Named Educational and Clinical Supervisors

Welcome to the resource hub for Educational and Clinical Supervisors at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. This page provides key information regarding the role including becoming a supervisor, maintaining and developing your skills, GMC recognition & appraisal and links for support & signposting.

Your Role as a Supervisor

Supervisors play a pivotal role in growing our Resident Doctors of tomorrow.
A Named Educational Supervisor (ES) is a senior doctor who has undertaken the required training to be recognised by the GMC. They are responsible for supporting, guiding, and monitoring the progress of a named trainee for a specified period. They may be in a different department, or different organisation, to the trainee.

In addition to an ES, each doctor in training must have a Named Clinical Supervisor (NCS) for each placement at NUH, who should oversee the day-to-day supervision and the acquisition of the required clinical competencies for their named trainee during the placement. A NCS is a senior doctor who has undertaken the required training to be recognised by the GMC.

An ES may also act as the NCS whilst their doctor in training is in their department, but it is important to understand how these roles differ.

At NUH, for Locally Employed Resident Doctors, the role of the ES and NCS are combined.

The GMC has recognised four specific trainer roles, including that of ES and NCS.

The GMC uses the seven domains originally developed by the Academy of Medical Educators (2014) as the criteria for trainer recognition against which all trainers in recognised roles must provide evidence of their ongoing professional development.

ESs must demonstrate evidence in all 7 domains and NCSs must demonstrate evidence in domains 1-4 and 7.

How to become a supervisor at NUH

  1. Be a consultant on the relevant specialist/GP register or equivalent registered SAS doctor
  2. Hold a substantive employment contract with NUH, or be in a fixed term/locum contract with NUH for longer than six months after the GMC trainer recognition date
  3. Complete an appropriate training course (covering the relevant domains)
  4. Hold up-to-date equality, diversity and inclusion training
  5. Inform NUH PMED once you have completed the course, so that your GMC registration can be updated
  6. Have your role included in your job plan with allocated time

Appropriate training courses for a new ES and NCS

An appropriate ES course must cover all 7 GMC domains, and an appropriate NCS course must cover domains 1-4 and 7. A potential ES or NCS can complete the training as early as their last 6 months pre-CCT.

Option 1 – NUH Educational & Clinical Supervisors Core Programme for Consultants and SAS doctors. This one-day course covers supervisory roles, supporting resident doctors, trainee reflection, feedback, creating supportive learning environments, and managing performance issues. It is free to NUH doctors. For more information please email nuhnt.PMED@nhs.net or access more information via the PMED Supervisors intranet

Option 2 – Equivalent ES and NCS training provided/recognised by any NHS England Workforce Training and Education local office. NHSE Workforce, training and education, East Midlands does provide ad hoc courses throughout the year. Information regarding these is usually disseminated via the Schools and College Tutors.

Option 3 – Equivalent training from one of the Royal Colleges

  1. British Orthopaedic Association
  2. Royal College of Anaesthetists
  3. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
  4. Royal College of Physicians
  5. Royal College of Radiologists
  6. Royal College of Surgeons of England

Option 4 – Named Clinical Supervisor Training only. Complete the ‘Clinical Supervision for Healthcare Professionals e-learning module’ on the NHS Learning Hub

How to maintain and develop your skills

NUH PMED runs a yearlong development programme for educators and supervisors which consists of day, ½ day and lunchtime updates on a range of relevant topics. Details can be found on the intranet PMED supervisors page and are disseminated in regular Supervisors Newsletters.

Revalidation and Appraisal

The GMC no longer requires 5-yearly revalidation as a recognised trainer following initial registration. The requirement for 15-hours educational CPD per revalidation cycle has also been removed. In the absence of national guidance from NHSE regarding minimal CPD requirements to maintain registration, it is the responsibility of individual Trusts to determine what is required for their supervisors to maintain their skills across the seven domains.

At NUH, as a minimum the recommendation for a 5-year revalidation cycle is evidence of:

  • Annual discussion of your supervisor role at appraisal (if you have indicated that you are a GMC registered ES/NCS in section 3 on SARD, then a reminder will appear in section 16 that your role should have been discussed at appraisal)
  • 3 hours appropriate CPD (e.g. from the NUH PMED development programme, College supervisor updates and NHSE educator updates). For more information please email nuhnt.PMED@nhs.net or access more information via the PMED Supervisors intranet
  • Participation in an ARCP process 
  • Evidence of feedback regarding your supervisor role
  • Evidence of reflection regarding your supervisor role
  • Complete of equality, diversity and inclusion training every 3 years – course are available through ESR (mandatory training), e-learning for health (search Diversity, Equal Opportunities and Human Rights), doctors.net and through Colleges