Practical Information

Trainee Status

Trainees have a dual status for the duration of the DClinPsy, in that they are full-time employees of Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust (SHSC) (or hold a full-time honorary contract/Licence to Operate) AND full-time postgraduate students. 

You will need to register with the University (as part of induction), as your  employment contract/Licence to Operate is conditional on you being satisfactorily registered with the University. SHSC contracts and University registration are co-terminus, which means that if you are no longer registered with the University (e.g. due to failure of placements/coursework and withdrawal procedures), your SHSC contract will also be terminated. 

Trainees are therefore bound by the terms and conditions of the contracts of employment/Licence to Operate, job descriptions and conditions of service by SHSC and the University Rules and Regulations. Trainees are also required to adhere to the standards of conduct and professional practice set out by HCPC (https://www.hcpc-uk.org/standards/) and the BPS (https://www.bps.org.uk/guidelines-and-documents) 

Registration

Trainees will register with the University of Sheffield Faculty of Science during the first week at the University. Trainees' contract with Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust (SHSC) is dependent on registration with the University of Sheffield. Similarly, except when all placement assessments are passed, registration with the University is dependent on trainees having a contract with SHSC. The contract with SHSC is fixed for a three-year duration and is full-time employment. In view of this, and the substantial programme requirements, additional work commitments are not normally recommended. Trainees must consult with their clinical tutor before taking on any significant additional roles and HR advice will be sought.

Payment of University Fees

University fees, for home trainees, will be met in full by NHS England. Payment is made directly to the University. Trainees may be required to pay 'writing up' fees if they extend their registration with the University beyond 3 years.

Teaching and Clinical Placements

Tuition will take place at the University of Sheffield in the form of short teaching blocks and teaching days in term times, in conjunction with clinical placements. During the three years of training, Placement Planners will arrange clinical placements in consultation with trainees, Clinical Tutors and the Director of Clinical Practice. It is normal practice that all placements will be within South Yorkshire, with some available in North Derbyshire. Whilst learning and other needs are considered, there is no choice in placement allocation during years one and two. More information about the third-year placement process will be provided in the second year of training.

Study Days

Study days are for the purpose of completing coursework assessments. On study days, trainees are required to be contactable. This means that trainees must let their supervisor have a contact number where they can be reached. Study days, therefore, should be spent at a placement base or at a location previously agreed with their supervisor. Study days may not be spent outside the region without prior approval from a Clinical Tutor.

Study days do not take place in a week where there is a bank holiday.

Attendance

Trainees are required to attend regularly all components of the Programme. These include all timetabled teaching and seminars for that year group, relevant meetings (e.g. Programme meetings, selection interviews, OCSA, etc), the Personal and Professional Development sessions, research conference, case presentations and clinical placements. Trainees are subject to Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust (SHSC) employment procedures relating to absence form work, including on teaching and study days. When trainees have been absent from the Programme due to illness or other personal difficulties for a period of time long enough to disrupt their training, the Programme will endeavour to reschedule academic deadlines or defer placements, and consult with the employing authority and the funding body as appropriate about the possibility of extension to training. However, if, in the judgement of the Internal Board of Examiners, the trainee has no good cause to be absent from the Programme, in line with the university policy on non-attendance, this will result in a trainee failing to progress between years of their degree or from graduating until they have made good their attendance. Poor attendance will also constitute grounds for review by the Faculty Student Review Committee (https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/research-services/code/monitoring/progress-concerns). Disciplinary procedures via employment channels will also be instigated. This may lead to dismissal from employment or termination of sponsorship. In all circumstances the University retains the right to terminate registration if a trainee is no longer employed by the NHS or relevant body or holding an NHS License to Operate.

Trainees who have experienced periods of extended sick leave will need to follow the procedures of their employer (SHSC), and apply for suspension of registration from the University. If a contract of employment or NHS License to Operate is terminated on grounds of ill health or for any other reason, the University may, at its discretion, also terminate a trainee's registration if requested by the Board of Examiners.

A condition of registration on the Programme is that a trainee is in employment with a relevant NHS Trust or other appropriate employer, or holds an NHS Licence to Operate. In exceptional circumstances, a trainee may at the discretion of the Board of Examiners continue their training for a short period of time (up to six months) without funding, if suitable arrangements can be agreed with the Director of Clinical Practice regarding the management and liability.

Absence from Training due to Sickness or Unavoidable Cause

If trainees are sick and unable to work, they must notify the Programme by emailing the absence inbox (clinpsy-absence@sheffield.ac.uk) and their Clinical Tutor as soon as possible, stating the reason for their sickness. This must be done on the first day of sickness whether a teaching, placement or study day preferable, before 9am.  Trainees must also notify their supervisors if absent on a placement day and do whatever possible to minimise the effects on the service by notifying secretaries, patients, clinics, teachers, etc of their absence.

It is important that trainees understand it is their personal responsibility to notify the Programme and their supervisor and that failing to report on the first working day of an absence affects entitlement to sick pay. For more details about employer's sick pay see SHSC Promoting Attendance Policy Supporting Attendance Policy (HR 042 V8 March 2023) (1).pdf )

On returning to work, trainees must ensure that the Programme is notified of their return to work on their first day back. As sick leave includes non-working days, the return to work date is the day trainees are considered fit for work (this could be a weekend). Trainees must email the absence inbox and their Clinical Tutor on their return, confirming the date they were fit for work. Upon return, the Clinical Tutor will carry out a welcome back to work meeting. Failure to notify will eventually lead to reduction of salary as the sickness episode will not have been ended.

If a trainee is taken ill during annual leave, then a doctor's note can be obtained and sent to the Clinical Tutor. The appropriate period can then be regarded as sick leave and the annual leave can be taken at a later date.

Attendance for teaching sessions

Attendance at all teaching sessions (including PPD sessions, seminars, year meetings etc) is compulsory and part of trainees' employment contract. If a trainee has any reason for not attending a teaching session a formal approach in advance in writing, stating reasons, should be made to the Programme Director and Director of Clinical Practice. If approved, the procedure for taking leave during teaching time would normally be followed (See Programme policy of taking holiday leave during term time, Appendix 5). Missing teaching will be handled according to following process: 

1. In circumstances where trainees have accumulated more than six full days of missed teaching, their academic tutor will be notified (e.g. this could be after six consecutive days or an accumulation that adds up to six full days). This will be based on a review of the registration logs generated by the new iSheffield application. 

2.  The academic tutor will get in touch with the trainee and arrange a meeting. The aim of the meeting is to develop a collaborative plan that addresses any gaps in knowledge and how to remediate these. This is likely to include scholarship, listening to lecture recordings or engaging with other materials. The plan will depend on the sessions missed and trainee circumstances. It is the trainees responsibility to assure their academic tutor that they will undertake sufficient activity to catch up on the missed teaching. 

3. Once agreed, trainees should upload the plan to PATs. The entry should include a list of all the sessions missed and remediating action points for each of these.

4. It is the trainee's responsibility to ensure the fulfilment of the plan and progress should be discussed at the annual PDR meeting. If there are any difficulties with addressing gaps in knowledge, and any further support is needed, this can be discussed with trainee's academic and clinical tutors.

Annual leave must not be taken during the research conference in year 3 as this is a mandatory teaching session.

Attendance Monitoring on Teaching Days

Lecture attendance monitoring is routine throughout the University for all students, which the programme has to comply with. The following information outlines the procedures that are in line with University attendance policy and NHS employment.

Procedure:

1. Trainees must log on to iSheffield and input the code provided by the speaker/ programme at the start of the morning and afternoon sessions. 

2. For 'in person' and online teaching please arrive prior to the start time of the session. If late, for either online or in-person teaching, please liaise with the admin team to give a reason for lateness.

3. The trainee must email the absence inbox (clinpsy-absence@sheffield.ac.uk) and their Clinical Tutor if they are off sick and on their return. The programme must also be informed of any doctor's appointments. The NHS administrator will liaise with other admin staff and confirm any trainee's authorised absences (sick, annual or carer leave).

4. If the trainee is not present and does not have authorised leave, this will be classed as unauthorised leave. In this situation, action must be taken that day to ensure trainee safety. The NHS administrator will therefore inform the relevant manager/clinical tutor or Director of Clinical Practice or one of the other Clinical Tutors if the trainee's tutor is not available. To ensure the safety of the trainee, the following action will be taken. If the first action is not successful, the second will be implemented and so on:

   1. Year group members will be contacted for any information on the trainee's whereabouts

   2. Every effort will be made to contact the trainee (trainees must ensure the office has complete and up-to-date information on home/mobile phones).

   3. Emergency contact numbers and next of kin numbers will be utilised. A decision regarding any further action will be taken, taking into account the individual circumstances of the trainee.

We hope that these situations will rarely/never arise and to avoid this, trainees should be aware of their responsibilities as NHS employees and inform the University of their whereabouts.

Annual Leave/Carer Leave

It is part of the professional responsibility of the trainees that they follow the correct procedures when applying for all types of leave.

Procedure for applying for annual leave

1. Leave requests must be made via the NHS Employee Online system. https://shsct.allocate-cloud.co.uk/EmployeeOnlineHealth/SHSCTLIVE/Login (see guidance document on Blackboard). The system will show you your annual leave entitlement along with the breakdown of standard annual leave and bank holiday leave.

2. Alongside the leave request in Employee Online, trainees must also complete the Google form which includes space to upload your supervisors' approval of your leave along with questions about whether your leave request is for a teaching day and the reason that you need the leave.

3. Annual leave requests will be checked during the week by clinical tutors and once approved, you will receive an email from the Employee Online system confirming this.

4. Annual leave taken without approval will be classed as unauthorised and will be dealt with appropriately.

5. The trainee should contact all speakers who will be teaching on day(s) they will be absent. Trainees should also inform the Programme/Timetable Administrator of their intended absence.

Trainees are entitled to 27 days annual leave in a full financial year (which runs from 1st April to the following 31st March). If trainees have worked in the NHS for five or more calendar years, then they are entitled to 29 days and 33 days if over 10 years. Please notify the NHS workforce team if you are entitled to more than 27 days. Trainees are not usually expected to work on Bank Holidays. Trainees are advised to use all their holiday entitlement within the identified year as leave cannot be carried over from one year to the next other than in exceptional circumstances. Any leave a trainee wishes to take must be approved 3- 4 weeks in advance and leave cannot be approved retrospectively. The taking of unauthorised leave constitutes a disciplinary matter and pay will usually be withheld for the duration of this.

For any annual leave to be taken during a placement, the placement supervisor's approval must be obtained in advance. This approval should not be regarded as automatic and the needs of the placement and the work being undertaken should be taken into account when discussing leave arrangements. Once the leave to be taken is agreed, trainees should ask their supervisors to sign the leave form. This form then needs to be uploaded to the Google Form for trainee annual leave requests, which can be found on Blackboard, alongside a request made in the Employee Online system.

Annual leave requested relating to a future placement must be approved by the supervisor of that placement. If trainees are booking annual leave far in advance and do not have details of their placement supervisor for that period, then they can seek approval from their Clinical Tutor. They must inform their supervisor once they have been allocated.

If you take a week or more as annual leave, you must include study days as annual leave, unless you specifically indicate to your supervisor and Clinical Tutor where you will be working on your study day.  

Emergency carer/domestic leave (for unforeseen circumstances) or compassionate/bereavement leave or leave for medical appointments or jury service may be applied for using the Employee Online system alongside an email to the absence email and their Clinical Tutor.

Travel Expenses

Trainees can claim expenses for travel in line with usual NHS policy, via the self-expenses system (www.sel-expenses.com). Please see guidance document on Blackboard for more detailed information.

For the purpose of travel claims, the Clinical and Applied Psychology Unit (CAPU) at the University of Sheffield is the base of travel and no expenses are paid for the journey from home to CAPU. Trainees can claim travel expenses as follows:

• Any journeys from home to placement that exceed the home to base (CAPU) mileage may be claimed at the lower mileage rate. 'Home to Placement' mileage should be used, and the expenses system then automatically calculates this.

• Any work journeys undertaken from placement (e.g. to clients' home) may be claimed at the 'Agenda for Change' rate

• The nature of the journey should be indicated on the e-expenses form

• Travel claims for a study event or conference are to be recorded at the study rate on the e-expenses form

• Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust and the University encourage staff to use public transport and/or bicycles where possible. Claims made using public transport should be made on the same system and tickets/receipts uploaded. There are schemes in operation in both the University and Trust to encourage cycle and car share use. (Sheffield Green Plan & Sustainability Strategy Jan 2022 v6_LR (002) (2).pdf)

• Expenses claimed may be taxable

Claims should be submitted monthly and claims dating back more than 3 months may not be paid.

Guidelines for titles to be used by trainees on placement

It is important that clients are aware of the status of the health professional with whom they are meeting, and trainees should therefore use the title 'Trainee Clinical Psychologist'.

SHSC Policies

SHSC NHS Trust policies can be found on: https://shsc.nhs.uk/about-us/policies/. These include policies relating to subjects such as attendance at work, equal opportunities, GDPR, unacceptable behaviours, harassment, lone working, sickness absence, social media use and safeguarding. Trainees are advised to familiarise themselves with the range of policies available and consult policies in more detail as required.

Employment Responsibilities

Trainees will all need to complete SHSC mandatory training which will be timetabled each year, however if this is missed, then it is the responsibility of the trainee to catch up with this. All training can be booked via the NHS ESR system. 

Trainees will also need to complete mandatory training from the University around fire regulations and information governance.

Along with signing into all teaching sessions, trainees will also be required to complete teaching feedback forms for every session they attend.

Timekeeping

Trainees are expected to be punctual in their attendance at teaching sessions, meetings and appointments and to arrive on placement at the agreed time.  Usually trainees will work 9am - 5pm (including 30 min meal break), but this may vary by agreement with supervisor and Clinical Tutor.

Dress

Dress while on placement should be in keeping with the role of a trainee professional. Different clinical settings make different demands. Trainees need to be sensitive to the requirements of the situation and dress in a way that will not inhibit their effectiveness.

Social Media

Trainees are required to adhere to the University of Sheffield and SHSC policies on the use of social media (see SHSC Social Media Policy), University of Sheffield Social Media Policy staff guidance (https://staff.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/policies/social-media) and Student guidance (https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/it-services/information-security/social-media), along with the BPS guidance: (https://www.bps.org.uk/guideline/supplementary-guidance-use-social-media)

Personal Safety and Security

The University Health and Safety Policy can be found in Appendix 7

The Trust policy on lone working can be found on: https://shsc.nhs.uk/about-us/policies/

Facilities Access

The CAPU is based on F Floor of Cathedral Court, with teaching taking place both here and at Solly Street. Trainees will have access to Cathedral Court between 8am and 6pm and to Solly Street between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday. Swipe access will be granted to each of the buildings via trainees' student U-card. Trainees can also access other buildings with computer facilities and an up-to-date list can be found here: https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/it-services/computer-facilities 

Access to the Admin Staff office is only possible during office hours (9am - 4.30pm), trainees will need to knock and be granted entry due to this being a staff access only area.

Trainees should also ensure that they familiarise themselves with the University's Health and Safety Procedures: https://hs.shef.ac.uk 

Department Health and Safety details are provided in Appendix 7.

Administrative Support

All clinical correspondence (e.g. letters to clients, GPs, clinical reports, etc) should be produced on placement premises where adequate administrative support should be available. Admin staff at the CAPU are unable to provide any typing or admin support for trainees. Trainees should be aware of the need to ensure that confidential information is secure on any computer that they use.

IT Resources

Trainees have access to a range of IT resources within the Psychology Department (https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/it-services/computer-facilities). All PCs are connected to MSP printers which allows trainees to photocopy, print and scan documents. PGR trainees can print free of change from any of the MSP machines.

Software to support qualitative and quantitative research can be obtained via the University software centre (Discovering information and research | Library | Student hub). 

The University's IT Services issue trainees with a computer account, including University email. Trainees can access the University portal 'MUSE', which gives secure access to online university resources from any computer inside or outside the University, including email; a file store for saving work; library resources (see below) and the programme's Blackboard pages. If trainees require any additional support, then they can use the IT Services website to log issues and find answers to common queries: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/it-services.

A large amount of information and documentation relating to the programme is available online via Blackboard- including General Office forms, copies of teaching timetables and detailed information about the DClinPsy research process. Trainees should familiarise themselves with this material. In addition, the CAPU website contains some useful resources, as well as DClinPsy staf pages and general information about the programme (www.sheffield.ac.uk/clinicalpsychology).

Scheduled teaching on computing skills, as well as an introduction to using Blackboard and the University web portal 'MUSE' is provided. The Psychology IT support staff can be contacted by email (sci-it@sheffield.ac.uk).

Trainees also have NHS emails which need to be logged into via https://mail.shsc.nhs.uk at least once a month to avoid accounts being disabled. You need your accounts to be active in order to access Trust information/forms etc even when not on placement in SHSC. The staff extranet/information hub (Jarvis) is available at https://jarvis.shsc.nhs.uk. If your account is disabled you will need to call the SHSC IT Helpdesk on 0114 271 6728 who will then contact your line manager for approval to remedy this.

Library Resources

Trainees have lending privileges at all University libraries, including the Information Commons, The Diamond, the Main University Library and the Hallamshire and Northern General Hospital Libraries. Library holdings can be searched online, via the STAR library catalogue. Guidelines for use of the Document Supply Services can be found on Blackboard.

A number of library resources are available online (accessible via MUSE), including electronic journals and literature searching databases such as PsycINFO and Web of Science.

Further information about University library resources, and access to the STAR library catalogue can be found at http://www.shef.ac.uk/library/index.html

Loaning Equipment

Within the CAPU, there is a small Resource Library, which includes psychometric tests, books and clinical resource materials. DClinPsy theses and publications from past trainees are available to view on Blackboard.

The CAPU has a stock of encrypted digital recorders that are available for loan to trainees. Please contact dclinpsy@sheffield.ac.uk to request a recorder. Guidelines on digital recording and informed consent are available in the Trainee Information Pack on Blackboard. 

Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

At the end of training trainees will need to register with HCPC in order to practise as a clinical psychologist. HCPC is the profession's regulatory body. HCPC also approve and monitor practitioner psychologist programmes. The Programme is currently approved by HCPC. HCPC require the Programme to have trainees' consent for aspects of teaching; this is set out in the form that trainees sign at the beginning of training.

Once trainees receive an award letter from the University following successful completion of all assessed pieces of work, the programme will pass on an individual's details to HCPC of this. Trainees are then able to apply directly to the HCPC for their professional clinical psychologist registration.

British Psychological Society (BPS), the Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) and the DCP Affiliates Group

The BPS functions as both a learned society and a professional institution. It is responsible for maintaining a voluntary Charter or Registered Psychologists. The profession of clinical psychology is represented within the BPS by the DCP (https://www.bps.org.uk/member-microsites/division-clinical-psychology). Trainees can be associated with the DCP Affiliates Group, which represents trainee clinical psychologists. Clinical Training programmes within the UK are also accredited through partnership by the BPS via the Committee for Training in Clinical Psychology (CTCP).

In order to enable professional development and to keep abreast of contemporary developments within the profession, trainees are recommended to become members of the BPS and to register provisionally as Chartered Psychologists. There is a local branch of the DCP that meets throughout the year and organises a series of meetings and other CPD activities.

Association of Clinical Psychologists (ACP-UK)

ACP was established in 2017 as an independent professional organisation for clinical psychologists. The ACP-UK also aims to promote the discipline and the profession of clinical psychology and was established with the aim of clinical psychologists having a greater influence over the nature, management and organisation of psychological aspects of health and social care than hitherto (https://acpuk.org.uk/about/). 

Unite

This staff association represents the interests of clinical psychologists, and other graduate scientists, within the NHS. Trainees are eligible to join the union.

The British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)

BABCP is the lead organisation for cognitive and behavioural therapies in the UK and Ireland. BABCP aims to promote, improve and uphold standards of CBT practice, supervision and training. BABCP supports its members to develop professionally and link with the CBT community.  BABCP Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the practice, theory or development of CBT. BABCP accreditation means that you have met high standards of training and experience in CBT, and are committed to maintaining BABCP standards of clinical practice, clinical supervision and continuing professional development. Trainees on the CBT pathway pilot within the DClinPsy are required to join BABCP as members. As best we can, we aim to support trainees on the pilot to achieve all the criteria required for to apply for accreditation as a CBT practitioner with the BABCP after they have completed the DClinPsy.