Flexible trainees are part-time doctors in training. Flexible training provisions have been in existence in the NHS since 1969. But, impetus to improve access to flexible training only developed in the late 1990s, with new attitudes to work-life balance and introduction of the Part-Time Workers regulations in 2000.
Flexible training is seen as a way to recruit, retain and motivate doctors, who might otherwise quit the NHS because of other commitments. It’s particularly relevant to the medical profession because of the rising proportion of female trainees, who may want to have children, and the high staffing levels required to comply with the Working Time Directive. However, research by PMETB shows that demand for flexible training continues to be largely unmet.
Historical problems with becoming a flexible trainee
Trusts have perceived flexible trainees as expensive to employ. Pre-2005, a part-time doctor (doing out-of-hours work) was paid a full-time basic salary and an additional supplement of 5% or 25%.
Although slot shares increased, many flexible posts were supernumerary, making their employment more expensive still. Extra funding from the Department of Health was made available to help fund flexible training but expired in April 2004. In addition to cost issues, the flexible training scheme was administered differently from deanery to deanery, with inconsistent approaches and attitudes.
Revised arrangements for flexible training
In 2005, revised arrangements were introduced to improve access to flexible training and make the roles more affordable for employers. These arrangements were outlined in two documents Principles underpinning the new arrangements for flexible training and Equitable pay for flexible training. The guiding principles were to retain doctors who are unable to train on a full-time basis; to promote work-life balance for doctors; to ensure training on a time equivalence (pro-rata) basis; and maintain a balance between educational requirements and service delivery in the reduced hours.
Flexible trainees now receive basic pay and a supplement for out-of-hours work. Basic salary is determined by the actual hours worked and the supplement is paid as a proportion of the calculated basic salary. Band FA attracts a 50% supplement, FB attracts 40% and FC attracts 20%. Flexible trainees who do no out-of-hours work do not receive a supplement.
The revised pay system brought hourly rates of pay in line with that of full-time trainees. And an independent appeals mechanism was introduced for cases where an application was rejected. The Department of Health in England agreed an additional £7million in recurrent funding to ensure its success.
Flexible training criteria
Trainees are required to undertake at least 50% of a normal working week. Day time working, on call and out-of-hours duties should be undertaken on a pro rata basis equivalent to full time trainees in the same specialty, provided they can do so. Trainees are normally expected to move between posts within rotations on the same basis as full time trainees but not necessarily at the same time. When full time trainees normally have an out-of-hours commitment, a flexible trainee will only be entitled to train without completing the out-of-hours commitment for a maximum period of six months subject to educational approval.
There are different ways of structuring flexible trainee roles. Slot sharing is where two flexible trainees are employed and paid as individuals (often for 60% or more) and work together. They share one place on a rota but not a contract and may overlap sessions. Job sharing is when two trainees share a full time post salary, work half the hours and receive 50% of the training opportunities. Then there are supernumerary posts that are additional to the normal complement of trainees on a rota. Sometimes trusts use a less than full-time trainee in a full-time role to avoid the additional expense of a supernumerary role. They typically work four rather than five days a week.
More information on flexible training.
Who is eligible to apply for flexible training?
While all doctors are theoretically eligible to apply, deaneries are prioritising two categories; the first, and most prescient, includes doctors in training with a disability or ill health, or responsibility for caring for children or an ill or disabled partner or relative.
The second category includes those doctors in training with unique opportunities for their own personal or professional development, such as representing their country in sport, or a short-term extraordinary responsibility, such as a national committee.
Religious commitments will also be considered and non-medical professional development, such as management or law courses. Other reasons may be considered but it would be dependent on the particular situation and the needs of the specialty.
How does a junior doctor apply to become a flexible trainee?
The trainee should seek advice on eligibility for flexible training in a meeting with the postgraduate deanery representative. If the trainee is not already working within the grade and specialty, appointment through open competition will be necessary. Potential applicants who do not discuss with the associate postgraduate dean their intention to train flexibly in advance of application to a post will find that funding is unlikely to be immediately available.
The trainee will need to agree a training programme with the deanery. Time for protected study and research should be included within a normal working week.
The regional specialty education committee or programme director will approve the training programme on behalf of the postgraduate dean and the appropriate Royal College. This approval should take no longer than six weeks to obtain. Approval will be given initially for one year subject to annual review.
Approval of the deanery and the employing trust will be necessary for funding of the post. As the recurrent funding available is limited, applicants considering flexible training should apply as early as possible and at least three months in advance of anticipated need.
Once all approvals have been obtained, the start date will be confirmed with the trainee, and the NHS trust requested to issue a contract.
More details
Case studies
Low availability of flexible training
The number of flexible trainees remains low. There are approximately 2,100 currently in the NHS, which represents around 6%. In 2005, the revised arrangements were anticipated to enable 20% of junior doctors to train flexibly by 2010. The Chief Medical Officer’s 2007 Annual Report called for more flexible training opportunities, as did the PMETB Survey of Trainees in 2007. It shows that 22% of female trainees would like to train flexibly but are not doing so currently.
Funding for flexible training currently comes partly from the trust where the doctor works and partly from the budget of the postgraduate medical deaneries. However, the proportion the trust pays is significantly higher than under the old arrangements. The BMA claims that many Category 1 doctors – those with a disability or ill health or caring responsibilities – are still being prevented access to flexible training. They continue to campaign on the issue.
More information:
Medical Careers
MMC
Flexible Careers Scheme