: The north east and north Cumbria is home to two stunning world heritage sites - Durham Castle and Cathedral and Hadrian's Wall.
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