The First 500 - A report on London Deanery's Coaching ... - Mentoring

SECURING RESOURCES<strong>The</strong> funding for starting up the service came from the ‘transitional’money made available to deaneries by the Department of Healthto support doctors whose careers had been adversely affected bythe flawed Medical Training Application Service (MTAS) recruitmentscheme. In order to help these individuals, the Deanery trained acadre of mentors who then went on to provide the nucleus of aservice open to all doctors and dentists working in London’s NHS.Based on discussions with colleagues who had set up mentoringarrangements in their own organisations, and looking to the privatesector where successful leadership assumed that new leaderswould be supported in their role by skilled and remuneratedcoaches. It was clear that to sustain the service the mentors mustbe paid and supported to grow their skills. <strong>The</strong> Deanery comparedthe funds paid to GP appraisers and other mentoring schemesbefore deciding to pay £150 for 90 minutes of mentoring. Generallythe mentors provide the meeting rooms and updates, supervision,forums and training are all unpaid. Those doctors and dentistswho mentor in their working time invoice on behalf of theiremploying organisation.<strong>The</strong> facilitators of the supervision evenings are paid for theevenings, their own supervision is not funded.Assessing colleagues, matching mentor to mentee, and runningtaster events is paid at similar rates. However some mentors donot invoice the service.BUILDING A TEAMDr Rebecca Viney was appointed to lead the service in February2008, the service sits within the newly established FacultyDevelopment Unit. One of her early tasks was to build a team.Administrative support was essential and a variety of talents andinnovations were brought to the service by administrators. Thosementors with the most experience matched mentors to mentees,ran taster sessions, facilitated the supervision evenings, ran a bookclub on coaching and mentoring, helped to develop strategy andassessed new mentors.A formal Mentoring Advisory Group (later to be renamed theCoaching and Mentoring Advisory Group or CMAG) was setup after the first six months, once the decision had been madeto continue to support the service after the transition moniesran out. CMAG was set up to provide advice to the service byincluding mentoring experts and the stakeholders; supporting thedevelopment of strategy and policies, and aligning them to thestrategic objectives of the Deanery. <strong>The</strong> membership of the CMAGincludes representatives of the Deanery, local education providers,trainees, a lay member and external experts in the field. A broadernetwork of support was developed by identifying interestedcolleagues within the Deanery and other education providers bothin London and more widely. This wider group proved a valuablesource of practical support and championship, helping to spreadthe word about the service among their colleagues.<strong>The</strong> service appointed a mentoring tutor for 18 months, to assistthe lead with matching of mentees to mentors and then morespecifically with doctors in difficulty.London Deanery Coaching and Mentoring Service 13