Practical information about training

The delivery and organisation of LTFT is the responsibility of the individual NHS England local offices/deaneries. This document contains hints to make the most of LTFT and avoid common pitfalls.

Introduction

Out of programme (OOP) is time out to develop skills and experience beyond an approved training programme. Your postgraduate dean must approve the OOP before getting prospective approval from the GMC. View the GMC’s Out of Programme guidance for further details.

You may apply to have some of your OOP (either training or research) count toward your certificate of completion of training (CCT).

Out of programme training/research (OOPT/R)

Resident doctors wishing to have OOPT/R time counted towards their CCT must complete a application form to secure the College’s endorsement. This only applies to OOPT in locations not recognised by the GMC as training locations or OOPR in the UK or abroad.

It is important to submit applications for recognition in good time.  Failing that, the College cannot guarantee that approval will be granted in time for the start date. The College cannot offer retrospective approval.

Out of programme experience / career break (OOPE/C)

Please inform the College if your Postgraduate Dean has approved an OOPE or OOPC.  The College will update your ePortfolio and change the expected CCT date.

 How to apply for OOPT

1. Download the OOPT Application Form
2. Complete the application form, ensuring all parts of the form are complete. Incomplete applications will be returned.
3. Submit the completed form by email to [email protected]

 How to apply for OOPR

1. Download the OOPR Application Form
2. Complete the application form, ensuring all parts of the form are complete. Incomplete applications will be returned.
3. Submit completed form and documents by email to [email protected]

The application for recognition of a research period towards the CCT must be accompanied by a research protocol and a timetable.

The maximum time that can be recognised towards CCT arising from a period of research is 6 months. 

Reports

A report must be completed and submitted to the College at the end of OOPT/R periods.

This document has been produced by the ophthalmologists in training group (OTG) as a repository of useful information on financial matters, including claiming tax relief (UK only) for College examinations.

View the NHS England national inter-deanery transfer (IDT) pages for information about the process.

• The resident doctor must be in their final year of training (pro-rata for a LTFT timetable), on an ARCP Outcome 1 and have passed the Part 2 FRCOphth examination.
• The maximum duration for AUC is 3 months.
• The resident doctor must remain with their named educational supervisor whilst acting up as a consultant so that the period is covered by them in respect of an educational supervisor report (ESR).
• There must be a named clinical supervisor in the same unit to whom the resident doctor can turn for advice and assistance.
• The post must be with an already GMC-approved local education provider.
• Posts should preferably be within the resident’s NHS England/Deanery training programme. If an AUC is undertaken outside the NHS England/Deanery, the latter’s permission for an OOPT is required.
• Additional College approval is not required if the AUC is within the resident’s NHS England/Deanery training programme.
• The post must be termed ‘acting up’, and on no account must the term ‘locum’ be used.
• The resident doctor will retain their national training number (NTN) during the acting-up period.
• Doctors who are post-CCT will not be eligible to ‘act up’ and will be expected to take up the post of locum consultant – they will be asked to resign their NTN upon taking a locum consultant post.
• The College will not support AUC posts in units where there are fewer than two consultant colleagues.