GP Trainee Guidance
Page Contents
Dear Wessex AiTs,
The new Junior Doctors contract and associated rota guidance have been updated and are different to what has existed before in general practice. Health Education England (HEE) support AiT’s in their training journey and provide guidance to GPs in training in many areas including rotas and working patterns, urgent and emergency work, and part time working.
Wessex LMCs works with HEE in our area (HEE Wessex, HEE Severn and Kent, Surrey and Sussex (NE Hants and Farnham area) and the level of detail provided by their own webpages should provide all of the information you need to help you understand your training journey. This also ensures the information is as up to date as possible for you. Below is a link to their webpage which carries all of the latest information relevant to your training as well as contact details for the deanery team.
Wessex Deanery – Hampshire and IOW, Portsmouth, Southampton and Dorset trainees
Severn Deanery – Bath, NE Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire trainees
Kent, Surrey and Sussex Deanery – Northeast Hants and Farnham trainees
Wessex LMCs
Wessex LMCs is here to offer support throughout your training while you are working in our area and there is no charge to GPs in training made by Wessex LMCs for the services on offer. Take a look at Wessex LMCs website which carries a wealth of information and up to date advice on working as a GP in Wessex.
Joining Wessex LMCs
If you add your details to our database (by emailing us using the email below) you will receive our weekly newsletter and also any important updates from the profession and about the profession. If you aren’t sure what an LMC does and what the LMC can do to support you, then take a look at our page introducing LMCs.
Rather than offer specific advice around working patterns, we leave this to your training body, HEE. However, the LMC is here to help you if you have questions that your Trainer or Course Organiser can’t answer, or that you don’t feel comfortable asking them. Often your GP practice placement can help you, especially the Practice Manager. Also, talk to colleagues during training days about any queries or issues – you are unlikely to be the only person to have come across them. If you would like to seek advice from the LMC regarding contractual or practical working issues then you can contact us by email:
As an LMC we can offer advice regarding contractual/working issues, we will often signpost you to the BMA who are your trade union as they can offer a bespoke employment advice service which is free to BMA members.
If you would like to access pastoral support from the LMC then please contact us at the alternative email address below, and take a look at our GP support page here.
Once you CCT, you in fact have free LMC membership for a further year, so you can access our services as identified above without charge.
Financial Hardship
Please note the following organisations that can support you if you are facing financial hardship:
The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund
The main five charities involved in supporting doctors in times of financial hardship can be found at www.doctorshelp.org.uk. There is a simple 5 questions to answer to help you select which charities can help you.
Travel Expenses
In July 2019, NHS Employers, the British Medical Association and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) agreed to introduce provisions in the terms and conditions of service for NHS Doctors and Dentists in Training (England) for additional mileage/expenses for GP trainees.
GP trainees who use their personal vehicle for home visits during their placements can claim mileage expenses for all mileage incurred.
GP trainees can also claim mileage expenses for their normal home to base journey on days that they perform home visits or are expected to perform home visits.
GP trainees in England employed under the 2016 TCS (terms and conditions of service) have the below entitlement to home to base mileage:
- able to claim home to base mileage for any day on which the practice expected them to have their vehicle available to to do a home visit
- able to claim mileage expenses for one full return journey from their home to their place of work – minus any excess mileage expenses that the trainee is receiving for the same journey
- mileage will be reimbursed at the reserve rate, 28p per mile, as stated within the NHS staff handbook.
Read more about this in on the NHS Employers webpage 2016 TCS and also on the BMA website.
Tax arrangements
Unless you are employed under a lead employer contract and therefore covered by a HMRC exemption, you will be required to pay tax on all home to base mileage expenses you receive, as this is considered to be ‘ordinary commuting’ costs.
Your employer should:
- complete a P11D form for the Inland Revenue detailing this, and that any tax owing will be taken out of the trainee’s tax and national insurance contributions the following year, or
- have payroll software that can do the tax calculations for them as they go along
- keep a record of any mileage claims for up to six years for tax purposes.
Further information on the P11D form can be found here