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Salaried Portfolio Innovation (SPIN) Scheme – New to Practice Fellowships

Fellowship opportunities for newly qualified and early career GPs and General Practice Nurses and nurses new to practice, within one year of joining general practice

What is SPIN and who is it for?

The London SPIN - New to Practice Fellowships scheme offers fellowship opportunities to new and early-career salaried GPs and General Practice Nurses (GPNs), and new to practice nurses, who are within one year of joining general practice in London, to develop both generalist and specialist skills.

London SPIN recruitment round is now open for 2023/24

New and early-career salaried GPs and General Practice Nurses can now apply to become a SPIN - New to Practice Fellow via the latest recruitment round taking place across London. Recruitment timescales for the SPIN – New to Fellowship scheme vary depending on the London Integrated Care System (ICS) areas – see below for dates.

Please contact your local ICS area SPIN GP or GPN Programme Director for further information (contact details below).

Who is eligible to apply for a SPIN Fellowship?

Applicants need to be:

  • employed by their General Practice on a permanent salaried contract (your local SPIN Team or local Training Hub lead can also provide information on local GP practice vacancies)
  • newly qualified and early-career salaried GPs, and newly qualified general practice nurses (GPNs), within the first 12 months of qualifying

Or

  • up to 18 months post-training in the instances of maternity / adoption / parental leave, long-term sickness or other caring responsibilities and for GPs, hold a substantive contract to deliver GMS (General Medical Services).

GPN and GP recruitment: how to apply

Newly qualified GPs and GPNs should ideally apply for SPIN – New to Practice Fellowships within their ICS area footprint. ICS area footprints are as follows:

  • North Central London
  • North East London
  • North West London
  • South East London
  • South West London

How to apply

All London ICS areas will ask those interested to complete an application form / Expression of Interest form. If you are interested in applying for a fellowship, you can  email your regional key contacts to find out more:

London regional contacts

North central London (NCL)

North east London (NEL)

  • GPN/GP recruitment dates/Application process: Rolling recruitment. Email your regional key contact(s) for an email application form / more information about applying.
  • Regional contacts:
  • Links to more information: NEL Fellowships NEL Fellowship vacancies

North west London (NWL)

South east London (SEL)

  • GPN recruitment dates/Application process: Rolling recruitment. Email your regional key contact(s) for an email application form / more information about applying.
  • Regional contacts:
  • Links to more information: GP Fellowships GPN Fellowships

South west London (SWL)

Moving from one ICS area to another

If a Fellow moves from one ICS area to another, we will try to ensure their fellowship continues or otherwise aim to connect with a regional lead to discuss what is possible. Please email the London Primary Care Team who will be able to advise which ICS area footprint you are in.

London ICS area SPIN programme teams can support you during the application process and can connect those expressing an interest with local Training Hub leads.

Recruitment drives may also be run on a rolling basis to encourage potential fellows to apply – for example, if an applicant is 11 months newly qualified, with one month to go within the 12-month eligibility period.

Next steps

Applying for a SPIN – New to Practice Fellowship is a fluid process, designed to work with potential Fellows. The London Primary Care Team is there to support all potential Fellows in accessing opportunities, whether you have fully developed ideas and have already spoken to a host employer or whether you are seeking a readymade fellowship portfolio offer that you can step into (this will depend on portfolio vacancies on offer in your area).

The London Primary Care Team can answer your questions and signpost you to your ICS area SPIN Programme Team who will provide you with more detailed information and tools to get you onto the scheme (if you meet the required eligibility criteria – please check above).

How the scheme benefits fellows, employers and patients

The scheme helps to create and support the development of attractive portfolio opportunities for GPs and general practice nurses (who may already be in a permanent, salaried role in general practice) and ensures they feel fully supported in the crucial early stages of their career.

Other benefits:

  • GPs and nurses can be matched to vacancies / alerted to vacancies (each of the ICS region SPIN Programme Teams can link potential Fellows with local Training Hub leads)
  • portfolio opportunities available in a variety of settings where specialist skills can be developed.
  • solid career progression, ensuring portfolio careers meet the expectations of newly qualified GPs / general practice nurses.
  • educational peer support sessions once a month run by an experienced clinical educator.

Benefits to employers and patients

SPIN – New to Practice Fellowship:

  • supports practices and host portfolio organisations through increased capacity and supply of a skilled workforce with specialist knowledge
  • encourages increased cross sector working, as GP and GPN fellows are able to pursue special interests and educational roles in acute, mental health and community trusts
  • increases recruitment and retention of newly qualified GPs and GPNs in the primary care workforce across London
  • offers a sustainable cross-sector model, encouraging integrated system working and collaboration between partners and innovation across the sector
  • ensures primary care patients benefit from GP and GPNs’ specialist knowledge and excellent working relationships with healthcare partners, resulting in a higher standard of service delivery.

Early-career GPs are recruited by the local SPIN Project Manager or Programme Director or via local Training Hub networks to work in general practice for four to seven sessions per week. Each session is roughly equivalent to half a day.

In addition, GPs will engage in two sessions per week in an alternative setting – for example, Clinical Care Group (CCG)-based leadership opportunities, system-wide development activities, acute /mental health /community trust specialisms or educational fellowships (with scope to develop an innovative fellowship experience).

NHSE provides reimbursement for one CPD / portfolio session, based on the individual fellow’s actual full-time salary (pro-rata).

NHSE London WT&E Directorate also currently funds the PG Certificate in Healthcare Practice Programme and provides a bursary to fellows to provide financial support over the 12-month duration. The course is taught during the academic year, with a limited number of spaces offered across London.

Please email your local ICS area SPIN Programme Team (contacts above) who will be able to support you in applying for funding.

The SPIN – New to Practice Fellowship scheme was first introduced in 2017-18 in response to the workforce needs of the system, population health need and to sustain a permanent general practice workforce in the London region.

The NHS Long Term Plan emphasises the opportunity to tailor roles to benefit both ‘the individual and the needs of the local primary care system’. The SPIN – New to Practice Fellowships scheme continues to flourish and grow, having hosted over circa 400 fellows. Read more via the NHS England General Practice Fellowships.

Hear from fellows and host employers who have taken part in the scheme

You can watch a series of short films where our Fellows talk about how SPIN – New to Practice Fellowships are supporting and developing their careers:

Related blogs:

Rachel Roberts, Primary Care Dean for London, tells us how she set up the scheme while Munir Ali-Zubair looks at things from the perspective of a SPIN NTP GP Programme Director. Ferduche Miah and Fatima Sharifee share what they have gained from becoming a SPIN – NTP GP Fellow / GPN Fellow respectively. Finally, Duncan Brooke, PG Certificate (Cert) Academic Tutor, talks about the PG Cert in Healthcare Practice course, one of the portfolio options available to fellows on the London SPIN – New to Practice (NTP) Fellowship Scheme.

Narrative case stories

Read more about the opportunities open to you through SPIN – New to Practice fellowships and how fellowships support host organisations in our series of narrative case stories

Hear from a host employer

Rasheeda’s experience as a Teaching Fellow

Contact the team

Please email the London Primary Care Team who will direct your enquiry to your local Programme Director / Training Hub. They can provide potential fellows with more information on the scheme and guide you in the application process and support potential host organisations in looking to host fellows.

Associated links:

Related Documents

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