Non-trainee grade (NTG) junior doctors/other healthcare professionals

In the context of the Horus ePortfolio, an "NTG" is a non-trainee grade junior doctor/other healthcare professional working in a foundation-level (or similar) post but not a member of the UK Foundation Programme.

NTGs

• do not have a connection to NHS England (NHSE) and their responsible officer is not the local NHSE postgraduate dean (instead, their responsible officer is usually the Medical Director of the employing organisation or their representative)
• do not belong to a Foundation School
• are not on a training programme

Examples include

• LAS: locum appointment for service (LAS) doctors covering F1 or F2 posts that have not been allocated to a foundation doctor
• Trust grade: trust grade doctors working in posts that are at a similar level to F1 or F2 posts (eg "trust SHO") 
• Pre-specialty:
  • junior doctors who have completed the Foundation Programme but have not yet commenced a specialty training programme, working in posts at a similar level to F2 posts (sometimes known as "pre-specialty" or "F3" junior doctors)
  • doctors on the Widening Access to Specialty Training (WAST) programme
• Other: other types of NTGs may also be possible which includes those not currently working in an organisation (within England) who employs foundation doctors and already have access to Horus ePortfolio.

NHSE foundation programme colleagues have produced generic guidance for NTG doctors working in England. 

Learn more about

- what NTGs can use Horus for

- what NTGs can't use Horus for

- how NTGs can register to use Horus

- who can use Horus

- paying to use Horus

It is important to note that the above information is not intended as employment guidance and all doctors/other healthcare professionals should seek relevant guidance from for example their employer and/or the General Medical Council (GMC)/their relevant regulator. Additional information can be found by following the links on the Useful links page.

The Horus ePortfolio team is not able to provide guidance regarding employment, assessment or training requirements.

NTGs based at a trust can use the Horus ePortfolio to record:

• reflections and personal development plans
• meetings with supervisors
• supervised learning events (and have these validated by local trainers)
• 360° feedback (TAB)
• additional evidence of achievement of competences 
• how their achieved competences map to the FP Curriculum (2021)

Generic NTGs (those not based in an organisation which have access to Horus ePortfolio) can use Horus ePortfolio to record:

• reflections and personal development plans
• additional evidence of achievement of competences
• how their achieved competences map to the FP Curriculum (2021)

Learn more about what NTGs cannot use Horus for.

It is important to note that the above information is not intended as employment guidance and all doctors/other healthcare professionals should seek relevant guidance from for example their employer and/or the General Medical Council (GMC)/their relevant regulator.

The Horus ePortfolio team is not able to provide guidance regarding employment, assessment or training requirements.

NTGs based at a trust cannot:

• use Horus as an assessment tool
• sign any health or probity declarations on Horus (these should be provided instead by their employer)
• complete their Form R (revalidation self-declaration) through Horus
• have an annual review of competence progression (ARCP) recorded in Horus
• receive a Foundation Year 1 Certificate of Completion (F1CC) or Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion (FPCC)
• receive a Certificate of Readiness to Enter Specialty Training (CREST) (previously known as the Alternative Certificate of Foundation Competence) through Horus

Generic NTGs cannot:

• use Horus as an assessment tool
• complete meeting with supervisor forms
• complete supervised learning events (and have these validated by local trainers)
• complete 360° feedback (TAB)
• sign any health or probity declarations on Horus (these should be provided instead by their employer)
• complete their Form R (revalidation self-declaration) through Horus
• have an annual review of competence progression (ARCP) recorded in Horus
• receive a Foundation Year 1 Certificate of Completion (F1CC) or Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion (FPCC)
• receive a Certificate of Readiness to Enter Specialty Training (CREST) (previously known as the Alternative Certificate of Foundation Competence) through Horus

The contents of Horus is aimed at junior doctors in the UK foundation programme and those in equivalent/similar level posts (that is NTGs). Junior doctors in higher level posts/other healthcare professionals should, where possible, use the e-portfolio of their relevant medical royal college, system(s) provided by their employer or other commercial products to record their own continuing professional development, as the tools available in these will be more relevant to them.

Learn more about

- what NTGs can use Horus for

- what NTGs who are also trainers of foundation doctors can use Horus for

It is important to note that the above information is not intended as employment guidance and all doctors/other healthcare professionals should seek relevant guidance from for example their employer and/or the General Medical Council (GMC)/their relevant regulator.

The Horus ePortfolio team is not able to provide guidance regarding employment, assessment or training requirements.

Allowing NTGs to access the Horus ePortfolio is a matter local discretion at the relevant employing NHS trust. Some employing trusts will have legitimate reasons for not allowing their NTGs to access Horus and NTGs should respect these. It is worth having a discussion with your local trust postgraduate centre administrator to understand the local policy.

If your employing trust allows NTGs to access the Horus ePortfolio, you can learn more about registering for Horus or transferring your account if you are already registered on Horus ePortfolio.

If your employing trust does not allow NTGs to use Horus ePortfolio or if you are employed at an organisation within England which does not use Horus ePortfolio then it may still be possible to use Horus ePortfolio as an Generic NTG. To learn more about Generic NTGs please see here. Please note, to be eligible to use Horus ePortfolio as a generic NTG you must already have an FD/NTG account on the system.

All NTG administration is managed by the employing trust. The Horus team will not add any new NTGs to the system or update rotations for NTGs.

It is important to note that the above information is not intended as employment guidance and all doctors/other healthcare professionals should seek relevant guidance from for example their employer and/or the General Medical Council (GMC)/their relevant regulator.

The Horus ePortfolio team is not able to provide guidance regarding employment, assessment or training requirements.

NTGs working in organisations that do not use or do not have access to Horus ePortfolio may still be eligible to use Horus ePortfolio as a Generic NTG. To learn more about Generic NTGs see here.

Access to NTG Horus accounts is the same as to foundation doctor Horus accounts. Learn more about who can view the data in Horus.

1. Admin menu > Add new user menu

2. Select 'ePortfolio owner'

3. Answer the question 'Is this user on the medical register (GMC register) with a license to practise?'

4. Select the create account button

5. Enter the doctor's GMC number and select 'Search'

• If adding a user without a GMC number, enter the details of the doctor manually and select 'Save changes'

4. Horus will search the GMC register and if the number is correct, you will be able to select 'Add to Horus'.

5. Add their email address and select 'Save changes'

6. Create their rotation and placement(s) by selecting the 'Create new rotation' link. Learn more about what to do if you miss this step.

7. Select 'NTG'

8. Select the appropriate grade, 'F1' or 'F2'

9. Select the 'Configure button

10. The process from this point onwards is the same as creating a standard F1 or F2 rotation, with just one extra step - you need to select what type of NTG the doctor is:

• LAS
• Trust grade
• Pre-specialty
• Other (specify in the free-text box)

Learn more about what NTG types are.

11. Configure the rotation and placements and select 'Save changes'

Learn about what to do if the user is already on Horus as a trainer.

If the doctor did not undertake their foundation training at your trust:

Follow the guidance about account transfers

How are foundation doctor/NTG accounts transferred from one organisation to another?

If the doctor did undertake their foundation training at your trust:

1. Admin menu > Foundation Doctors

2. Search for the doctor (remembering to check the academic year filter - maybe they were a foundation doctor with you in a previous training year)

3. Select 'Rotations' next to their name

4. Scroll to the end of the page (under their existing rotations) and select the 'Create new rotation' link

5. Follow the guidance on how to create a new rotation. with an extra step, you need to select what type of NTG the doctor is:

LAS
Trust grade
Pre-specialty
Other (specify in the free-text box)

Learn more about what NTG types are.

Learn about what to do if the user is already on Horus as a trainer.

Yes - NTGs can be trainers and trainers can be NTGs on Horus. An administrator needs to add 'Trainer' permission to the NTG's account or add NTG permission to the trainer's account.

A user with both an NTG (or foundation doctor) account AND a trainer account will still only have one login to Horus. When they log in, they will have the option to "Switch mode" between Foundation doctor/NTG and trainer. Switching mode will change the main menu options the user has access to.

1. Admin menu > Add new user menu
2. Select 'Any other user type'
3. Select 'Yes'
4. Select 'Create account using GMC number'
5. Enter the doctor's GMC number and select 'Search'
6. If this user is already on Horus as an NTG, Select 'Add trainer/other permissions to user'. Please note if they aren't on Horus or already have trainer permissions, you will not have this option
7. Start typing the name of the organisation and select it from the list of suggestions that appear underneath the field.
8. Select the permission(s) to add and select 'Save changes'

Learn more about what an NTG is.

1. Admin menu > Add new user menu
2. Select 'ePortfolio owner'
3. Select 'Yes'
4. Select 'Create account using GMC number'
5. Enter the doctor's GMC number and select 'Search'
6. If this user is already on Horus as a trainer, Select 'Add FD/NTG permissions to user'. Please note if they aren't on Horus or already have NTG permission(s), you will not have this option
7. Add the medical school information and select 'Save changes'
8. Add the NTG rotation in the usual way (steps 6 onwards of this guidance)

Learn more about what an NTG is.

All users

A doctor/other healthcare professional with a current non-training grade rotation (an "NTG") has "[NTG]" displayed after their name, in red, on all their portfolio pages. Any user with access to that user's portfolio (that is, an administrator in the relevant location, the user's assigned supervisor(s) and the user themselves) sees this label.

Administrators

Administrators also see the "[NTG]" label after relevant doctors' names on

- all the admin list / report and overview pages

- the doctor's rotation management page

Any user with a portfolio without this label is a foundation doctor (FD).

Learn more about how to

- view a list of NTG doctors in your location

- check that no NTGs have been listed as FDs

A WAST doctor is someone working on the Widening Access to Specialty Training (WAST) programme. The WAST programme is an opportunity to work for a year in England while receiving regular teaching and clinical exposure that will help to improve the skills and competences required for admission to specialty training through the national selection processes.

For further information and for all enquiries about the WAST programme, see NHSE's dedicated WAST web page.

Learn more about

- who is responsible for the administration of WAST doctors on Horus

- how to set a WAST doctor up on Horus

- what to do if you're a host trust administrator but don't have access to Horus

The host (employing) trust is responsible for the administration of WAST doctors on Horus. 

For further information and for all enquiries about the WAST programme, see NHSE's dedicated WAST web page.

Learn more about

- what a WAST doctor is

- how to set a WAST doctor up on Horus

- what to do if you're a host trust administrator but don't have access to Horus

Follow the steps in How do I set an NTG doctor up on Horus?

In step 7, select "Pre-specialty" for the 'NTG Type' field.

Learn more about

- what a WAST doctor is

- who is responsible for the administration of WAST doctors on Horus

- what to do if you're a host trust administrator but don't have access to Horus

The Horus team worked with the NHSE WAST team during 2018 to give all trusts who are hosting WAST doctors access to Horus. If you think that your trust may have been missed, please contact your local foundation team in the first instance. If you don't know who that is, contact the WAST team.

Learn more about

- what a WAST doctor is

- who is responsible for the administration of WAST doctors on Horus

- how to set a WAST doctor up on Horus

The Medical Support Worker (MSW) role was created as part of a national initiative during the Covid-19 pandemic. MSWs are medically qualified doctors who have either qualified abroad and are currently applying for their GMC registration in the UK or have been out of clinical practice for over a year.

The MSW role requires clinical supervision and their practice to be aligned within the scope of the GMC guidance. MSW placements are between 6 months to a year duration. Once the MSW has gained their GMC registration, they can join the NHS doctor workforce or continue practicing as an MSW until their contract is completed.

For more information visit the NHS England website or email msw.centralteam@nhs.net.

The Horus ePortfolio is an opportunity to record reflections, meetings with supervisors, any supervised learning events (SLEs) or 360 feedback.

The MSW programme recommends the use of the following:

1. Induction meeting with clinical supervisor
2. Clinical supervisors end of placement reports
3. Direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS)
4. Case Based discussion (CBD)
5. Mini clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX)
6. Learning encounter and reflection note (LEARN)
7. TAB

Other areas of Horus ePortfolio can be utilised (Personal development plans, the additional achievements forms, Other meetings forms) at the discretion of the clinical supervisor.

If your employing organisation is able to facilitate Horus ePortfolio, please contact your local postgraduate centre administrator or medical education centre. 

If your employing trust does not facilitate Horus please ask for local advice on an alternative to Horus ePortfolio.

To learn more about access to Horus ePortfolio as an NTG please follow this guidance.

Horus ePortfolio administrators can create an account for an MSW by:

1. Follow steps 1-5 of this guidance to create the MSWs account
2. Follow steps 6-7 of this guidance to create the MSWs rotation and placement.

Please note, when prompted to select what NTG type the user is, 'Other' should be selected and Medical Support Worker’ entered into the ’NTG Further Information’ field.

The Certificate of Readiness to Enter Specialty Training (CREST) form is not available through Horus. The form and information about it is in the Specialty Training Resource Bank (under "Recruitment Documents").

Medical Support Workers should not complete a CREST unless the MSW has received their GMC registration and the Clinical supervisor feels confident and competent to assess the MSW's practice in line with the CREST assessor information. 

Access to MSWs' Horus accounts is the same as all foundation doctor/NTG Horus accounts. Learn more about who can view the data in Horus.

Generic NTGs are non-trainee grade individuals who can use Horus ePortfolio even though they work in an organisation (within England) that does not use/does not have access to Horus ePortfolio or do not allow their non-trainee grade individuals to use Horus ePortfolio. A Generic NTG rotation only allows users very limited functionality of Horus ePortfolio.

To be eligible to use Horus as an Generic NTG, users must already have a FD/NTG account. To learn how to create a Generic NTG rotation see here.

Please note: The Horus ServiceDesk will not create accounts for individuals to use as Generic NTGs

To use Horus ePortfolio as a generic NTG you should:

1. Log into your Horus ePortfolio account
2. Select your name to access the 'My account' page
3. Select the 'Generic NTG rotation' link
4. Select a reason why you are setting up a Generic NTG rotation
5. Add an end date (maximum of 1 years from the rotation is being created) for your Generic NTG rotation and select 'Add generic NTG'

The start date of a Generic NTG rotation cannot be amended. This is always set as the same date the Generic NTG rotation was created.

To end a Generic NTG rotation you should:

1. Log into your Horus ePortfolio account
2. Select your name to access the 'My account' page
3. Select the 'Manage Generic NTG rotation' link
4. Select the 'End rotation today' button

Yes - Generic NTG rotations can be extended but only after it has ended. To do this you can:

1. Log into your Horus ePortfolio account
2. Select your name to access the 'My account' page
3. Select the 'Manage Generic NTG rotation' link
4. Enter the new end date and select the 'Extend Generic NTG' button