We have been a training practice since 1992. We enjoy and are committed to teaching and see the benefits it brings to patients, the practice, and the profession. We are proud of our successful training record and 3 of our current doctors actually started here as trainees.
We are part of the Banbury GP Vocational Training Scheme within the Oxford Deanery.
The whole practice participates in GP Training, and we also teach a variety of other health professionals; so far including community nurses, health visitor and midwifery students, student counsellor and a pharmacist. We also have Oxford medical students on short term attachments each autumn.
GPs in Training
Doctors who train with us are fully qualified and have selected general practice as their career speciality. They have completed at least 2 years in hospital posts, and some have prior GP experience too.
Postgraduate medical training has recently been modernised so that more doctors have the opportunity to learn in general practice, whatever their final career aspirations. This means we now have the opportunity to expand our teaching role, to include recently qualified doctors who wish to learn more about primary care. They join us for 4-6 months and have a greater level of supervision than our 1-year registrars (for simplicity we refer to them all as registrars).
GP Registrars in Practice
What do registrars do?
Registrars will:
- Sit and observe consultations
- Conduct joint consultations with their supervising GP
- Consult on their own, always with a backup GP
- Occasionally video record their consultations for personal teaching purposes
You may be told you are seeing a GP registrar when you make your appointment, and the doctor will also introduce themselves as a GP registrar when they greet you. You will always be asked if you are happy for a registrar or student to sit in on your consultation but if you are uncomfortable with this please decline.
As a training practice we will always seek your written permission if the registrar is videoing their consultations. Physical examinations will be off camera and you can ask for the camera to be switched off at any time during the consultation.
The videos are only viewed by the GP registrars and their supervising GP’s and are an invaluable tool for teaching consultation skills. Some videos can be used for the RCA examination, so may be viewed by an external examiner (which you will be asked separate permission for).
How does This Benefit Patients?
As a training practice we have to demonstrate and maintain the highest standards of healthcare for our patients, as well as providing an excellent learning environment for GP registrars. We are rigorously externally assessed every 3 years for excellence in organisational, clinical, and educational performance.
Registrars also increase the number of available appointments, bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm, and share the most up to date hospital practice with us.
We feel privileged to be involved in training the doctors of the future and hopefully encouraging them to aspire to be excellent GPs as defined by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).
Information for potential learners:
For any further information please contact Dr Kate Smith (trainer) or Mr Stanford Jeffery the practice manager.
Research
The practice has traditionally been involved with primary care research, in particular with Dr Lehman’s work on heart failure and Dr Hin’s on Coeliac Disease and on vitamin B12 deficiency. Dr Hin retired in July 2012 but continued to run a research project on vitamin D deficiency, details of which you may have seen in the surgery and many of you kindly participated in, this concluded in 2014.
We take part in projects run by reputable, outside agencies (often Oxford University or the Oxford Hospitals).
We have also been involved in the ATAFUTA trial for treatments for urinary tract infection and the COMBO trial for use of supportive IT systems for people with bipolar disorder.
It will always be made clear to you if any of your care is linked in any way to research. We are justifiably proud of the achievements so far in this area.