South Thames Foundation School

Postgraduate Centre

There is a well equipped postgraduate medical centre on each main hospital site with videoconferencing facilities for cross site teaching .

Library Facilities

There is a well equipped library on each main hospital site.

IT Facilities

There are 6 pcs in the library available during working hours and there are three study rooms each with two pcs, and a further two pcs in the doctors’ mess which are available 24 hours.  Scanners are also available for scanning documents into e-portfolio.

Other Facilities
(Recreational or otherwise)

Doctors’ Mess

There is a well equipped doctors’ mess in the main hospital building one floor below the postgraduate centre and adjacent to theatres.

Local Amenities/ Attractions

Epsom is an attractive market town in leafy Surrey, 18 miles southwest of London.  The compact town centre is 10/15 minutes walk from the  hospital, and has a shopping centre, multiplex cinema and theatre.  Epsom is best known for nearby Epsom Racecourse, home of the Derby but also used as a venue for concerts and functions, including on occasion the junior doctors’ summer ball.

Transport Links

Transport links are good, there are frequent trains to London Waterloo and London Victoria (the journey takes about 30 minutes) and good bus services.

Parking Arrangements

Staff parking is available on all sites.  An annual permit costs £15 and the daily charge varies from 58p to £2.34 per day, dependent on salary.  A staff member on a salary of £25-35,000 would pay £1.40 per day.

Accolades/
Achievements of the Trust

Any Additional Information

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust was formed in 1999 when Epsom Health Care NHS Trust and St Helier NHS Trust merged. It provides services to approximately 420,000 people in southwest London and north east Surrey and provides more specialist services, in particular renal and neonatal intensive care, to a wider area.  We cover some of the most prosperous postcodes in the country as well as some poorer areas and together with our colleagues at Surrey PCT and Sutton and Merton PCT strive to deliver the best possible care to the communities we serve.
We own and run four hospitals:  St Helier Hospital, Epsom Hospital, Sutton Hospital and Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children.  We also  provide services from a number of other local hospitals.  We have 11 renal centres throughout the area and the Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Epsom which is operated by the Trust in conjunction with neighbouring trusts on a partnership basis and has grown to become the largest hip and knee replacement centre in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. The EOC is also rapidly becoming a major centre for shoulder surgery and hip arthroscopies as well as undertaking more than 1,000 minor orthopaedic procedures, most as day cases or short stay.
Most foundation trainees are based at Epsom and/or St Helier hospitals.  Epsom Hospital serves the southern part of the catchment area and provides an extensive range of inpatient, day and outpatient services. It has an Accident and Emergency service with 44,000 attendances per year. It also undertakes all elective (pre-booked) inpatient surgery within the Trust. There is an extensive range of diagnostic and supporting services, including pathology, radiology (including CT, MRI and ultrasound) and vascular diagnostic services, and a busy modern purpose-built day care and day surgery unit. The site also includes an acute psychiatric facility operated by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. 
St Helier Hospital is the largest site within the trust and shares its site with Queen Mary's Hospital for Children.  The hospital has a comprehensive range of diagnostic facilities within pathology and radiology (including MRI and CT scanning, ultrasound and vascular diagnostic services), a busy Accident and Emergency department dealing with 80,000 attendances per annum, and a range of outpatient facilities. It undertakes all the emergency surgery in the Trust.  The renal unit provides acute renal care and dialysis and is integrated with the St George's Hospital transplantation programme.
For more information about the trust see the website www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk.

Accommodation

Accommodation is available on site.  For information contact the Accommodation Officer, Hilarie Vertannes on 01372 735281

Shadowing

Shadowing can be arranged via the Foundation Programme Administrator.  In addition during the last week of July incoming F1 doctors are invited to attend a week of induction events which includes opportunities for shadowing.

Tasters

A good selection of tasters is on offer for F2s and every effort will be made to meet particular needs.

Teaching Programme

The trust has 39 foundation year 1 programmes in general medicine, general surgery, haematology, orthopaedics, urology, palliative care and psychiatry .  There are 36 F2 programmes, covering trauma and orthopaedics, general surgery including one post in surgery at the Royal Marsden Hospital, A&E,  paediatrics, general practice, general medicine, renal medicine, ITU and obstetrics and gynaecology.  Most programmes involve rotations on both main sites, Epsom General Hospital and St Helier Hospital.
F1s have three hours of protected teaching each week, a one hour and a two hour session.  The same programme is run at Epsom and at St Helier.   F2s from all sites (including those in general practice) have their teaching all together on Wednesday mornings at St Helier.
All foundation doctors are allocated an educational supervisor for the whole year and a careers adviser.

Simulation

The trust has recently established a simulation centre and will be providing simulation training in-house for F1s and F2s.

Social Activities

The mess presidents on both the Epsom and St Helier sites organise a lively programme of events.

Any Additional Information

For more information about the trust see the
website www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk and for information on any aspect of foundation training at Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust please contact  Shirley Webber, Foundation Programme Coordinator on 020 8296 2659 (Shirley.webber@esth.nhs.uk) or Vivien Martin, Medical Education Manager on 020 8296 3451 or 01372 735176 (Vivien.Martin@esth.nhs.uk).