The Northern Deanery has a strong commitment to helping all doctors reach their full potential, and to helping those with child-caring or other responsibilities or health problems, to continue training.
If you believe that you have well-founded personal reasons you may meet the eligibility criteria for less than full time training (LTFT) to enable you to continue your training.
The links below provide further information on less than full-time training and should help you to identify whether you are eligible as well as assist you in making a decision as to whether less than full-time training is the right step for you.
If you would like to apply for less than full-time training, please contact your designated HR Officer.
Trainees working less than full time will:
- Move between posts within rotations on the same basis as their full time colleagues
- Make personal arrangements that allow them to take up posts within a rotation that may require working at a distance from home
- Be flexible about start dates in order to accommodate slot-share availability
- Not have any other paid employment
- Retain their NTN
- Be entitled to study leave/annual leave pro rata to their sessional commitments
- If on fixed term contracts, will not have their contracts extended pro rata and will be accredited for training for the appropriate proportion of time spent in training
- Seek approval from the LET HR Department for less than full time training at least annually.
Trainees working less than full time are required to notify their HR Officer:
- Any change in contact details
- Any periods of maternity leave
- The end of less than full time training
Trainees wishing to work less than full time are required:
- To have approval from the Dean or Dean Director with responsibility for the scheme
- To have college/faculty educational approval for their post
- To have support from their educational supervisor and training programme director
- To have agreement from the trust for the working arrangements.
Trainees may not start working less than full time until they have received formal approval from the LET HR Department. Confirmation of eligibility is not formal approval.
Trainees must understand that approval of eligibility does not guarantee that an appropriate slot will be available.
All trainees are eligible to apply for less than full time training. Those applying must be able to show that training on a full time basis would not be practical for them for well-founded personal reasons.
Detailed arrangements are laid out in the Orange Book and Gold Guide:
- Trainees appointed before August 2007 are governed by the Orange Book unless they have elected to switch to the new curriculum for their specialty.
- All specialty trainees appointed from August 2007 are governed by the Gold Guide.
The following categories serve as guidelines when prioritising applications for less than full time trainin
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Category 1
Doctors in training with:
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Category 2
Doctors in training with:
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| Disability |
Unique opportunities for personal/professional development (e.g. national/international sport commitment) |
| Ill health |
Religious commitment – training for a role requiring a specific time commitment |
| Responsibility for caring for young children (under the age of seven) |
Short term extraordinary professional responsibility (e.g. national committee) |
| Responsibility for caring for ill/disabled partner, relative or other dependant |
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The needs of trainees in category 1 will always take priority. Applications in category 2 may be considered but permission will depend on the capacity of the specific training programme and availability of resources.
Trainees working less than full time are not permitted to engage in any other paid employment while on the less than full time training scheme.
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6 Months |
12 Months |
18 Months |
24 Months |
30 Months |
36 Months |
5 sessions a week =
6 months per year |
12 months |
24 months |
36 months |
48 months |
60 months |
72 months |
6 sessions a week =
7.2 months in each year |
10 months |
20 months |
30 months |
40 months |
50 months |
60 months |
|
7 sessions a week
=
8.4 months in each year
|
8.5 months |
17 months |
25.5 months |
34 months |
42.5 months |
51 months |
8 sessions a week =
9.6 months in each year |
7.5 months |
15 months |
22.5 months |
30 months |
37.5 months |
45 months |
Flexible training should be counted exactly the same as full-time work in all respects. Use the table above to calculate the length of training completed by a flexible trainee who is undertaking 5, 6, 7 or 8 sessions a week.
For example, a trainee who has been doing 5 sessions a week for three years, accrues 18 months training time.
Likewise, if they need another 3 years full-time training to complete, it will take another 72 months at 5 sessions a week.
We do not routinely fund training less than full time other than in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Dean.
Trainees wishing to work less than full time are expected either to job share within one regular full time training slot or to work less than full time in a full time slot.
Where two trainees job share, each undertaking 60% of a full time slot, the Deanery will fund the additional 20% basic salary costs.
In exceptional circumstances the Deanery may support, for a specific period only, supernumerary funding until other suitable arrangements can be made. Supernumerary posts will be funded for basic salary by the Deanery. The costs of banding will be paid by the employing trust. These exceptional circumstances will be the subject of discussion between the LET, the Programme Director and the host Trust.
The Deanery will not reimburse trusts for maternity leave costs for trainees working either in slot shares or less than full time in full time slots.
Trainees working less than full time are paid according to the basic hours worked under NHS Employers guidance.