NELFT provides a number of Foundation Trainee posts, both in the inpatient and community mental health settings. These placements are spread throughout the four boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking & Dagenham and Havering; serving a diverse population. The areas are well served by the central and district lines, TfL Rail and the Overground. Whilst on placement, Foundation Doctors can expect weekly supervision with their Consultants, allowing time to discuss any clinical issues or training needs, such as work based placed assessments. A foundation doctors’ forum is held monthly to facilitate shared learning and discuss difficulties they might be encountering in post.

Placements aim to familiarise trainees with transferrable skills that will be helpful in their future career regardless of their speciality of choice: these include risk assessments, taking a relevant history, assessing the patient’s mental state, formulating an impression and management plan. New trainees can expect a full induction programme, including simulation training on clinical scenarios and psychiatric emergencies. In addition to their standard foundation programme teaching sessions, NELFT offers FY doctors a weekly teaching programme focusing on mental health and practical physical health skills required to work in psychiatry. This is a blend of teaching sessions from psychiatric trainees and peer-to-peer teaching by themselves, facilitated by the medical education fellow. Trainees will have additional opportunities to develop their teaching skills including teaching to medical students and members of the wider MDT. They will find a range of opportunities to develop their leadership skills, including at placement level and Trust-wide level, such as taking up a trainee representative position and getting involved in audits and wider QI projects.

Currently only those that are Foundation Year 2 are placed on to the on call rota. This involves providing ward cover at Goodmayes Hospital, being supported by the SpR and Consultant on call. However all Foundation Doctors are given the opportunity to experience our Out of hours services to enable them understand the assessment and management of acutely unwell patients in the emergency setting. These are supervised sessions where they shadow the Duty Doctor.