Wanting to find out some more information before you start your next rotation? You have come to the right place! Here you will find a breakdown of the various specialist posts that are part of the West Middlesex GP Training Scheme.
The vast majority of the hospital posts are located at West Middlesex University Hospital with the exception of one outlier post at Ealing Hospital. The Psychiatry posts are all organised and supervised by the West London Mental Health Trust – with locations across community sites. The map (below) lists all the relevant locations of secondary care posts. Click more for additional information on ITP jobs.
Integrated Training Posts, or ITPs, are unique opportunities to get some specialism experience during one of your GP placements in ST1 or ST2. You would normally be allocated 1-2 days away from your GP practice to spend time in one or more specialisms (usually in an outpatient role). ITPs are designed to help you to learn skills that can enhance your day-to-day GP work as well as to introduce you to possible portfolio opportunities once you CCT. At the end of the six-month placement you will need to complete a Clinical Supervisors Report (CSR) for each specialism you have been involved with.
To help you visualise and plan your journey, check out the interactive map below. This page offers specific information on all of the hospital and ITP posts that are part of the West Middlesex GP Training Scheme – including top tips from trainees that have completed these rotations in the past. We believe that a well-informed trainee is an empowered one!
Hospital and ITP posts are often subject to changes that are outside of our control. If you notice that any of the information on this page is out of date then please do inform one of the TPDs so that we can have this corrected. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out.
Hospital Posts
Care of the Elderly
What site will I be at?
West Middlesex Hospital.
Will it involve any on-call work?
Yes. You will be on the acute medical on-call rota. There will be approximately 4 weeks of nights over 6 months and 1 in 4 weekends.
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
You are allocated a CS and they are usually the lead consultant for your base ward.
Who provides the rota?
Dr Mark Lethby coordinates the COTE rota (live rota viewable online). Aanchal Sood (AMU) provides the acute medical on-call rota. See Trainee Address Book for contact details.
How useful is the post for GP Training?
The medical on-call days expose you to a wide range of pathology and enhance your ability to efficiently and competently assess acute presentations. The days working on the acute frailty team are useful for developing holistic geriatric assessment skills as well as gaining experience in utilising the broader MDT to maximise discharge outcomes.
Trainee Top Tips:
No specific skills required (beyond F2) to prepare for this job. Try to make the most of your ward days and take advantage of opportunities like sitting in with the frailty team because the on-call duties, nights and rest days mean that there isn’t as much time on the ward as you would imagine.
Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)
What site will I be at?
West Middlesex Hospital.
Will it involve any on-call work?
Yes. There are some long days and 1 in 4 weekends are worked as part of the surgical on-call rota. There are no nights.
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
GP trainees are allocated Mr Niall Daly as the CS – see Trainee Address Book for contact details. He is very supportive and readily available during the post.
Who provides the rota?
The rota is usually organised and distributed by a Lead SHO and SpR. You can contact the rota co-ordinators – Yolda Nezami and Ishra Chaudhry – if you have any queries – see Trainee Address Book for contact details.
How useful is the post for GP Training?
Very useful. It will certainly help you understand the process and criteria for referring patients from the community to ENT emergency clinics. You will also become experienced at being able to competently assess the severity of different ENT conditions.
Trainee Top Tips:
The ENT induction is very useful and goes through basic practical skills. They will provide useful information about signing up to an ENT emergency skills course which is excellent value and can be claimed back from study budget – it is well worth going on the course.
Emergency Medicine (A&E/UCC)
What site will I be at?
West Middlesex Hospital.
Will it involve any on-call work?
Yes. Like most EM jobs the post involves shift work with approximately 6 sets of nights (each 3 nights long) over 6 months. On average 1 in 3 weekends are worked. GP Trainees do more UCC shifts compared to other trainees to reflect the fact that UCC work is more relevant to the work of GPs.
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
Most of the EM consultants are willing to be a CS and there is scope for you to approach the consultant of your choice to be your CS.
Who provides the rota?
The rota is overseen by a lead consultant to ensure compliance. It is normally sent out by Sophie McEvoy (Rota Manager) or Lorraine Herbert (Wellbeing Support) – see Trainee Address Book for contact details.
How useful is the post for GP Training?
You will see a wide variety of presentations and you will develop the skills needed for deciding whether a patient needs to be sent to ED versus utilising other pathways such as AEC or community management. Paediatric EM exposure is useful for a lot of trainees, particularly if they have not had a paediatric rotation in previous jobs. Most trainees really enjoy the UCC experience and this is a career choice for many GPs after CCT.
Trainee Top Tips:
Car parking – you can apply for an evening and weekend parking permit which you’ll get within a couple of days (staff parking from 4pm-9am and anytime on weekends). You can also get priority for a general parking permit if eligible.
Departmental teaching – there is ‘F2 Teaching’ on Tuesdays which is open to GP trainees. It is not well publicised but the consultants have agreed that GP trainees can attend this session as there is no departmental teaching specific for GP trainees.
General Medicine
What site will I be at?
West Middlesex Hospital. Acute Medical Unit (AMU).
Will it involve any on-call work?
Yes. You will work one weekend shift per month on average and there will be frequent long days.
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
You are allocated a CS and they will be one of the Acute Medicine consultants.
Who provides the rota?
Dr Rajvi Shah is in charge of the rota and it is often updated frequently (see Trainee Address Book for contact details).
How useful is the post for GP Training?
The Ambulatory Emergency Clinic (AEC) is very useful and you will get to spend a couple of weeks doing AEC work. This is usually dealing with same day GP referrals and the work most resembles the kind of presentations you would expect to see in primary care. The post is very much senior led and there are opportunities to sign off a lot of procedures and CEPS.
Trainee Top Tips:
No specific skills required (beyond F2) to prepare for this job. Try to make the most of your AEC time as trainees often wish they had got to spend more time in AEC.
Obstetrics & Gynaecology (O&G) – Ealing
What site will I be at?
Ealing Hospital.
Will it involve any on-call work?
Yes it involves some on-call shifts during the day but no night shifts. Approximately 1 in 5 weekends are worked. There is usually one long day on-call per week 8am-8pm. On-call days in the week are followed by a zero day.
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
Mr Haytham Khalil – Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. See Trainee Address Book for contact details.
Who provides the rota?
The rota is communicated by Suzanne Lovell – see Trainee Address Book for contact details.
How useful is the post for GP Training?
You see a range of pathologies across a huge variety of patient demographics at Ealing Hospital. You will build diagnostic, management and communication skills; which will no doubt be of use as a GP.
Trainee Top Tips:
The rota was provided quite late which made it difficult to plan in advance – if you experience similar delays then do contact the rota coordinators as they are happy to help.
Obstetrics & Gynaecology (O&G) – West Middlesex
What site will I be at?
West Middlesex Hospital.
Will it involve any on-call work?
Yes. There is usually one long day (8am-8pm) on-call shift per week. Approximately 1 in 4 weekends are worked. There is roughly 1 set of nights every 2 months.
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
Miss Sharmistha Guha takes overall lead for the GP trainees and you will be allocated a consultant as your CS at the start of the rotation. See Trainee Address Book for contact details.
Who provides the rota?
The rota is overseen by Miss Sharma and you will be given an Excel spreadsheet of the entire 6 months prior to starting. There is an SHO rota team (including O&G and GP trainees) who create a monthly rota of the clinics to attend – this is communicated via medirota.
How useful is the post for GP Training?
You will get ample opportunity to gain experience in clinics – both obstetrics and gynaecology. The post will definitely provide a breadth of clinical knowledge across O&G and help to plug knowledge gaps. GP trainees have found the general gynaecology clinics particularly useful in learning about first line management of primary care presentations.
Trainee Top Tips:
Consider volunteering to be the GP trainee on the SHO rota team. It is useful for a GP trainee to represent our training needs with respect to getting a breadth of clinic experience as well as allocating GP trainees to areas of work that are more relevant to GPs. It is a good example of showing leadership and you do get protected time for rota sessions.
Paediatrics
What site will I be at?
West Middlesex Hospital.
Will it involve any on-call work?
Yes. There are parts of the rota that are quite intense. On average it equates to 1 in 3 weekends and there can be 1-2 long days on-call during the week. Night shifts approximately once every month – with two SHOs, two SpRs and a Consultant on-call overnight.
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
You will be allocated a CS at the start of the rotation – all the consultants are supportive and approachable.
Who provides the rota?
Two of the consultants, Dr Joanna Longman and Dr Humera Ali, manage the rota (see Trainee Address Book for contact details). There is a rota administrator but all leave requests should go via the consultants. The ‘live’ rota is accessible online and you will be given access details.
How useful is the post for GP Training?
The post, despite being busy, is always highly recommended by trainees. It will boost your skills and confidence in assessing/managing paediatric patients. It allows you to better understand how to safety net effectively as well as identify the earliest signs of more serious childhood illnesses. There is also a lot of practical teaching on various topics, including safeguarding, which is really relevant to GP trainees.
Trainee Top Tips:
The induction is really comprehensive and includes Paediatric BLS. You will be eased into the job so you shouldn’t feel overwhelmed. However, there are intensive parts of the rota where you work 7 days in a row – previous trainees have suggested using annual leave during this stretch to break up the week and minimise tiredness. Make the most of any opportunity you get to sit in on clinics as the the intensity of the rota often means it is difficult to make additional time for this.
Psychiatry (Mental Health)
What site will I be at?
The site will depend on which team you are allocated to (see map above for locations):
Hounslow EAST MINT: Brentford Lodge
Hounslow CENTRAL MINT: 729 London Road
Hounslow WEST MINT: Cardinal Centre
Will it involve any on-call work?
The core MINT outpatient services run Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.
On-call rota: once a month there are long day on-calls and nights that are done at the inpatient Lakeside Mental Health Unit.
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
Dr Mahdi Boolaky oversees the organisation for the GP trainees and you will be allocated a CS who will be the lead consultant for your base team.
Who provides the rota?
You will be provided the rota for your base team prior to starting. The on-call rota is communicated by Joanne Yee (Lakeside Mental Health Unit) via email – see Trainee Address Book for contact details.
How useful is the post for GP Training?
In light of the fact that a good proportion of primary care presentations are related to mental health conditions, trainees have labelled this post very useful indeed. The post will improve your confidence in diagnosing mental health conditions as well as instigating safe first-line management of depression and anxiety. Trainees have also reported that the daily referral triage meetings have enhanced their understanding of the threshold for secondary care referrals, as well as how to coordinate care for safeguarding concerns.
Trainee Top Tips:
During on-call shifts you will be required to use the RIO database for admission clerkings. There may be a need for you to physically carry out an ECG for inpatients so it is well worth revising ECG interpretation in advance. These (and other practical considerations) are covered in the comprehensive induction at the start of the post.
Integrated Training Posts (ITP)
Dermatology ITP
What site will I be at for the ITP element?
Twickenham Park Surgery (this will be the same site as the GP element of the post).
What days will I work in the ITP specialty?
You will do one day per week of dermatology which will usually be a clinic in the morning followed by a tutorial focussing on dermatology in the afternoon.
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
Dr Baljit Johal will be both the CS and ES during this post.
How useful is the post for GP Training?
Very useful for learning how to recognise and manage common dermatological presentations. There will be opportunity to learn dermatoscopy skills.
Trainee Top Tips:
No previous experience or skills are required. Dr Johal is very supportive and encourages your participation in the Dermatology clinics. He will actively involve you with interesting or unusual cases that can be useful for your learning.
Dermatology / Rheumatology ITP
What site will I be at for the ITP element?
Dermatology – Twickenham Park Surgery (this will be the same site as the GP element of the post).
Rheumatology – West Middlesex Hospital.
What days will I work in the ITP specialty?
Wednesday – Dermatology. There will usually be a clinic in the morning followed by a tutorial focussing on dermatology in the afternoon.
Friday – Rheumatology. Outpatient clinics.
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
Dermatology – Dr Baljit Johal will be both the CS and ES during this post.
Rheumatology – Dr Gagandeep Takhar, Consultant Rheumatologist – see Trainee Address Book for contact details.
How useful is the post for GP Training?
Both posts are fantastic and really useful. Dermatology will help you learn to recognise and manage common dermatological presentations in primary care – with ample opportunity to learn dermatoscopy skills you can utilise in your day-to-day GP work. The Rheumatology consultant will guide you to become more effective at taking focussed MSK histories as well as enhance your confidence in carrying out MSK/joint examinations.
Trainee Top Tips:
If you have not worked at West Middlesex Hospital prior to this placement then please do make sure you attend the Trust induction at the start of the placement – this is where you will be signed up for ID badges and logins. Otherwise you will find you are having to complete online induction modules and chase multiple departments to get access.
Medical Education ITP
What site will I be at for the ITP element?
Brunel Medical School.
What days will I work in the ITP specialty?
Tuesday and Wednesday full days.
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
Dr Pritti Vaghani, Head of Primary Care at Brunel Medical School. You will be introduced via email by one of the TPDs prior to your start date.
How useful is the post for GP Training?
The post provides a really good exposure to the options for forging a portfolio career in medical education alongside clinical practice. For those that are already interested in medical education and want to develop skills, there will be lots of opportunity to work on curriculum development for medical students.
Trainee Top Tips:
In the past, some trainees have reported that there isn’t as much opportunity to teach as they had expected – although your CS will create opportunities where you can help facilitate teaching sessions. However, there is plenty of scope to be involved in medical education theory which would give you a good grounding if you wanted to pursue a PGDip or MA in the future.
O&G / Psychiatry ITP
What site will I be at for the ITP element?
O&G – West Middlesex Hospital.
Psychiatry – Central MINT Team – 729 London Road (see map above).
What days will I work in the ITP specialty?
Wednesday – O&G clinics at West Middlesex Hospital.
Friday – Psychiatry outpatient ‘Central MINT’ service.
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
O&G – Ms Anjali Sharma will act as your O&G CS.
Psychiatry - Dr Francesco Spadaro, Lead Consultant will be your Psychiatry CS.
See contact details in Trainee Address Book.
How useful is the post for GP Training?
The gynaecology clinics are particularly useful if you have not had chance to do an O&G rotation. You will learn how to manage primary care presentations, order relevant investigations and understand the threshold for secondary care referral. Psychiatry will improve your understanding of appropriate use of psychoactive medications as well as improve your history taking and mental state examination skills.
Trainee Top Tips:
O&G – If you have not worked at West Middlesex Hospital prior to this placement then please do make sure you attend the Trust induction at the start of the placement – this is where you will be signed up for ID badges and logins. Otherwise you will find you are having to complete online induction modules and chase multiple departments to get access.
Psychiatry – You will need a laptop to be able to access the clinical systems and for record keeping. If possible ask them to set you up on the system and add West London Mental Health Trust access to your smartcard – otherwise you will be chasing the IT teams for the first few weeks.
Palliative Care ITP
What site will I be at for the ITP element?
West Middlesex Hospital.
What days will I work in the ITP specialty?
Monday and Tuesday full days with the palliative care team.
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
Dr Louise Robinson, Palliative Care Consultant – see Trainee Address Book for contact details.
How useful is the post for GP Training?
This post has many skills that are transferable to your day-to-day GP work. It is particularly useful for allowing you to further develop your communication skills relevant to end of life care. Trainees have learned a lot of advanced skills including managing complex patients with multiple co-morbidities, as well as leading on difficult discussions with patients and their families. You will enhance your understanding of community palliative support options as well as gain confidence in prescribing anticipatory medications.
Trainee Top Tips:
If you have not worked at West Middlesex Hospital prior to this placement then please do make sure you attend the Trust induction at the start of the placement – this is where you will be signed up for ID badges and logins. Otherwise you will find you are having to complete online induction modules and chase multiple departments to get access.
Paediatrics ITP
What site will I be at for the ITP element?
West Middlesex Hospital & Heart of Hounslow Health Centre (see map above for details).
What days will I work in the ITP specialty?
Monday – hospital paediatrics (outpatient clinics at West Middlesex Hospital).
Tuesday – community paediatrics (Heart of Hounslow).
Who is the Clinical Supervisor (CS)?
Hospital paediatrics – Dr Joanna Longman.
Community paediatrics – Dr Zuhra Ahmad and Dr Nirmala Sellathurai.
See Trainee Address Book for contact details.
How useful is the post for GP Training?
You will receive a deep insight into child safeguarding and outpatient paediatrics - both extremely relevant to general practice and not many trainees get experience of this (even if they have done a paediatric rotation in the past). The feedback has always been extremely positive.
Trainee Top Tips:
Parking for Heart of Hounslow - parking is free at Dene Avenue (5 min walk but very busy) and Cambridge Road (10 min walk but plenty of spaces).
Hospital induction – if you have not worked at West Middlesex Hospital prior to this placement then please do make sure you attend the Trust induction at the start of the placement – this is where you will be signed up for ID badges and logins. Otherwise you will find you are having to complete online induction modules and chase multiple departments to get access.