Introduction
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust Sexual Health Department is one the largest and most comprehensive sexual health services in the UK, combining six community clinics, an outpatient HIV ward and multidisciplinary care teams. The Visiting Professional Programme offers healthcare professionals from outside of the UK the unique opportunity to experience our renowned sexual health services and clinical expertise first hand.
Visitors are able to choose between our Sexual Health Programme which is undertaken in our clinics, the HIV Programme which focuses on our HIV services and outpatient ward, or our Sexual Health and HIV Programme which encompasses elements from all of our services and clinics.
Programme aims
Sexual Health
Our expert clinicians will tailor the programme to match the level of experience that visitors have and the duration that visitors will be at the Trust for. General learning opportunities within the Sexual Health Programme include:
- Involvement with sexual health innovation projects and enterprises
- Optional training opportunity within our clinics which will provide visitors with additional qualifications.
- Create an individual project based on the programme’s learning experiences that will be presented to peers at the end of the programme
- Access to research trials
- Attend MDT meetings and participate in the weekly department training
- Understand how the sexual health service interlinks with other departments and services
HIV
Our HIV team are offering visiting professionals learning opportunities in a range of areas.
These include:
- Attend both outpatient and inpatient clinics
- Learn the latest developments in laboratory diagnostics
- Gain experience of all the licensed therapies that are available within the Harrison Wing,
- Develop knowledge on the range of drugs that are available for HIV patients through the NHS and see their results
- Access our volunteer clinical trials
- Gain insight into the management of running a HIV service
- Experience our range of sub-speciality services including tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, antenatal, metabolic, neurocognitive and young adult services
Individual weekly timetables will be created depending on each visiting professional’s requirements.
A Certificate of Attendance will be awarded to visitors upon the end of their programme.
Format
Our programmes are delivered within the hospital workplace and our community clinics. The sexual health programme is delivered predominately in our flagship clinic, Burrell Street Centre, and the majority of our HIV programme will undertaken within the Harrison Wing at St Thomas’. Our programmes align visiting professionals with supervisors who will ensure that all of the learning and development needs and expectations are met.
The programmes provide the opportunity for visitors to be totally integrated within the day to day service of our departments and to experience all aspects of patient care.
Who can apply
This programme is intended for non U.K medical trainees, nurses, and allied healthcare professionals. All applicants must have experience of working and training within sexual health and HIV.
Visitors have the choice of applying for a practical attachment or an observational programme. Visitors that wish to apply for the practical attachment must have GMC registration. You can apply for GMC registration directly through the main GMC website , alternatively The Royal College of Physicians run a medical training initiative which facilitates GMC registration and provides sponsorship for a Tier 5 visa. You can find out more about their Medical Training Initiative by visiting their website.
Programme duration
Sexual Health – The programme duration varies depending on whether visiting professionals are applying for an observership or practical attachment. We are able to offer observership programmes for periods of four to eight 8 weeks and practical programmes for a period of 12 weeks. The programme durations can be tailored to the specific learning requirements of those visiting the Trust.
HIV – The programme duration is between three to six months. The programme durations can be tailored to the specific learning requirements of those visiting the Trust.
Sexual Health and HIV department key facts
- The Sexual Health Department at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest sexual health services in the United Kingdom.
- Our reproductive and sexual health and blood borne virus teams won the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists David Bromham Annual Memorial Award for work which ‘through inspiration, innovation or energy has furthered the practice of sexual and reproductive healthcare’.
- In 2013 the Burrell Street Centre, which is our flagship sexual health clinic, became the first clinic in the UK to provide safety kits for men participating in ‘chemsex’.
- We were the first A&E in Britain to routinely test for HIV and the initiative has resulted in approximately 68,000 HIV blood tests a year from our emergency department alone.
- The Burrell Street centre offers tests and treatments for all sexually transmitted infections and has a reputation for having the highest quality tests in the UK and one of the fastest result services in London.
- We provide a home delivery service for HIV patients, which delivers prescribed medicine to a patient’s home or preferred address free of charges.
Fees
A course fee per week will be applied; this fee excludes accommodation and travelling expenses. To find out the fee amount please email vpp@gstt.nhs.uk.
Please note
Clinicians are able to offer bursaries or discounted placements on an individual basis. This is at the discretion of the Directorates of GSTT and does not affect the terms and conditions of the Visiting Professional Programme agreements.