Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Programme Management and ...

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology 

Programme Management and Resources 

Handbook 

2012/2013 

Division of Health Research, 

Lancaster University

Programme Management and Resources Handbook 

Programme management and resources 

Section 1 

The doctorate in clinical psychology is a three year postgraduate programme of 

training which, upon completion, leads to eligibility to apply for Health and Care 

Professions Council (*HCPC) registration as a clinical psychologist. The Lancaster 

programme is approved by the HCPC and accredited by the British Psychological 

Society (BPS). The Lancaster DClinPsy is proud of its record of training and its vision 

statement gives a flavour of its approach to training. 

Additional document (click on the links below if viewing online, or if viewing hard 

copy, look at the appendices): 

Vision statement: 

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/shm/study/doctoral_study/dclinpsy/new/handbook/appendi 

ces%202011/Vision%20Statement 

Programme staff 

The programme has a current staff team of 22, including staff with specialist research 

and clinical skills and dedicated administration staff. Staff are also stakeholders of 

the programme, along with university and faculty representatives, trainees and a 

large number of highly valued external colleagues: local clinicians; service users; 

representatives from the employing body (Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust); 

commissioning body (NHS North West) and regional special interest groups. The 

programme works with all stakeholders in an effort to respond to local need and 

current training and practice issues. Although the programme is well-staffed, staff 

absences are managed in a coordinated way so as not to affect the training 

experience. 

Link to programme’s staff absence policy 


ces%202011/staffabsencepolicy 

Details of staff are available from (online only): 

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/shm/study/doctoral_study/dclinpsy/new/staff_stakeholders 

/Staff_List/ 

*NB: An acronym guide can be found by clicking on the following link or in the 

appendices of the handbook: 

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/shm/study/doctoral_study/dclinpsy/new/handbook/append 

ices%202011/Acronyms 

1


Position with the university and management structure 

The programme is situated managerially within the Division of Health Research (DHR), 

which is part of the Faculty of Health and Medicine (FHM). The current head of DHR is 

Dr Katherine Froggatt and the Dean of FHM is Professor Tony Gatrell. For more 

information on the wider DHR and School structures, please refer to the relevant 

webpages: 

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/shm/ 

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/shm/dhr/ 

The programme is managed by two Directors, the Clinical Director and the Research 

Director. Both Directors are clinical psychologists on the HCPC register. The Clinical 

Director manages the clinical tutors and trainees; the Research Director manages the 

research lecturers and the administrative staff. Many of the staff have part time 

appointments; it is therefore best to contact staff via email wherever possible. While 

the administrative staff are mostly based in the Whewell building (also home to the 

trainee room and the teaching facilities), other staff are based within the Division of 

Health Research building (off Alexandra Square). Each member of staff also has a 

work telephone number and access to messages via a voice mail facility. Staff 

telephone numbers may be obtained from the University telephone directory: 

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/system/phonebook/ 

The nature of clinical psychology training is continually changing and staff therefore 

need to have access to opportunities for continuing professional and research 

development. Requirements are discussed at annual reviews which are part of the 

NHS KSF framework or via the university’s staff appraisal framework. 

Additional documents: 

Programme’s staff structure (if viewing online, please click below) 


ces%202011/DClinPsy%20_Staff_%20structure 

If viewing hard copy, please see the appendices of this handbook. 

Staff CPD policy (if viewing online, please click below) 


ces%202011/Staff_CPD_Strategy 


Summary of Director Responsibilities: 


ces%20201/Directorresp 


2


Section 2 

The structure of training: the relationship between the university and the NHS 

All staff are employed to work on the clinical psychology programme based at 

Lancaster University. However, some are employed directly by the university, and 

some are employed by the NHS. Irrespective of employer, NHS or University, all 

programme staff have a base at, and are managed by, Lancaster University. 

Trainees are employed by the NHS (band 6) and are designated trainee clinical 

psychologists and have full time contracts for a three-year fixed term period, 

(currently with the Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust). However, at the same 

time, they are full time postgraduate doctoral students of Lancaster University. 

Trainees are line managed for the NHS by the Clinical Director. The money for the 

training, including staff and trainees’ salaries, comes from a purchaser of training, in 

this case NHS North West Strategic Health Authority (SHA). It is this NHS body that 

ensures the University has sufficient money to provide training. The formal training 

contract is currently held between the SHA and the University. 

Integration of placement, teaching, and research activity 

Generally, throughout the three years of the programme, trainees come into the 

Lancaster University base for one day each week to attend teaching; one day each 

week is for private study and research (usually home or university or research base); 

and three days each week are on placement. Please see the Curriculum Handbook for 

further information and also the programme specification; if viewing online, please 

click on the links below, alternatively please view the hard copy Curriculum Handbook 

or the programme specification in the appendices of this handbook: 

Curriculum Handbook: 

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/shm/study/doctoral_study/dclinpsy/new/handbook/Handbo 

oks_Nov_2011/curriculumhandbookNov11 

Programme Specification: 


ces%202011/DClinPsyprogrammespecification2011 

The Annual Plan 

In practice a number of factors influence the general structure of training and bring 

about change to the set pattern described in the table earlier. For example, there are 

times throughout the year when the University is shut; prior to each placement there 

may be a week of induction teaching; annual leave must be taken. The Annual Plan, 

3


which is updated throughout the year, is available on SharePoint (a web application 

platform, viewed through the university website). It is essential that trainees look at 

this plan regularly to orientate them to assignment deadlines, teaching days and 

committee dates. Any changes to schedules will be documented on the annual plan. 

Section 3 

NB: There is currently a review being undertaken into the structure, terms of 

reference and organisation of the various programme committees and working 

parties. This is likely to lead to some significant operational changes and will be fully 

implemented in September 2012. 

Programme committees 

Given that there are many people who contribute to training it is important to have a 

committee system whereby the views of all stakeholders in training are represented. 

At the same time there has to be an acknowledgment that the provider of training, 

the University, must ensure that programme policies and decisions are appropriate to 

satisfy the demands of the Health and Care Professions Council, the British 

Psychological Society and the purchaser of training, NHS North West SHA. This is in 

addition to ensuring quality in all aspects of training. 

As of summer 2011 there are five main programme committees, the Examination 

Board, the Stakeholders’ Committee, the Management Committee, the Clinical 

Psychology Postgraduate Committee and the Directors’ Committee. The constitution 

and terms of reference for each committee are available in the appendices of this 

section. Trainees are represented on each committee apart from the Examination 

Board and the Directors’ Committee. Their exclusion on these committees is for 

reasons of confidentiality to other trainees. Please see the ‘Additional documents’ at 

the end of this section. 

Examination Board 

The Examination Board is the main committee to establish and monitor appropriate 

academic, research and clinical standards in training. All programme staff are 

expected to attend the Exam Board. Markers of specific assignments are also invited 

to attend specific Boards. These markers are NHS clinical psychologists who have 

honorary university appointments and who are therefore eligible to assess trainees’ 

work. The current Chair of the Exam Board is Jane Simpson and the deputy is Ian 

Smith. There are also university-appointed external examiners who attend the Exam 

Board meetings. These examiners sit for a fixed term (usually three years) and act as 

moderators of overall assignments and will also provide the final adjudication on 

assignments indicated as fails by the markers. The Exam Board meets five times a 

4


year and its minutes, taken by the Programme Assistant – Academic, are available to 

all programme staff, external examiners and relevant University postholders. For 

further information on assessment practices, please see the Assessment Handbook. 

The Directors’ Committee 

The two Directors meet with the Head of the Division of Health Research (DHR), who 

chairs the committee, regularly (usually once a month) to discuss training issues 

(including budget overview). Matters are taken back for further consideration by the 

relevant staff, trainees and stakeholders. The minutes are taken by the Programme 

Administrator and are circulated to programme staff (not trainees). The committee 

on occasion also has a reserve business section for the discussion of confidential 

matters and the minutes for this section are confidential to those in attendance. 

The Stakeholders’ Committee 

The Stakeholders’ Committee has a wide membership and acts in an advisory 

capacity, discussing issues and advising on a wide range of training matters and 

policies. It is governed in its own policies and actions by the policies and decisions of 

the Examination Board and, in the wider arena, by the NHS North West, the BPS and 

the Health and Care Professions Council. The committee is chaired by a local clinical 

psychologist with an interest in training and this appointment is usually held for a 

period of three years. The minutes are taken by the Programme Administrator and are 

circulated to all members of the committee (which includes trainee representatives). 

The Management Committee 

The membership of the Management Committee constitutes the programme staff and 

trainee representatives, with the Chair of the Stakeholders’ Committee and the Head 

of the Division of Health Research as ex-officio members. The committee normally 

meets monthly and is the main body responsible for implementing and monitoring 

programme policies and procedures. It is chaired by the Clinical Director. It is the 

executive committee of the programme and the minutes of the main agenda, taken 

by members of the administrative team in rotation, are available to all members of 

the committee. There is also a separate meeting after the main meeting which 

discusses issues without the presence of trainees. The minutes of this part of the 

Management Committee (called Reserve Business) are circulated to all programme 

staff. 

The Clinical Psychology Postgraduate Committee 

The Clinical Psychology Postgraduate Committee meets twice each year and 

constitutes all the clinical psychology trainees. The Chair and the Secretary are 

elected from amongst the trainee/postgraduate membership and staff do not 

participate. All issues that arise (for action) following discussion within this 

committee are taken to the Management Committee. There are trainee 

5


representatives from each year on the Management Committee and these people are 

key in communicating concerns that are voiced in the Clinical Psychology 

Postgraduate Committee and reporting back outcome of Management Committee 

deliberations to their respective year groups. It can be seen, therefore, that the 

Clinical Psychology Postgraduate Committee provides some upward momentum to the 

business that is discussed within the other committees. 

Electing the trainee representatives 

One of the trainees’ first tasks upon starting the programme is to decide on their 

cohort’s representatives for the Management Committee and for the Stakeholders’ 

Committee. The nomination process is a matter for the trainees themselves. It is 

worth looking at the constitution of the committees – see the link below in additional 

documents- prior to nomination so representatives will know what is required in terms 

of number of meetings attended and responsibilities. Each cohort should decide on 

the election process, monitor time the representative serves, and decide on 

appropriate procedures to communicate concerns to the representatives to bring to 

committees, and to receive feedback following discussion at those committees. 

Committee minutes from the Stakeholders’ Committee and Management Committee 

are distributed to first, second and third year representatives via the administration 

team. Trainees must ensure there are appropriate mechanisms for the distribution of 

minutes from their own Clinical Psychology Postgraduate Committee. General 

meetings and a variety of working parties are also held, with minutes or action notes 

issued to members. 

The management of the programme is also helped by a series of more informal 

meetings. These include more general staff meetings and meetings of the 

programme’s various working parties. The actions and minutes of the working parties 

are fed into the more formal committee by way of specific standing items. 

Additional documents (click on the links below if viewing online, or if viewing hard 


Meeting summary table - if viewing online, please click below: 


ces%202011/meeting_%20summary_%20table 


Programme committee terms of reference – if viewing online, please click below: 


ces%202011/Programme_%20Committees 


6


Section 4 

Personal and professional development of trainees 

The table below illustrates the wide range of support available to trainees. 

TYPE OF TRAINEE 

SUPPORT 

Tutor pair and training 

progress review (TPR) 

PSYCHOLOGISTS AND 

OTHERS INVOLVED 

Programme staff: one 

member of research team 

and one from clinical team 

oversees the three years 

Personal Tutor System Clinical psychologists working 

in the region. No staff are 

involved. The system is 

coordinated by the Personal 

Support Coordinator 

Personal Therapy Individual tutors and/or the 

Personal Support Coordinator 

will support trainees in 

finding appropriate 

therapeutic input 

Placement-Programme Trainees’ individual clinical 

links 

tutors visit placements 

Research The research team plus 

research supervisors, 

overseen by the Research 

Director. 

Clinical Placement For each of the five 

placements, one main 

supervisor, plus other 

supervisors which may also 

form part of a supervisory 

Peer support; buddy 

system 

Student Learning 

Advisor Service 

team 

Trainees. The Admissions 

Tutor coordinates the buddy 

system and a list of buddies 

is kept in the office 

No programme staff involved. 

A student learning advisor is 

based in the faculty who can 

provide study and learning 

support for trainees on an 

individual needs-led basis 

7 

FREQUENCY OF 

MEETINGS WITH 

TRAINEES 

Training progress 

reviews/end of placement 

meetings twice per year, 

plus other meetings as 

necessary 

Usually 4 meetings per 

year. 

As necessary 

1-2 meetings per 

placement 

There is no specified 

frequency; liaison through 

teaching, workshops, and 

individual tuition 

throughout each year. 

Weekly 

Informal contact plus 60- 

90 minutes of formal 

supervision 

Peer support: minimum – 

weekly at teaching. 

Buddy system: as 

necessary 

Frequency of meetings 

agreed as necessary


Introduction to personal support: the systems and the key people who operate and 

oversee those systems 

The programme has a number of support systems which are designed to be 

complementary and which, together, optimise each trainee's personal and 

professional development through the three years of training. 

Often, even before entry to the programme, potential trainees may contact the office 

in regard to any special requirements they may have. Where any trainee has a 

registered disability, and a need for particular equipment or special procedures to be 

followed to facilitate training, office staff (usually the Programme Administrator) 

liaise with staff, the funding authority, and the student support unit within the 

university to ensure requirements are assessed and then met as efficiently as 

possible. 

Please also see the HCPC’s guidance: ‘A disabled person’s guide to becoming a health 

professional (only available to view online, please click on the link): 

http://www.HCPC-uk.org/publications/index.asp?id=111#publicationSearchResults 

Individual Tutor System 

The main structure for trainee support is the individual tutor system. 

The role of individual tutors and the tutor system 

To ensure that trainees receive coordinated support throughout their training, from 

staff who have a chance to get to know them and their learning needs, each trainee is 

allocated one member of staff from the clinical team and one member of staff from 

the research team to act as their ‘individual tutors’. Trainees will normally keep the 

same individual tutors throughout their three years of training. Tutors will be 

allocated to trainees prior to their first week of training by the Clinical Director. All 

new trainees meet with their individual tutors during the induction period, and tutors 

and trainees are encouraged to agree a ‘psychological contract’ describing the way 

that they will work together. 

Individual tutors are intended to be the main point of general contact for the trainee 

with the programme. They are available to provide pastoral support as well as having 

the delegated authority to deal with some day-to-day line management issues, such as 

approving annual leave requests. Where trainees approach other members of staff to 

discuss specific issues, these staff members will also link back to the trainee’s 

individual tutors so that a coordinated response and support can be provided. 

Individual tutors also carry out some specific tasks in relation to the trainee. These 

include the following: 

8


• Conducting all visits to the trainees at their placement (individual clinical 

tutor) 

• Providing initial advice on research project ideas before supervisors are 

allocated (individual research tutor) 

• Approving special leave or annual leave that requires special permission (both 

individual tutors) 

• Conducting annual review meetings with the trainee (both individual tutors – 

see below for details) 

• Raising issues of concern with the trainee or feeding back on discussion about 

the trainee which have taken place in other fora 

� Where appropriate, writing support plans with trainees. 

If the trainee is experiencing consistent difficulties with one or both of their 

individual tutors they should raise that with the tutors and attempt to resolve this 

together. If resolution is not possible then the trainee should raise the issue with 

either the Clinical or the Research Director and a solution will be sought. 

Training progress review 

The purpose of the training progress review (TPR) is to provide an overview of all 

aspects of training for each trainee, and to provide appropriate guidance to allow 

optimum development through the three years of the programme. This system of 

progress review is a collaborative exercise between the trainee and their individual 

tutors. It is important to emphasise that the training progress review is not a formal 

‘examined’ evaluative procedure but, instead, allows a considered discussion of 

progress in all domains that relate to training. During each review a democratic 

negotiating style is adopted. The aim is for both the trainee and tutors to 

communicate openly and to agree on the best way forward to meet each individual 

trainee's needs in the forthcoming year. 

The training progress review (see training progress review form in appendices A of 

the Programme Handbook) is designed to consider progress in clinical, academic and 

research elements, along with CPD and personal and professional development. 

Regular review is not only good practice and helpful to trainees, it also satisfies 

university expectations and also employer expectation for review (NHS Knowledge and 

Skills Framework). 

The TPR process comprises a meeting between a trainee and their individual tutors at 

the end of each core placement (March and September) and at the middle and end of 

the third year placement (April and August). A database of review dates is kept by the 

office. Reviews are initiated by staff. 

It is anticipated that issues in training evolve through the three years. For example, 

trainees' goals are likely to be more exploratory (‘wider’) during the first year, and 

focus down to areas of special interest and career planning by the third year. It is the 

9


role of the tutors to help focus on appropriate goals, and strategies to meet these 

goals, in order to facilitate developmental progress. 

The TPR form is contained in this handbook but is also available from the Programme 

Office on disk (or click on the link below). The tables in the appendices of the TPR 

form allow the trainee to record the outcome of examined work and placements. It is 

anticipated that the trainee will complete the relevant sections of the form prior to 

each review meeting and will bring the form to discuss at the meeting. Information in 

the document is then shared with the trainee’s individual tutors during the meeting, 

and progress on development goals from any previous annual review meetings is 

discussed. There is then some reflective discussion culminating in new development 

goals being agreed for the next six month training period. Following the meeting the 

trainee then updates the remainder of the form based upon these discussions. At the 

end of training, the form containing notes for all five TPR meetings is signed by 

trainee and tutors and submitted to the office. 

The training progress review form – click here if viewing online: 


ces%202011/training_progress_review_form 


Trainee complaints 

If trainees have a complaint regarding any aspect of their training then they would be 

encouraged to discuss this first with their tutor pair. It is expected that most 

complaints can be discussed and resolved at this level. Occasionally it might be 

necessary to involve the Clinical and/or Research Director to resolve a complaint. 

However, further involvement of other course staff would only be instigated after 

discussion with the trainee. 

If a trainee was not satisfied with how the complaint was managed then further 

avenues are available depending on the nature of the complaint. If the complaint, for 

example, related to an aspect of their NHS contract or an NHS-employed individual 

then mechanisms are available to pursue this via their host NHS employer. If the 

complaint was around university policies or procedures or a university-based member 

of staff then they would be directed to the university student complaints procedure. 



University student complaint policy: 


ces%202011/university_student_complaint_procedure 

10


LCFT policy on harassment and bullying: 


ces%202011/Policy_on_Dignity_at_Work%20–%20Preventing_Bullying_and_Harassment 

The Personal Tutor system 

General Principles 

Personal support is an integral and valued aspect of training. The personal tutor 

system is monitored by the Personal Support Coordinator, supported by the 

programme office. The Personal Support Coordinator supports the process in the 

following way: 

� Provides trainees and personal tutors with information about the personal tutor 

system. 

� Keeps an up-dated list of potential personal tutors, and standard information 

about each tutor, in order for trainees to make an informed choice of tutor. 

This list is up-dated annually and is administered from the programme office. 

� Ensures all trainees who wish to have a personal tutor are assisted to find one. 

� Contacts personal tutors and tutees, using a standard letter, on an annual basis 

to seek general feedback concerning the scheme. 

� Provides an annual report to the Stakeholders’ Committee on the personal 

tutor system 

� Assists trainees if requested/required, to respond to any difficulties arising. For 

example, help might be needed to renegotiate the level of personal support 

being received, or to change personal tutor. 

Process of arranging a personal tutor 

Trainees are encouraged to choose a personal tutor within a short period following 

the start of the programme. Trainees are provided with a list of names and general 

information about psychologists within the region who are offering to act as personal 

tutors, and are encouraged to choose a tutor from this list. However, trainees are also 

free to negotiate with clinical psychologists not on the list if they wish to use them as 

their personal tutor (for instance, past supervisors or colleagues with whom they have 

a previous supportive relationship). 

All people offering to act as personal tutors are required to fill out a standard 

information form (held by the Personal Support Coordinator) that gives trainees more 

details on potential personal tutors (such as geographical location, work specialty, 

therapeutic orientation, etc). 

Once trainees have identified a personal tutor, a contract between them needs to be 

agreed (using a standard Personal Tutor Contract template held by the Personal 

Support Coordinator). This will specify practical details such as venue and frequency 

of meetings, as well as actions to be taken if either party has concerns or if either 

11


feels that information discussed within the meetings needs to be shared with the 

course or Personal Support Coordinator. 

The role of the personal tutor 

The type of support provided by personal tutors relates to general/personal aspects of 

training, e.g., life changes involved with moving into training; personal frustrations 

and satisfactions with the programme; integration of personal and work life; coping 

with pressure. 

It is recommended that there is regular contact between tutor and tutee, with at 

least one meeting every three months. There may be times when meetings may be 

much more frequent than this, but this should be a matter for negotiation. It is 

expected that the trainee and personal tutor relationship will last for the three years 

of the programme. 

The personal tutor should be able to advise on their trainee’s progress and 

development, provide general support and give advice related to clinical matters if 

appropriate. The tutee should feel free to talk about any aspect of training or his/her 

life situation (personal stresses – life changes – domestic events – feelings of loneliness 

or inadequacy). Whatever the trainee may say to the tutor is in confidence. However, 

if it becomes apparent that the trainee needs additional help (because, for example, 

of a personal crisis) the tutor may seek permission from the trainee to approach other 

programme staff who will be able to assist (as agreed in their Personal Tutor 

Contract). 

The personal tutor therefore provides support and guidance within the context of a 

confidential and professional relationship. It must be remembered that the personal 

tutor may well, at some time, be either offering a placement or teaching. Although 

the tutor – tutee relationship should be friendly and warm it is also predominantly a 

professional relationship. It is therefore important that the tutor does not adopt the 

role of therapist in relation to the trainee. 

If personal tutors or trainees have concerns about any aspect of the support system, 

they should provide feedback (but without breaching confidences) via the Personal 

Support Coordinator or programme team, as outlined in their contract. 

Personal Therapy 

The programme does not provide or pay for personal therapy for trainees. However, 

the programme does encourage and support trainees to seek personal therapy when it 

is felt necessary. Trainees are encouraged to discuss this with either their individual 

tutors, or with the Personal Support Coordinator, who will assist them as appropriate 

in finding personal therapeutic support (for example advising them where to search). 

Neither course staff nor the Personal Support Coordinator would have any direct 

contact with a trainee’s therapist, and trainees would not be required to share any 

12


details of arrangements made around their own therapy. Trainees will have specific 

teaching in their induction programme around the process of finding a personal 

therapist during their time on the course. 

Student Learning Advisor Service 

The Faculty of Health and Medicine, in which the programme is situated, has its own 

Student Learning Advisor. Currently, the FHM learning advisor is Robert Blake. He can 

be contacted directly by trainees for support and advice around learning and 

academic skills, such as study skills, academic writing, etc. 

Robert Blake 

Office: A17 Engineering 

+44 (0)1524 592402 

studyadvice.fstandshm@lancaster.ac.uk 

Supplementary systems 

Placement-Programme links 

Each trainee normally has five placements over the three years of training to ensure 

that appropriate experience is acquired with adults, older adults, children and 

families, people with learning disabilities, and with a more particular group or clinical 

area. The trainee’s individual clinical tutor visits the trainee on placement (at least 

once) during each placement. 

Although the function of the placement visit is, in part, evaluative, it is also the role 

of the visiting clinical tutor to help the trainee and supervisor establish appropriate 

goals to develop skills throughout the duration of the placement. Acquisition of core 

competencies by trainees is monitored throughout the programme via the log that 

each trainee keeps. Staff can be approached to help with additional negotiations 

between supervisors and trainees; staff monitor progress and encourage trainees to 

ensure that information is available for annual review with programme staff. 

Research 

The programme is a doctoral programme of education and research skills appropriate 

to this level of training are taught to trainees in a developmental sequence 

throughout the three years. 

The Research Director is responsible for overseeing the teaching and research support 

programme and, with other members of the research team, ensuring that trainees are 

competent in research methodology and data analysis. There is support from the 

research team both for trainees and also the supervisors who may guide the research 

out ‘in the field’. 

13


Trainees are guided in the integration of research time with placement work. 

Clinical Placement 

A minimum of 50% of overall programme time is spent on placement, and therefore 

the placement supervisors act as one of the main points of contact for encouraging 

professional development. The goals set at the beginning of placement, in liaison 

with programme staff, are to be met by the trainee and monitored and guided by the 

placement supervisor via informal contact and formal supervision (usually at least an 

hour each week). 

Peer support; the buddy system 

One of the greatest forms of support reported by trainees is that provided by other 

trainees. Prior to starting the course each member of the new cohort is given the 

opportunity to be put in touch with a current first or second year who will act as a 

‘buddy’ throughout the three years of training. The Admissions Tutor coordinates the 

allocation of ‘buddies’. 

On starting the programme there is a one month induction period, where trainees are 

typically at the university each day for teaching, which offers an extended 

opportunity for peer support. There is normally a minimum of one day’s teaching each 

week where the trainee year group meets. Prior to the commencement of each core 

placement there is an induction period of up to two weeks. This again is an 

opportunity for peer support during a potentially difficult period of transition. In 

addition, it is often the case that several trainees will be on placement 

simultaneously with an individual supervisor or within a particular service. There may 

be supervision sessions which involve groups of trainees, and these provide a good 

opportunity to share information about aspects of the placement experience. There is 

also the opportunity for daily, informal support. There is a Clinical Psychology 

Postgraduate Committee (see above), which all trainee year-groups attend, and which 

is held twice a year. There is also at least one trainee away day each year; venue is 

determined by trainees, within a budget. Other informal events, such as the 

programme Christmas party, are also funded by the programme. 

Crisis management 

If trainees are experiencing crises and need extra support outside of the above 

support systems, they should approach one of their individual tutors in the first 

instance or, in an emergency, another member of staff who is present within the 

university. There are a number of sources of help and various types of provision that 

can be made. For example, if necessary, you can discuss compassionate leave 

14


arrangements with the Clinical Director, or even intercalation periods from the 

programme. If a trainee is absent for four weeks or more, the university follows an 

intercalation process which provides a pause in training without affecting a trainee’s 

registration. This is arranged alongside liaison with the trainee’s employer and 

includes sickness absences (over four weeks) and maternity leave, as well as other 

kinds of absence. The university also provides a confidential counselling service and 

the telephone number for this is available in the University Telephone Directory 

(http://www.lancs.ac.uk/phonebook/); it is usually only a matter of days to obtain 

an appointment. 

The employing trust provides assistance in times of crisis and help can be sought from 

the trust’s human resources department and employee assistance programme. In 

addition, where appropriate, the Clinical Director can refer the trainee to the trust’s 

occupational health service. 

Special leave requirements 

Should any trainee require prolonged special leave, for example, maternity leave, 

reasons relating to illness (in self or family members), extensive compassionate leave, 

then that is arranged on an individual basis in line with LCFT’s policies following 

discussion with the Clinical Director. For each individual request procedures are 

followed with the employing Trust, the SHA and the university. A trainee requesting 

such leave would need to link with the programme office in the first instance, and 

others will be involved in discussion as appropriate. It is important to note though 

that, without specific funded extensions of training and as approved by the SHA on an 

individual trainee basis, trainees are funded to complete training within three years. 

Where training is not completed within this funded time then the university may well 

request that tuition fees are paid. 

In conclusion 

The points contained above outline the many types of support available to trainees. 

The programme has encouraged both informal and formal feedback from trainees on 

the systems it has developed. There have been working parties, which have included 

trainees as well as staff, to discuss and develop appropriate support networks. 

Trainee support offered by the programme will continue to be monitored and 

evaluated, and modified as appropriate to cope with the continuing and expanding 

demands of clinical psychology training. 

Formal evaluation 

Section 5 

15


Assessment of clinical, academic and research competence 

Full details are available within the assessment handbook here: 


oks_Nov_2011/assessmenthandbookNov11 

There are normally five placements, all of which trainees are required to pass to 

complete training although trainees are allowed to fail one placement providing it is 

passed at a later stage in the programme. There is a clinical presentation formally 

examined at the end of the first and also the second year (although with a brief 

summary report submitted after each of the first four placements). There is a 

professional issues assignment (2 essays), critical review, service-related project and 

also a thesis. There are no ‘unseen paper’ written examinations. Failure on three or 

more academic assignments (including resubmission of a previously failed piece of 

work) or more than one placement is cause for the university to terminate the 

trainee’s registration as a student. As registration with the university is a necessary 

component of employment within the NHS as a trainee clinical psychologist, the 

termination of university registration also then terminates the trainee’s NHS contract 

of employment. 

University facilities relating to study: library 

Trainees all join the University library that is in the main square on the campus. 

Information relating to library policies is available on page eight of the Student 

Handbook. 

(http://www.lancs.ac.uk/shm/study/doctoral_study/dclinpsy/new/handbook/Handb 

ooks_Nov_2011/TheStudentHandbook2012.pdf) 

The programme currently has its own computer facilities (in the Whewell building), in 

addition to those available in the library itself and the student learning zone off the 

main square. 

Borrowing of software (primarily statistical packages) from the library: the current 

arrangement is that library reception staff make a special case for the clinical 

psychology postgraduate students whereby it is acceptable to borrow software for 

longer than overnight. The relevant CD can be borrowed (deposit required). It is then 

essential to return the CD by post within four days (collect the deposit the following 

week when in the University for teaching). The library is open from 8am to 10pm most 

days. For exceptions, see: http://libweb.lancs.ac.uk/open.htm (online only). The 

library’s resources are available via off site access through the metalib function. 

The Lancaster University Virtual Learning Environment (LUVLE) is an online facility 

which trainees can access at the university or from their home computers. It links the 

trainee to a range of general learning resources and to specific information about the 

programme, including teaching handouts and messages regarding teaching and other 

events. 

Interlibrary loans 

16


The projected number of interlibrary loans (ILLs) needed for each student in each 

year is given in the table below. This loan facility is, of course, essential to 

postgraduate study but is also very expensive. Staff would therefore like students to 

be efficient in their use of the interlibrary loan facility. 

The library does send a list of ILLs per student to the Division of Health Research on a 

monthly basis so staff are able to monitor the situation. 

Table of suggested maximum number of interlibrary loans needed in training: 

Reading on each of the first 4 placements 5 

Placement Presentation and Report - reading, per report 5 

The critical review 20 

The professional issues assignment 5 

Reading on the long third year placement 10 

The service–related project 10 

Preparation for the ethical committee (thesis) in year 2 20 

Further reading for the thesis in year 3 20 

In addition to the library facilities, the programme holds a number of additional 

resources in its admin office in Whewell. This includes a set of key references (APA 

manual, key textbooks) and a list of common psychological tests which can be 

borrowed by trainees. Details of these can be accessed by the reading lists links below 

(or hard copy appendices of this handbook). Other resources available are mobile 

phones (to use as a contact point for research projects) and digital recorders (for 

recording qualitative interviews). All resources are detailed more fully in the Student 

handbook: 


oks_Nov_2011/TheStudentHandbook2012.pdf 

For each teaching session it is likely that teachers will provide a list of useful 

references. Not all of these will necessarily be in the university library or within the 

programme office. However, all will be available via the inter-library loan service. 

For each teaching strand, a smaller list of references is made available. These 

references lists, which have been put together by course staff, include references 

which are available either via the university library or via the programme office. 

Please contact the strand coordinator for the latest reference list. 



17


Information on how to get interlibrary loans: http://libweb.lancs.ac.uk/g23.htm 

General Reading list: 


ces%202011/GeneralReadingListFINAL 

Research Reading list: 


ces%202011/researchreadinglist2011 

The trainees’ views 

Section 6 

Formal and informal ways to provide feedback to the programme staff 

The programme staff value feedback from trainees on all aspects of their experience 

in training. Some methods of obtaining feedback are very formal, for example after 

each teaching session trainees are invited to feedback via an online system. Others 

can be less formal, such as conversations with teaching coordinators. 

With placement activity trainee feedback is given on a form called the Placement 

Audit Form and this supplements verbal feedback to the programme staff during 

placement visits. There are more details relating to this in the Practice Placements 

handbook. 

Trainees’ views on research are sought during the teaching sessions in the formal way 

described. However, with research there is considerable individual tuition given by 

the research team and trainees usually talk very openly about their experience of 

their research work and their support and liaison with research supervisors. 

In addition to the above, trainees are encouraged to talk more generally about their 

view on training, in informal settings with staff and also within the more formal 

context of the various programme committees. There are also the bi-annual reviews 

and the end of training interview which, again, provide useful forums for feedback. 

Feedback is received and acted upon (as appropriate) following discussion in the 

teaching reviews, reviews of placement matters and then in the appropriate 

committees. The way the programme has decided to act upon trainee feedback is 

detailed at the Management Committee meetings. The programme feels it important 

that the way feedback has been used is communicated to all providers of feedback, 

including trainees. 

18


Finally, the formal trainee representation on programme committees and the input 

from the Clinical Psychology Postgraduate Committee ensure that trainees have the 

opportunity to contribute to the future development of the programme. 

Section 7 

Some useful policies and procedures to have at the beginning of training 

As well as the many procedures outlined in this section, there are a number of 

subsidiary policies and procedures. They are available on the programme website 

through the year. What follows is a consideration of salient issues for trainees: 

Travel 

The rules relating to travel payment are set by NHS North West: 

Mileage to academic teaching No payment 

Mileage to and from placement At public transport rate (for distance 

exceeding home to base) 

Mileage to clinical research At public transport rate (for distance 

exceeding home to base) 

Mileage within placement At official rate 

In all cases the trainee’s base is the University teaching site. It is appreciated that a 

number of trainees who live some distance from their base may feel disadvantaged 

but the above arrangements are consistent with current employee arrangements – the 

SHA is not prepared to consider home as base. 

Hence it can be seen that any trainee who lives a substantial distance from base will 

rarely be able to claim travel. For example, if a trainee lives 50 miles from 

Lancaster, there will be no payment to go to placement if that placement is within a 

50 mile radius of home. If the placement is 60 miles from home, then the trainee will 

be able to claim 60-50 = 10 miles at public transport rate. 

Within placement (that is, once at work) trainees may need to travel out during the 

programme of the day to see clients at home or go to meetings. This is paid 

(placement base to journey destination and back to placement) at official mileage 

19


rate. 

However, when trainees visit participants for their research work or go to a site to 

conduct research for their thesis research, claims can only be made when the 

distance is greater from home to base, and then only at public transport rate. For 

example, if a trainee lives 50 miles from Lancaster but is collecting data for research 

at a hospital base (or participant’s house) that is 48 miles from home, then no claim 

can be made. If the hospital base (or participant’s house) is 52 miles from home, 

then a claim can be made for 52-50 = 2 miles at public transport rate. 

The travel claim form is available from the office. Trainees should submit their claims 

on a monthly basis. Claims must be within three months of the date of travel. 

Programmes and conferences 

In addition to the academic programme trainees are encouraged to attend 

programmes and conferences elsewhere. Currently, funds allow for £400 in total over 

the three years. Trainees need not necessarily divide this into equal portions for each 

year if there is an expensive event that they can justify wishing to attend. Policies 

and an example of the claim form, with instructions for how to complete it, are 

available. Trainees must complete the relevant form and give this to the Programme 

Office. Only in exceptional circumstances will programme staff allow attendance at a 

conference or non-programme event if this involves missing part of the DClinPsy 

teaching programme. Claims for travel to conferences are to be submitted on the 

University forms. Conference attendance would normally be discussed and approved 

at the trainee’s TPR with the two individual tutors. 



Training events and conference policy: 


ces%202011/TRAINING_%20EVENTS_%20AND_%20CONFERENCES_%20POLICY 

Annual leave 

Trainees are entitled to the annual leave specified in their employment contract. 

However, within the NHS contract is a clause to the effect that trainees must meet 

the requirements of the University in terms of regulations relating to their education. 

The University requires that trainees attend teaching. Therefore, if any trainee 

wishes to take annual leave on a teaching day they should follow a set procedure. 

Trainees are normally allowed to pre-book a maximum of four teaching days of annual 

leave per academic year. The programme requests that the trainees work to ensure 

that there is some ‘scatter’ across the months, such that no area of teaching is poorly 

20


attended. When taking leave from placement trainees are asked to initially agree 

with their placement supervisor and then send an email to the programme secretary, 

copied to their supervisor and tutor pair, stating the dates of the required leave. 

Additional documents(click on the links below if viewing online, or if viewing hard 


Absence from work policy: 


ces%202011/Absence_from_work_policy_update 

Sickness / Absence 

Any absences over two hours need to be reported to the programme, by telephoning 

absence reporting phone; this includes sick leave, hospital appointments (where the 

absence will be over two hours), compassionate and carer leave but not annual or 

maternity/paternity leave. It also covers any other unplanned absences over two 

hours, for example car trouble. The Clinical Director has responsibility for the 

absence reporting phone; when she is not available, Ian Smith, will deputise. 

Absence reporting phone number: 0750 8375643 

Procedure: 

Please phone ‘absence reporting phone’ to report any absences as soon as possible in 

the morning of the absence. In the case of teaching days this must be done before 

9.30. If the phone is not answered, then you must leave a message, stating your name 

and the nature of your illness. On placement days you must also contact your 

placement supervisor to let them know you will be absent. If you have meetings with 

programme staff you also need to contact them directly or ask the office staff to 

provide notification. Trainees also need to ring in sick on study days as these are also 

work days. All programme staff will not be routinely made aware that you are off sick 

so you need to make sure meetings are cancelled with those staff. You also need to 

phone the absence reporting number in the case of carer or compassionate leave 

requests (see below). 

Self-certification and return to work forms should be completed for all absences and 

sick notes are required for any absence lasting more than seven days. 

For planned sickness (hospital stays, for example) you can inform the programme 

office in advance of your absence. 

21


You will also need to phone the ‘absence reporting phone’ when you return to work. 

Details of absences and return to work dates are maintained by the Programme 

Assistant-Placements and the Clinical Director (as your line manager). 

Compassionate and Carer Leave 

Trainees may be given compassionate or carer leave in the appropriate circumstances 

in line with LCFT’s relevant policies. Special leave applications must be discussed 

with the Clinical Director. Trainees may also wish to discuss circumstances with their 

individual tutors in the first instance. 

Office contact – operation and opening times 

It can be seen from the information above that trainees often need to have office 

contact. Office staff try to ensure that the office is open throughout each day and 

details of office staff’s availability will be provided to you on a regular basis. The 

office is shut 09.30-10.30am every Thursday morning; for further information on the 

programme office, please view the Student Handbook: 


oks_Nov_2011/TheStudentHandbook2012.pdf 

Health and Safety 

The trust has formal induction procedures and trainees must participate in these. 

Health and safety is just one of the aspects of employment that is covered. 

In addition, the university has its own health and safety policies. A Lancaster 

University booklet on Health and Safety is available (from the office); this is also 

available on the University website 

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/safety/policy/default.htm; you may wish to use the 

PCs in the trainee room, currently in the Whewell Building, to access this website. 

Communication issues 

It is very useful for trainees to have a computer of their own. Whilst this is not an 

essential requirement, most trainees do now have a computer at home. Many of the 

programme communications are via email and ease of access can make life very much 

simpler. It would be helpful if trainees can ensure that their home system is 

sufficiently powered that they can receive and send quite complex attachments, such 

as their draft assignments or thesis. 

22


Should any trainee not have a computer but be on placement at a far distance from 

Lancaster or home, where it is essential they are away overnight, special 

arrangements can be made, for example, if one is available, the trainee may be 

allowed to borrow a programme laptop in these exceptional circumstances. The 

programme would only consider this if the placement is sufficiently far away that the 

trainee cannot stay at their home base. The SHA will pay for accommodation away 

from home in such circumstances, but the allowance would be no more than the cost 

of the daily travel, and even then the limits would need to be discussed with staff. 

Professional behaviour 

Programme staff anticipate that trainees behave appropriately at all times – on 

placement, during teaching, and during one-to-one interactions with staff and others. 

There is a short policy that relates to this and it is available as part of the appendices 

of this handbook. 

Additional documents(click on the links below if viewing online, or if viewing hard 

copy, look at the appendices):: 

Professional behavior for trainees policy: 


ces%202011/Professional_%20behaviour 

Future developments for the programme 

Section 8 

The programme continually seeks to develop and improve. For example, 1) we have 

developed our selections and admissions procedures in innovative ways; 2) we have 

recently greatly expanded our public involvement; the LUPIN group (Lancaster 

University Public Involvement Network) is very involved with a wide number of 

aspects of the programme. We are also currently undertaking a review of the 

academic curriculum with full implementation currently planned for September 2012. 

Further details can be found on the programme website: 

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/shm/study/doctoral_study/dclinpsy/new/ 

A new management structure has also been developed and agreed and will be fully 

implemented in September 2013. This will give formal representation to trainees, 

local clinicians and service users on all aspects of the programme’s activities. 

The programme, as with all DClinPsy programmes nationally, needs to be approved by 

the HCPC. A formal approval visit from the HCPC is scheduled for May 2012 (jointly 

with a BPS accreditation visit). 

23


Teaching and learning 

University student support service 

Section 9 

The university welcomes all students and has an array of support services to ensure no 

student feels disadvantaged. The Division of Health Research follows university policy 

and strives to make itself an inclusive department. 

Before trainees arrive at the programme they are alerted to the role of the university 

student support service and given practical details about contact and programme 

support. The person to liaise with in DHR with any related issue is the Programme 

Administrator (who will put the trainee in contact with the relevant member of staff). 

A range of free, helpful programmes on learning / studying are listed at the following 

link: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/celt/sldc/. Materials for writing up a thesis can 

be found by going to the ‘Study Materials’ page and clicking on ‘Dissertation Writing’. 

Additionally drop in sessions for students with dyslexia can be found from the ‘About 

Us’ page. 

Please see the Curriculum Handbook here: 


oks_Nov_2011/curriculumhandbookNov11 for full details of teaching and learning 

information. 

Please also see the General Reading list (click here for online viewing, or see hard 

copy in the appendices): 


ces%202011/GeneralReadingListFINAL 

Support for learning 

Section 10 

The NHS and the University work together to provide support for learning. 

The University has provided dedicated teaching accommodation for trainees and their 

own base room which is equipped with enough computers and seating for an average 

cohort. Furthermore the base room provides refreshment facilities, trainees’ pigeonholes 

for post and other correspondence, access to previous cohorts’ theses and 

general news and event listings. Access to the base room is possible on a 24 hour basis 

(including weekends and bank holidays). In addition all students are enrolled as full 

time doctoral students and therefore have full access to University facilities provided 

24


by the library and the university information support service (ISS). In addition to the 

teaching and base rooms, other rooms which are currently available in Whewell 

include a photocopying room (all photocopying is free for trainees), the admin office 

(which is staffed Monday to Friday from 9am til 5pm) and a break-out space. Laptops 

can also be loaned by trainees. Further detail on the resources provided to trainees 

are included with in the Student Handbook (online link etc) 

Section 11 

Evaluation and improvement of quality and standards 

Review and evaluation of teaching, learning, assessment, the curriculum and 

outcome standards 

� There is an annual review of all aspects of the programme which is collated at 

faculty level. All teaching is both coordinated and delivered by specialists in the 

relevant areas. There is a meeting after the completion of each block to overview 

the teaching in preparation for the following year. New clinical psychologists and 

members of staff may be approached to contribute. Feedback from trainees is 

taken into consideration, and draft programmes for the future year discussed with 

them as well as the teachers. Action on feedback is communicated to all involved. 

� There are workshops for all those who contribute to the scheme: assessors, 

teachers, supervisors. Most NHS clinical psychology staff working in North West 

services contribute in at least one capacity. 

� Markers and External Examiners provide comments and feedback to the 

programme. These are reviewed and feedback provided. 

� Supervisors provide feedback to staff on any element in which they are involved 

(clinical, research or academic support). 

� The programme operates a system of peer observation consistent with the 

University’s procedures. 



Peer observation policy and procedures: 

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/shm/study/doctoral_study/dclinpsy/new/handbook/appe 

ndices%202011/Peer_%20Observation_%20Guidelines_%202011-12 

25


Committees with responsibility for monitoring and evaluating quality and standards 

� The programme Management Committee (all programme staff, student trainee 

representatives, the Chair of the Stakeholders’ Committee and the Head of the 

Division of Health Research) normally meets monthly and considers the procedures 

related to the day-to-day delivery of the scheme. 

� The programme Examination Board. 

� The Research Director and Clinical Director meet monthly with the Head of the 

Division of Health Research to consider broader policies and review. 

� There is regular review between the Directors of the programme and the 

purchasing NHS North West Strategic Health Authority 

� There is close liaison with the SHA, the programmes based at the University of 

Liverpool and the University of Manchester, and NHS partners in training 

In addition 

1 HCPC Approval 

From 1 st July 2009, in line with all other UK BPS accredited clinical psychology 

programmes, the Lancaster programme became a Health and Care Professions Council 

approved programme. A full HCPC approval visit, combined with a BPS accreditation 

visit, will be carried out in May 2012. The programme has to demonstrate that it 

adheres to the Standards of Education and Training set by the HCPC, that trainees 

who finish training can meet the HCPC’s Standards of Proficiency for clinical 

psychology and that it maintains the standards set by the BPS. Further information 

can be found on the HCPC’s web site. 

2 BPS Accreditation 

The programme was previously accredited by the BPS every five years. Now that it is 

mandatory for programmes to be approved by the HCPC, the BPS has reviewed its 

procedures and now offers “Accreditation through partnership”. This programme still 

adheres to the BPS’s accreditation criteria whilst also ensuring that it meets the 

HCPC’s SETs and SoPs. There will be a concurrent BPS accreditation visit and HCPC 

approval visit to this programme in May 2012 

Additional documents (click on the links below if viewing online, or for hard copy, 

please see the appendices of this handbook): 

HCPC SETs: 


ces%202011/HCPC_SETs 

HCPC SOPs: 


ces%202011/HCPC_SOPs 

26


BPS accreditation through partnership handbook: 


ces%202011/BPS_Accreditation_Through_Partnership_handbook 

Indicators of quality 

Section 12 

o Expansion in training: number of students more than doubled since 1998. 

o Applications: typically there are at least 350 applications for places each year 

(in 2012 there were over 400 applications). The number of places on the 

programme is much smaller than the number of applicants. 

o There is a very small dropout rate (currently less than 1% in the history of the 

programme); failure rate similarly low. 

o Recruitment and retention: nearly all students work in the NHS on qualifying, 

the vast majority within the northwest. 

o Publications: there are an increasing number of trainees who publish results of 

their research, both service-related projects and thesis research. Publications 

are collated and made available to all trainees on the programme. 

o Innovation: programme staff and trainees have recently edited and contributed 

two special editions of journals, Psychology: learning and teaching and Clinical 

Psychology Forum. The latter featured examples of trainees’ work on 

inclusivity. 

Additional documents (click here if viewing online, or if viewing hard copy 

please see the appendices of this handbook): 

Trainee research publications: 

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/shm/study/doctoral_study/dclinpsy/new/handbook/a 

ppendices%202011/Publications_list_working_version 

27


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