Supported Return to Training for Junior Doctors - SoEPS17.395

NHS South of England Procurement Services, acting on behalf of Health Education England (the Commissioner) are inviting quotes from training organisations and medical professional bodies, such as the medical Royal Colleges and their bodies, to present a costed proposal for investing a one-off payment up to the sum of £49,000 per organisation/medical professional body to develop training packages for doctors who return to training after time out of programme in England.

The 18th May ACAS agreement for the Junior Doctors Contract committed HEE to lead a process for developing evidence-based, innovative approaches to training for junior doctors, ... to remove as far as possible the disadvantage of those who take time out due to, for example, caring responsibilities.

This approach would include targeted accelerated learning with the prime intention to enable the person who has taken time out to catch up.

HEE published its Supported Return to Training investment and strategy plan in November 2017.

HEE proposed that there should be a "menu" of options for trainees that can be built into a bespoke package that accommodates the individual trainee, their specialty, their circumstances and their reasons for leaving in the first place.

As part of its investment plan a National innovation fund has been allocated within 2017/18 for specialty-specific knowledge based learning resources to help support trainees with skills and knowledge fade after they return to training after time out of programme.

Please access the procurement documents for further information.