Scottish Prospective Educational Supervisor Course (SPESC) - Eligibility Criteria and Process

Scotland Deanery

Educational Supervisor / Training Practice

Eligibility Criteria and Process

Scotland Deanery supports applications and provides funding to prospective GP Educational Supervisors (ES) to participate in the Scottish Prospective Educational Supervisors Course (SPESC). This is vital to ensure the maintenance and development of Scotland’s GP ES workforce and succession within existing GP Training Practice environments.

Early in 2014, the need for a pan Scotland approach to screening potential applicants of the SPESC course was acknowledged by the Scottish Directors of PG GP Education in order to ensure

• a fair and consistent process
• appropriate allocation of resource to eligible individuals
• allocation which reflects regional ES workforce requirements

Eligibility Criteria

1. Prospective GP Educational Supervisors

All potential ES applicants must meet with their local Training Programme Director (or equivalent) and demonstrate their awareness of and commitment to meeting the requirements of

• SPESC course content, structure and assessments.
• Criteria and Standards for approval as GP Educational Supervisor in Scotland, (as defined in Scottish GP ES Accreditation Application Document) including plans to overcome any current barriers.

This will include demonstrating

• MRCGP qualification
• Minimum two years post CCT at date of SPESC application
• Working in the practice in which they plan to be an ES for at least one year
• Holding a substantive post within the practice, but not necessarily as a partner
• Working a minimum of four GP sessions per week
• Commitment to become an Educational Supervisor and use the skills acquired
• Support from their practice colleagues to becoming an Educational Supervisor
• Attendance at an FDA Trainer workshop
• Satisfactory completion of the Consultation Peer Review process

In order to ensure effective succession of ES within a practice, the requirement for a minimum one year’s experience may be waived depending on the prior experience of the applicant.  This would usually only apply in circumstances when there was an identified need to fast track applicants in order to meet an urgent need for additional approved ESs.

GPs on the Doctors’ Retainers Scheme are not considered eligible to apply due to the educational nature of the Retainer scheme.

1. Prospective GP Training Practices

All potential new Training Practices must participate in a visit from the local Training Programme Director (or equivalent) and demonstrate their awareness of and commitment to meeting the requirements of

• SPESC course content, structure and assessments and their need to support their GP colleague through the course
• Criteria and Standards for approval as a GP Training Practice in Scotland (as defined in Scottish GP Training Practice Accreditation Application Document) including a plan to overcome any current barriers.

Priority will be given to applicants from

• Training Practices where there is identified need as a consequence of forthcoming retirement of ES to ensure training succession
• single ES

• New Training Practices, particularly in areas with identified need
• Training Practices with two existing ESs, but with the capacity to supervise more than two trainees, including trainees with difficulties

Application Process

• Applicant contacts regional office to indicate interest in participating in SPESC
• TPD (or equivalent) meets with potential applicant and assesses their suitability and readiness for participating in the course
• TPD (or equivalent) informs Assistant Director (AD) of outcome and provisional funding is agreed
• Applicant completes mandatory pre-SPESC work (FDA Trainer Workshop and Peer Review Consultations)
• Applicant completes SPESC funding application form and sends to Regional Office
• Funding approval from AD is confirmed
• Applicant books SPESC via FDA Portal

Scottish GP Educational Supervisor and Training Practice Approval

The criteria and standards for approval of Scottish GP Educational Supervisors can be found in the Scottish GP ES Accreditation Application document. Formal approval is dependent on satisfactory

• completion of SPESC
• Scottish GP Educational Supervisor accreditation application

The criteria and standards for approval of Scottish GP Training Practices can be found in the Scottish GP Training Practice Accreditation Application document. Formal approval is dependent on satisfactory

• Scottish GP Training Practice accreditation application
• GP Training Practice approval visit

This page was last updated on: 29.11.2018 at 15.52