NHS Training Practice

The Practice Of Health is proud to be recognised as a training GP practice. We are committed to helping train the doctors of the future!

A "training GP practice" is general practitioner (GP) surgery that actively participates in training future doctors and other healthcare professionals, by providing them with clinical experience under the supervision of qualified GPs within the practice; essentially, the medication practice is designated by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to teach and mentor trainees in the field of general practice.

General practice is now well established as an ideal setting in which to learn clinical skills and the principles of clinical medicine.

We have strong links with Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) and are actively involved in the education and training of medical students in all year groups.  We support them to develop their knowledge and skills to become caring and competent GP’s.

The practice is a teaching practice for GP registrars, medical students, student nurses and other attached staff such as Foundation Pharmacists.

Key points about teaching GP practices:

• Trainee doctors:

These practices often host "GP registrars" - fully qualified doctors undergoing further training specifically to become GPs. hilst the GP registrars are already fully qualified doctors, having had a great deal of hospital experience, they are nonetheless encouraged to seek advice when required from any of the GP partners.

• Supervising GPs:

Experienced GPs within the practice act as mentors and educators for the trainees, guiding them through patient consultations and clinical decision-making. Our practice partakes in the training of Year 1, 3 and 5 Medical students, who are attached to our practice for short periods of time. If you do not wish to have a medical student present during your consultation, please inform the receptionist at the time of making your appointment.

• Supervising nurses:

Our experienced ANP and nurses within the practice act as mentors and educators for the trainees, guiding them through patient consultations and clinical decision-making. Our practice is currently enrolled in the national GPN foundation programme, which provides a standardised pathway for community or hospital based nurses who want to develop a career as a GP nurse. 

Training curriculum:

• The practice adheres to a structured training program established by the relevant healthcare authority, providing exposure to various aspects of primary care. 

Which individuals do we teach?

Postgraduate GP Training (GP Registrar)

The practice is approved to train fully qualified doctors who wish to specialise in general practice.

The GP specialist trainee (sometimes also called GP registrar) will have had 2 – 4 years’ experience as a qualified hospital doctor working in various specialities. They consult patients on their own, under the supervision of the partners who are always available if the GP trainee needs their assistance or advice. Occasionally we ask permission to video a consultation, you will always be asked in advance and are given the option not to take part, and this will not affect your care in any way. These videos are used only for educational purposes with the doctor doing the consultation and are destroyed after use.

Occasionally medical records are inspected for the purpose of educational supervisor selection and accreditation and quality assurance activities.

We are a well-regarded training practice offering a high quality learning environment. The practice has 2 experienced trainers, has access to a range of services and serves a diverse range of patients. Previous trainee reviews are very positive as is feedback from the practice assessors. Previous trainees have described us as ‘an excellent and innovative practice with great supervision and opportunities to learn.’

Foundation Doctors  (FY2)

A foundation doctor is a qualified medical practitioner who is undertaking a two-year postgraduate medical training programme. Over those two years the doctors will work five placements in a variety of hospital departments, plus one four-month placement in a GP practice. This allows them to gain a wider range of knowledge and experience before they choose to work towards a specialty or GP training.

During their placement at the Practice the Foundation Doctor will learn about working in a GP practice under the tutelage of our training lead GP, with the support of the whole practice team.

Undergraduate Medical Student Teaching

Over their five years of medical school, medical students undertake various placements to learn and gain skills which will help them in the future. As part of this, The Practice Of Health offers them opportunities including sitting in and observing consultations with a doctor or nurse, interviewing patients to learn how a disability or long-term condition can impact each person, and practicing taking medical histories and examining patients whilst supervised by a qualified member of staff.

If you would prefer not to have a medical student present during your consultation, please let us know prior to your appointment.

Video Consultations

Also as part of an assessment procedure to make sure that all doctors who become GPs are fully competent, a video recording of some of the consultations between patients and doctors in training is carried out from time to time. This is to assess the doctor and the tape is wiped once the teaching of the doctor is complete. No intimate examination is carried out in front of the camera.

The video is only of you and the doctor talking together and is carried out according to guidelines from the General Medical Council and Joint Committee for Post-Graduate Training in General Practice (the body responsible for the training of GPs).

This is purely optional and will only be carried out if you consent to the consultation being recorded.