ACF General Practice 2027 (Sheffield)

The following posts are available:

• One post in General Practice at ST1 level- Research Theme: Mental Health - (Please note: This is a multi-specialty vacancy; an appointment may not be made in this specialty. There will be 1 ACF post in either General Practice, General Psychiatry or Public Health Medicine.)

The University of Sheffield, in partnership with the NIHR, Health Education England Yorkshire and the Humber and the Sheffield GP Specialty Training Programme (GPSTP), has developed an exciting pathway of academic clinical training opportunities.   

Applications are now invited for an Academic Clinical Fellowship in General Practice with an integrated clinical and academic training scheme through to ST4. This post is being offered under the NIHR theme of mental health.  We are seeking highly motivated, enthusiastic individuals with the potential to excel in both their clinical and academic training and who have the ambition to be the next generation of academic clinicians.  

 

 This Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) programme in General Practice will be run by the University of Sheffield, the Sheffield GP Training Scheme and NHS England Yorkshire and North East. 

 

Please Note 

General Practice Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACFs) at ST1 entry are fixed-term national training posts. They attract an NTN(A).  ST1 applicants who do not already hold a National Training Number (NTN) or Deanery Reference Number (DRN) in the GMC specialty to which they are applying will be required to undertake the national clinical recruitment process and attend an assessment/interview for that GMC specialty as appropriate. 

  

Applicants wanting to commence the General Practice ACF post at ST2 are encouraged to apply to this vacancy; however, they must currently hold an NTN in General Practice. If successful, your experience can be assessed upon commencing in post, enabling you to work at the appropriate level. 

 

Trainees undertake the usual 100% clinical rotations through General Practice and hospital specialities in ST1 and ST2 years. Then trainees undertake 50% clinical and 50% academic training in ST3 and ST4. Trainees are employed by the NHS Trust and have an honorary contract with the University at whose Medical School their academic research is supported. 

 

ACF trainees also undertake a Research Training Programme (RTP) which includes a 

choice of appropriate research modules depending on prior research training. In addition, the trainee will receive bespoke research training and mentorship within the Primary Care Research Group according to their interests and experience. 

 

 There is access to additional research training opportunities within the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health. ACF trainees also undertake a Research Training Programme provided by the University for which funding is provided by NIHR.  They are also eligible for a £1,000 bursary per year to support research activity (e.g to attend academic conferences). 

 

The first two years of the training programme involve standard full-time clinical training, although we encourage the fellows to attend the local and national NIHR trainee conferences if possible and to plan their academic training programme early in the post with their academic supervisor. The Academic Clinical Fellow will have a senior Academic Supervisor allocated for the entire training post in addition to their Educational and Clinical Supervisors. 

 

In years 3 and 4, trainees are attached to a GP training practice with 50% of their time devoted to clinical training and 50% to research training, and they will carry out a supervised project. The academic supervisor will be a senior clinical academic(s). As the ACF will be undertaking research within the theme of mental health, we offer co-supervision and projects within our established cross-speciality collaborations with the School of Health & Related Research (SCHARR), the Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and Sheffield Institute of Translational Neuroscience (SITRAN). The Primary Care Research Group has a vibrant weekly seminar programme. 

 

The Academic Clinical Fellow will be supported and trained to develop a distinctive research project, aiming at publication and conference outputs and the development of grant applications to build on their work post-ACF. ACFs often complete and submit an external funding application for an NIHR In-Practice training fellowship or clinical research fellowship to enable them to complete a higher degree (PhD or MD) following the completion of their ACF fixed-term post. 

 

All General Practice Academic Clinical Fellowships are run-through posts and would therefore be guaranteed continued training to CCT as long as they progress satisfactorily through both their academic and clinical training. Run-through status is withdrawn if ACFs do not complete the academic component. 

 

The Primary Care Research Group has an excellent record of attracting high-quality academic trainees and enabling them to progress to Doctoral Awards, Clinical Lectureships and senior posts.  

 

We welcome informal enquiries about the post:  

 

Dr Jon Dickson, j.m.dickson@sheffield.ac.uk, Senior Clinical Lecturer. 

Please note: All applicants who do not already hold a National Training Number (NTN) or Deanery Reference Number (DRN) in the GMC specialty for which they are applying will be required to undertake the national clinical recruitment process and attend an assessment/interview for that GMC specialty as appropriate.

NIHR have produced some Frequently Asked Questions for applicants. You are advised to read this document in full before submitting your application.

Further sources of information

• National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
• Yorkshire and the Humber Academic Training webpage
• The University of Sheffield

Details  of the recruitment process are provided below.