GP Educational Supervisors

The GP retainer scheme is a combination of service commitment and continuing professional development – intended to ensure that doctors who wish eventually to return to general practice as a principal are able to keep up-to-date and further develop their careers.  In order to help Retainer Scheme doctors to do this, they are supported by an educational supervisor when in practice

In the same way that “practice approval for training” is actually conferred by approval of a named GP trainer by the General Practice Education Committee (GPEC), practice approval under the GP Retainer Scheme is conferred by approval of a named educational supervisor.

In a training practice, the retainee educational supervisor does not need to be a trainer.

If the supervisor is not already an approved GP trainer, he or she will need to undertake a short course in educational supervision - either before approval, or within a year of the approval date (to be agreed with Associate Director). Appropriate courses are organised by Wessex Courses Centre.

Once approved, practices can claim a set amount of reimbursement per retainee session from their local finance authority. The practice employing the retainee receives a payment per session towards the cost of doing so (£55.54 per session).  The retainee receives an annual fee from the Deanery (currently £310) and is able to claim for course fees (currently £220 per financial year) and associated travelling expenses

We hope that you will find the information you need on the web-pages as indicated. However if you would like clarification on anything, or further information, please do not hesitate to contact Jonathan Shoebridge at  GP School - Severn Deanery on 0117 340 3635 or by email jonathan.shoebridge@southwest.nhs.uk

Other sources of advice for both retainees and practices are the BMA and Wessex Local Medical Committees both of whom have local offices in Winchester.