There is no expectation that an individual will train and work full time.
If working part time / less than full time, annual leave, salary and banding will be calculated pro rata. However, if a GPST is training within the areas that inherit the incentive scheme, they would still be eligible for the full incentive payment.
Individuals will need to evidence their year in practice in order to receive the incentive payment. This evidence will constitute of payslips covering the 12 month period and a letter from your GP practice / OOH centre confirming employment. Should you wish to discuss further please contact NWSSPGPSingleLeadEmployer@wales.nhs.uk.
The intention of this incentive is to recognise the value and importance of GP training in Wales and help increase interest in and applications for, GP training in Wales so that the overall fill rate is increased.
NIIAS, an electronic auditing tool, has been introduced across NHS Wales to detect access to electronic systems results and records by NHS staff, which may be unjustified or inappropriate.
NIIAS uses intelligent data triangulation and audit logs to detect when an employee may have misused their access rights. It automatically notifies the information governance team of any activity that may be of concern.
Examples of this type of activity are:
Of course, there will be times where some of the above activity is perfectly acceptable and justified; for example, when an employee is providing the care to a neighbour or colleague. However, a check will be undertaken to ensure this is indeed the case and that no breach of policies has occurred. That may lead to further investigation and action, so please think carefully if you need to look at someone’s personal information or results before you do so.
All LTFT and out of programme applications should be submitted to HEIW. For more information or to submit an application, please contact your programme director.
You must notify your manager, rota co-ordinator or educational supervisor on the first day of your absence when you require time off from your placement due to sickness; you must include the nature of the illness.
If you are in a hospital placement, contact the medical HR or rota manager. If you are in a practice placement, contact the GP practice or GP trainer. Pre-registration pharmacists should contact the educational supervisor in your relevant placement.
For any period of sickness absence between one and seven calendar days you must complete a self-certification form, unless already certified by a fit note or hospital certificate. This should be completed on return to work.
If the period of absence continues beyond seven calendar days, you must produce a fit note (medical certificate) for every day of absence thereafter. A fit note should normally be received by your educational supervisor or manager no more than three calendar days after it becomes due.
Sickness absence not covered by a self-certificate or a fit note will be treated as unauthorised absence for which no payment will be made.
After any period of sickness absence, you will be asked to attend a return to work interview with your educational supervisor or manager to discuss your absence and any specific needs or concerns you may have.
For any periods of absence other than annual leave and study leave that collectively exceeds 14 days in any year, a review will take place to determine whether your programme completion date needs to be extended. Any change to your programme end date will be confirmed by HEIW.
NWSSP supports its employees at times of urgent and unforeseen need, by consideration of the provision of additional leave according to circumstance. The situations that the Special Leave Policy is intended to deal with are:
Leave granted under the Special Leave Policy is not intended for long term or foreseeable domestic and family situations, which may be provided for in other ways, e.g. annual leave, unpaid leave, or reduced working hours.
Requests for special leave should be submitted to your educational supervisor or practice manager who will then forward to the NWSSP SLE team for approval in accordance with the Special Leave Policy.
If you require maternity, paternity, adoption or parental leave, please inform the SLE team as soon as possible by sending all applications or queries to support@single-lead-employer.zendesk.com. Guidance can be found on our website.
Any pregnant trainee will be required to complete a risk assessment with their educational supervisor, manager or practice manager to identify any specific risks and adjustments which need to be made to protect the employee and their unborn child.
Study leave is the responsibility of HEIW, therefore please direct any study-related queries to HEIW.Recruitment@wales.nhs.uk.
What is my entitlement to annual leave?
All trainees are entitled to either 27 or 32 days annual leave (pro-rata if less than full time), which will vary depending on your salary point. You should refer to your contract of employment and terms and conditions of service for the exact number of days per annual you are entitled to.
Annual leave requests must be submitted with reasonable notice and agreed by your host organisation. Your annual leave is allocated on a pro-rata basis per rotational placement. This means that you must ensure you take your allocated leave during any given placement, in accordance with your contract of employment.
I am a medical trainee, what arrangements are in place to cover medical indemnity?
As a trainee working in Wales, you are employed by Velindre University NHS Trust under the auspices of the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership. Both the Trust and the organisation in which you are working apply NHS Indemnity to your NHS activities which provides indemnity for any civil claim arising from your negligent act, omission or breach of a statutory duty in the course of your employment or duties.
Speciality GP Trainees, whilst working at a GP practice, are also covered by the discretionary General Medical Practice Indemnity scheme (GMPI) for NHS work. The scheme provides indemnity for clinical negligence claims which occur after 1 April 2019.
Whilst the NHS indemnity schemes provide cover for your NHS work, you are strongly advised seek your own personal cover from a private indemnity provider or medical defence organisation to address the risk of a legal case being brought against you that is not a civil claim (for example criminal proceedings), the need for representation at an inquest where you are a separate interested party, or a referral to the GMC. You should also seek separate personal cover for any activity that falls outside of your duties as a GP trainee, such as private work within a GP practice or Good Samaritan acts.
The NHS indemnity schemes provide a significant reduction in the costs that you will need to pay a private insurance provider or medical defence organisation.
You will be set up with an online e-expenses account for claiming any allowable expenses. Please ensure receipts are uploaded for all expenses (public travel, training courses, parking charges, tolls, subsistence, and accommodation) as expenses will not be approved without one.
Please also ensure expenses are submitted within 3 months of the occurrence. Expenses must be submitted by the fifth of each month and must approved by the seventh of each month in order to be paid within the same monthly pay. Please be aware that the approval of expenses is multi-tiered, therefore those submitted on the fifth may not be approved by the seventh. Guidance on expenses and relocation can be found here.
If you have forgotten your password or are experiencing other difficulties in accessing your account, try using the ‘forgotten details’ option on the home screen of e-expenses or please contact NWSSP.ExpensesNW@wales.nhs.uk who will be able to assist you in accessing your account.
For queries relating to expenses please use the Customer Portal
NWSSP have migrated our Expenses customer portal to ActionPoint to ensure you get the best experience whilst using our service, this change offers an optimised support experience, enabling us to meet your needs as best we can.
As part of this transition, from 01/02/21 you will no longer be able to email our support team directly and will instead need to log into our new support portal.
Click here to find a guide that details how to use the customer portal. We advise that you review this and familiarise yourself with the customer portal
Logging in to the Customer Portal
To log onto the portal please click on the link below:
Queries for relocation should be sent to NWSSP.JuniorDoctorsRelocation@wales.nhs.uk
As your employer we also hold a record of your application and pre–employment checks on an electronic personal file.
ESR is a national NHS system for managing HR, payroll and reporting. This is where the SLE will record absences and special leave on behalf of host organisations. You will also be required to use their record and will be issued with a username and password.
You will be set up on ESR when you start with NWSSP. Your password will be sent to your NHS Wales email address. We have a paperless payslip system so your payslips will be available to view and download from ESR.
We also ask that you keep your personal information up to date on ESR as we rely on this information should we need to contact you for any reason. If you have any queries regarding your ESR account please contact the ESR Support Hub: esrhub.wales@wales.nhs.uk
You will be paid on the 21st day of each month, or the Friday before if the 21st falls on a weekend or bank holiday. You will be paid via BACs transfer. Payslips will be available via ESR (see below).
All official documentation will be sent to your NHS Wales email address. It is important therefore that you check your account regularly. If you require assistance with accessing your account, please contact it.servicedesk@Wales.nhs.uk
NWSSP is hosted by Velindre NHS Trust so all contracts of employment are issued by Velindre NHS Trust.
Your contract of employment with NWSSP will be sent to your NHS Wales email address on your first day of employment. This will detail the terms and conditions applicable to your employment.
You will be asked to sign and return one copy to the SLE team via email or post.
HEIW will continue to inform host organisations through Intrepid who is rotating to their organisation and when this is happening.
The SLE will also issue host organisations with key supporting information for the trainees who are rotating to them, including personal details, assurance on employment checks and any additional information such as GMC undertakings.