Article

Work scheduling templates for the 2016 junior doctors contract

Work scheduling templates for doctors including those working in GP practices.

19 April 2021

A work schedule is a document that sets out intended learning outcomes, the scheduled duties of the doctor, time for quality improvement, research and patient safety activities, periods of formal study and the number and distribution of hours for which the doctor is contracted.

This page shows the template work schedules available for the 2016 contract, as well as sample work schedules which can be used as examples. There are also specific resources related to general practice (GP) specialty training when doctors are in general practice placements.

A work schedule is a document that sets out the intended learning outcomes (mapped to the educational curriculum), the scheduled duties of the doctor, time for quality improvement, research and patient safety activities, periods of formal study and the number and distribution of hours for which the doctor is contracted.

Resources:

General practice

Note - the number of out of hours, weekends, and night hours will need to be adjusted in the template GP practice work schedules, depending on the length of the placement.  The determination of out-of-hours work is a local decision.

The template GP practice work schedule does not contain any weekend allowance, which means over a year no more than six weekends should be worked while in practice. This equates to no more than three weekends in a six month practice placement, and no more than two weekends in a four month practice placement.

Similarly, there is only a small amount of night enhancement contained in the GP practice work schedule, meaning over a year in a practice placement no fewer than 12 hours and no more than 22 hours should be worked during the night period (see the TCS Schedule 2).  For a six month practice placement no fewer than one and no more than 11 hours should be worked at night, and for a four month practice placement no fewer than one and no more than eight.

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