SCREDS Clinical Lectureships
We are proud to be one of the host institutions for NHS Scotland’s Scottish Clinical Research Excellence Development Scheme (SCREDS).
The scheme provides an integrated training and career development pathway, enabling clinicians to pursue concurrently or sequentially academic and clinical training within the NHS. It facilitates both the attainment of a senior clinical academic appointment and the award of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).
SCREDS Clinical Lecturer posts are registrar grade posts which offer academic training opportunities in addition to clinical training. The usual time allocation is 80% clinical training and 20% research training over the full period of the post.
During the clinical lectureship, the research programme may be either focused on preparation for competitive entry to out-of-programme research (i.e. pre MD or PhD), or focussed on developing an area of research identified during a period of out of programme research.
SCREDS appointments are made by the University directly with assistance from the relevant postgraduate dean, and are funded either by Public Services Delivery Scotland (formerly NES) or by the University themselves. As the appointments are made jointly between the University and the local NHS board, the individuals are supported by University contracts.
Applications for a Clinical Lecturer in any specialty or research area (including general practice) are handled as a separate process outwith the national recruitment and selection process for admission to specialty training in Scotland – as such, there is no fixed timetable for recruitment to these appointments.
The positions themselves provide ‘in-programme’ clinical specialty training as well as focussing on preparation for competitive entry to Phase (ii). In addition, they enable completion of clinical training where Phase (ii) is substantially concluded.
Here in St Andrews, we anticipate being allocated 1 or 2 GP SCREDS posts each year as part of the expansion of GP Training, however this is subject to change and is dependent on NES-level decisions.
Am I eligible for a SCREDS appointment?
Doctors are eligible for appointment to a SCREDS post if they:
- are on the GMC’s Specialist or General Practitioner Registers;
- hold a National Training Number;
- do not hold a National Training Number but have been appointed to a decoupled Core Training Programme recognised by GMC and hold an equivalent Core Training Number;
- GPs on Clinical doctoral Training programmes within 3 years of completing training.