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Opportunities for doctors in training
Many of our trainees ultimately become Trust consultants thanks to the high calibre of trainers and close links with the Department of Mental Health at St George’s, University of London.
Medical education is an important cornerstone of South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust’s approach, which has a reputation for providing some the best in psychiatric training.
And when the work is finished, just minutes away there is the non-stop nightlife, world class art galleries, concerts, theatres, glitz and glamour of London’s West End, or the simple tranquillity of a stroll through Kew Gardens, Hampton Court or the wide open spaces of Richmond Park.
Core training
The Trust scheme has approximately 46 ST1-3 posts and 4 FTSTA posts based at a number of sites in South West London. These include one post based with Kingston PCT and two at the Priory Hospital in Roehampton.
The posts are divided into two sub-rotations. Trainees will join one of these rotations and circulate between posts every 6 months.
The posts include the following specialties:
- General adult psychiatry (32 - 16 in community mental health teams and 16 in subspecialties)
- Old age psychiatry (6)
- Child and adolescent psychiatry (4)
- Psychotherapy (1)
- Psychiatry of learning disability (3)
- Forensic psychiatry (4)
The subspecialty posts include liaison psychiatry, eating disorders, psychiatric intensive care, addictions, rehabilitation psychiatry, early intervention, personality disorders, psychiatry of the deaf and one addictions research post which is available to core trainees.
The main inpatient sites for the Trust are at Springfield Hospital in Tooting, Queen Mary Hospital in Roehampton, Sutton Hospital, Tolworth Hospital and Barnes Hospital. There are also many more community sites.
There are three main weekly academic programmes across the Trust, attended by all medical staff. In addition, several specialties hold their own programmes. In these programmes, trainees have the opportunity to present cases and evidence-based journal clubs.
Trainees have the opportunity to increase their teaching experience, particularly in the supervision of medical students from St George’s University of London. The medial school delivers training for those involved in teaching, including a teaching skills course, which is free of charge to local trainees.
Trainees are supported in undertaking both dynamic and cognitive behavioural therapy, under the supervision of local consultants.
Within teams, trainees are encouraged to participate in audit. Some trainees also undertake small research projects, supervised by local consultant or academic staff.
There are two local MRCPsych Courses, which are attended by all core trainees. The Courses cover basic psychiatric training as well as MRCPsych exam preparation.
For further information, please contact the Postgraduate Medical Education Office at Springfield Hospital on 020 8772 5642.
Higher Training
Trainees at the ST4-6 level join the St George’s Specialty Schemes. These rotate around a wider geographical area than that covered by South West London & St George’s Mental Health Trust, to ensure a variety of training experiences. The various higher training schemes in General Adult and Old Age Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Learning Disability, Forensic Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy are described below.
All higher trainees have the opportunity to increase their teaching experience, particularly in the supervision of medical students from St George’s University of London. The medial school delivers training for those involved in teaching, including a teaching skills course, which is free of charge to local trainees.
For further information, please contact the Postgraduate Medical Education Office at Springfield Hospital on 020 8772 5642.
General Adult and Old Age Psychiatry
The St. George's scheme in General and Old Age Psychiatry has over 40 posts in South West London as well as in Surrey and Sussex. The sub-specialities available include general adult psychiatry, old age psychiatry, addictions, eating disorders, liaison, rehabilitation, neuropsychiatry, and forensic psychiatry.
The scheme includes one teaching post, linked to St George’s University of London and one research post in Eating Disorders at Springfield Hospital. These posts are available to trainees on the higher training scheme. There are many special interest opportunities within the scheme.
There are opportunities for research, supervised by staff within the Department of Mental Health at St George’s University of London.
Learning Disability
The St George’s scheme in Learning Disability has 5 posts, 3 in South West London & St George’s Trust and 2 with the Kingston Primary Care Trust. There are 9 recognised educational supervisors, 5 community teams, 2 inpatient units, a specialist assessment and intervention team and also specialist posts in Psychotherapy of Learning Disability and in Child and Adolescent Learning Disability. A wide range of special interest sessions is available locally and there are also established links with other schemes and institutions.
Regular academic and research meetings are held weekly. There are opportunities for research, supervised by staff within the Department of mental health at St George’s University of London.
Psychotherapy
The scheme offers training, which may either be primarily psychodynamic or primarily behavioural cognitive in orientation, as well as a well resourced family therapy clinic at Springfield Hospital. The centre for the training is the Department of Psychotherapy based at Springfield Hospital. This department has close links with the local CMHTs and specialist services from which it is ideally placed to take up a role within the subspecialties e.g. Forensic Psychiatry and Primary Care. There is a wide range of theoretical input.
The psychodynamic placements are at:
- Springfield Department of Psychotherapy - full time (18 months)
- Springfield Department of Psychotherapy - half time split with the Henderson Hospital (18 months)
- Department of Psychotherapy - full time at Tolworth Hospital
- Department of Psychotherapy - full time at Chertsey Hospital
The 2 behavioural cognitive placements are at the Behavioural Cognitive Psychotherapy Unit (BCPU) at Springfield Hospital, either the third year of the placement split between a CMHT and the BCPU.
The forensic psychotherapy programme is based between the Department of Psychotherapy at Springfield Hospital, the Henderson Hospital and Henderson Outreach Services, and Forensic Psychotherapy placements at Springfield and Broadmoor Hospitals.
There is a full academic three yearly rotating programme in psychodynamic psychotherapy. The CBT trainees choose a programme to suit their postgraduate needs in discussion with the Educational Supervisor and the Training Programme Director (this is often in the form of a post graduate diploma). In addition they attend the relevant sections of the psychodynamic programme.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
The scheme has clinical placements in South West London and St George’s Trust as well as Surrey and Sussex. These provide high-quality outpatient and inpatient CAMHS experience. There are also excellent opportunities for more specialist experience within Learning Disabilities, Eating Disorders and the National Deaf Service.
There is a well-organised and stimulating weekly seminar programme. In addition, there is a highly creative collaboration with the Maudsley and Guy’s rotations to produce a series of joint workshops. Past and current trainees have an impressive record of research output. More information about the training scheme >>
Forensic Psychiatry
There are 6 training posts in the Forensic Psychiatry Scheme. There is also a forensic psychotherapy training post, run jointly with the Psychotherapy Scheme. Most of the posts are based in the medium secure unit on the Springfield Hospital site, but there are additional slots based at Broadmoor Hospital and in the local prisons. The Scheme offers a range of special interest opportunities. It has a full academic and training programme and there are numerous research opportunities.
