North Central Thames Foundation School (NCTFS)
Individual Placement Description - Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Placement
The department
The type of work
to expect and
learning
opportunities
Location
Supervisor(s)
Main duties of the
placement
F2 General Internal Medicine
F2 trainees undertake a medical rotation comprising of 7 to 9 weeks on either a
medical specialty ward or on a Medicine for the Elderly ward and 7-9 weeks on the
Emergency Assessment Unit.
Medical Specialties – there are approximately 114 beds allocated for general
medicine and related specialties. F2s will be attached to either the Diabetes &
Endocrinology or Gastroenterology wards
EAU – all medical patients on the EAU are managed under the care of the three
Acute Physicians. Patients requiring longer stay or care in a specialist ward are
transferred to the appropriate unit within 48 hours of admission.
The Medicine for the Elderly team offers in-patient and out patient services for older
patients with general medical and complex geriatric problems. It holds daily outpatient
clinics. The directorate has six wards (St. Mary’s) with a total of 148 beds and seven
consultants.
EAU
As the FY2 in EAU you are responsible for medical care of patients who have been
admitted via the Emergency Department or by referral from GPs. These are busy
shifts but provide a wide variety of cases and experience in managing many of the
common medical emergencies. You work alongside a Core Trainee and the on call
Medical Specialty Trainee. During the 7 to 9 week EAU rota you will cover the
Medical Short Stay ward – ward round duties and facilitating discharges.
Medical Specialties Ward (inclu. Medicine for the Elderly)
This work depends on the sub-specialty you are covering but the basic work for all inpatients is the same. A daily ward round is necessary to prioritise treatment and
organise discharges. It provides the opportunity for multi-disciplinary work and
trainees can gain experience in both acute and chronic conditions. Consultant ward
rounds are an opportunity for on the job teaching and there are numerous
opportunities for this. Opportunities exist to attend out-patient clinics and involvement
in the teaching of medical students and F1s is expected.
Luton & Dunstable Hospital – General Medical Wards, St Mary’s Wing & EAU
Trainees will be allocated an appropriate clinical supervisor
EAU
 Organising management plans
 Ordering investigations
 Bloods, IV, blood cultures, ABGs and LPs
 Part of the ‘crash team’ covering the hospital
 Cover medical short stay – ward based duties
Medical Specialty and Medicine for the Elderly Wards
 Ward rounds – 2x week with the consultant, 2x with SpR and on Wednesday
by yourself with support from the other team’s SpR
 Discharge planning
 Participate in weekly MDT
 Routine ward jobs
 Teaching medical students
Typical working
pattern in this
placement
The rotation is split into your acute block where you work all your long days in
EAU/MSS/nights with days off in between and the ward based section of the rota
where you have an on-call shift each week
EAU
Shift pattern in EAU is made up of a mix of:
1. 0930 – 2200 = EAU clerking
2. 0900 – 1700 = MSS ward duties
3. 1700 – midnight = Twilight shift in EAU clerking (1 week of these in the whole
placement)
4. Nights 2100 – 0900 clerking and helping FY2 on ward
Medical Specialty and Medicine for the Elderly Wards

Mon – Fri 0900 – 1700 ward round and duties
1 x on call shift each week covering the wards 0900 – 1700 on your ward then pick up
the on-call bleep to cover the wards until 2100
Employer
The employer for this post is Luton & Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
information
which is a highly rated acute hospital located conveniently close to major hubs in
South Bedfordshire. We serve a local population of over 350,000 from Luton,
Dunstable, together with other towns and villages in the South Bedfordshire & North
Hertfordshire region. About 30% of Luton’s population are from cultural and ethnic
minority backgrounds and this coupled with the high deprivation found in Luton
means our local population display diseases and conditions which are more usually
associated with those of an inner city area.
It is important to note that this description is a typical example of your placement and may be subject
to change.