Clinical Endoscopist Training Programme

Endoscopy services across the country face significant challenges due to reduced services during the COVID-19 emergency phase and, latterly, the pressures around maintaining services in a COVID-19-safe way.

There is an urgent need to utilise all available avenues to increase endoscopy capacity and diagnose bowel cancers at an earlier stage. Adapting how the workforce is trained to perform endoscopy is one solution component. Acquiring the skills required for endoscopy is complex, and HEE’s Clinical Endoscopy Programme for non-medical endoscopists has proven effective for nurses and AHPs to be trained over seven months.

This initiative will provide employment for a cohort of Clinical Fellows from abroad who are looking to live and work in England across the seven regions (East of England, London, Midlands, North East and Yorkshire, North West, South East and South West).

The offer is to provide employment for a cohort of 50 Clinical Fellows, funded by Health Education England (HEE) for one year. They will be employed directly by the Trust. The Clinical Fellows appointed will have undergone a rigorous selection process, including the completion of the MRCP examination of the Royal College of Physicians, demonstrating their ability to work in the NHS. They will provide backfill for the general internal medicine component of the Specialist Gastroenterology Trainees.

The programme creates dynamic partnerships and builds lasting relationships with global healthcare organisations and healthcare professionals alike. This initiative will provide the clinical fellows with the opportunity to further their experience and undertake additional activities that may include areas such as research, teaching, or other associated clinical learning to enhance their skills and support their own career development. This will enable identified Specialist Gastroenterology Trainees to be released from GIM (General Internal Medicine) duties to undertake up to a 12-week block of training in endoscopy, leading to competence and independent working within three months. This will not have an impact on their training progression.

The programme outline is as follows:

• Clinical Fellows, as part of their role, would be assigned four gastroenterology trainees over one year. They would be responsible for guiding and supervising these trainees during their up to 12-week blocks of immersive endoscopy training, thereby playing a crucial role in the success of the programme.
• Specialist Gastroenterology Trainees would be assigned 4-5 endoscopy training lists per week, alongside other gastroenterology curriculum requirements.
• The first cohort of Specialist Gastroenterology Trainees would be competent in endoscopy at the end of 12 weeks, with additional trainees achieving competence every three months. Importantly, this additional training in endoscopy will not have a negative impact on their overall training progression, ensuring that they can continue to develop their skills and knowledge in gastroenterology.