Educators’ Corner
Practical resources for GP teaching, supervision & trainee development
The GP Fluency Educators’ Corner provides practical teaching resources for GP trainers, TPDs and educators working with trainees across GP specialty training.
The focus is on developing consultation and communication skills, clinical reasoning and professional judgement to the standard expected for the SCA and early independent practice. Resources support trainees to recognise patient priorities, psychosocial context and clinical information, and to bring these together in safe, person-centred decisions.
Resources are designed to be flexible and easy to use in supervision, teaching sessions, tutorial groups and small-group learning.
Trainer Tools
5-Minute Debrief Cards for GP Trainers
New GP trainers often find that some of the most important teaching moments happen unexpectedly — after a difficult consultation, a moment of clinical uncertainty, a near miss, or when a trainee is visibly affected by what has just happened.
These one-page debrief cards are designed to give trainers a simple structure to use in the middle of a busy surgery. They are particularly useful for new trainers who are developing confidence in workplace supervision, but may also help experienced trainers keep short debriefs focused, supportive and safe.
The cards include prompts for clinical uncertainty, difficult consultations, clinical incidents or near misses, emotional impact, and documentation/follow-up. They support brief, proportionate debriefing: starting with safety, understanding the trainee’s thinking, identifying one focused learning point, agreeing next steps, and deciding whether anything needs documenting, escalating or revisiting later.
These cards are not intended to replace local governance, safeguarding, significant event, complaint or ePortfolio processes. Instead, they offer a practical starting point for timely supervision and feedback when a trainer needs to respond in the moment.
June’s Cases
Each month, we’ll share two new ready-to-use cases for consultation skills teaching. Each case is aligned with RCGP standards and supported by current, referenced UK guidance.
They can be used in tutorials, one-to-one supervision, small-group teaching or role-play. The cases are designed to reflect real-world general practice, with opportunities to explore clinical reasoning, communication skills and patient-centred management.
Trainers can use them flexibly with ST1, ST2 or ST3 doctors, adapting the level of challenge through the psychosocial context, patient priorities, attitudes and beliefs.
This month’s cases explore communication when the patient creates strong interpersonal pressure in the consultation. Trainees will practise staying calm, clinically clear and collaborative when faced with a patient who is highly informed and directive, or angry and frustrated by ongoing symptoms. The cases focus on symptomatic subclinical hypothyroidism with a request for levothyroxine, and persistent low back pain with requests for MRI and stronger analgesia. Both require careful balance: validating symptoms without colluding with premature treatment, holding clinical boundaries without becoming defensive, and offering a safe, practical plan that still feels meaningful to the patient.
June’s cases (click on them to download):
Each case pack includes:
Doctor’s notes
Patient script
Evidence-based guidance with relevant links (NICE, CKS, BNF, etc.)
Optional tutor guidance for qualitative feedback
Whether used as part of assessments or broader consultation skills teaching, these cases are designed to prompt discussion, encourage reflection, and support confident, structured learning.
July’s cases will be released early July - subscribe if you want to be emailed when they go live!
Educator Notes on FourteenFish
Educator Notes can be one of the most useful — and most misunderstood — parts of the GP trainee ePortfolio.
New trainers often wonder what should be recorded, what is better kept to email or routine admin, and how to document concerns without sounding harsh or unfair. Experienced supervisors can also find this difficult, especially when supporting trainees with repeated absence, ePortfolio disengagement, professionalism concerns or clinical supervision needs.
This two-page GP Fluency quick guide offers a practical framework for using Educator Notes well. It covers:
When an Educator Note is appropriate
What should usually be left out
The “no surprises” principle
How to write notes factually and proportionately
Example templates for common situations
A final checklist before posting
The aim is to support clear, fair and transparent documentation that helps trainees, supervisors and ARCP panels understand what has happened, what has been agreed, and what support is in place.
Download here: Educator Notes on FourteenFish: What to Record, What to Leave Out, and How to Write It Well
Supporting the Transition from ST3 to First Post
Resources for Final ST3 Transition Conversations
The final weeks of GP training are not only about completing WPBA, ESR and ARCP requirements. They are also an important opportunity to help trainees think ahead to the realities of early post-CCT practice: confidence, uncertainty, workload, limits, first post choices, practical admin and sustainable working.
These resources are designed to support educational supervisors in those transition conversations. The roadmap offers structured prompts for final ES discussions, helping supervisors explore what will matter most as the trainee moves from supervised training into their first GP role. The accompanying CCT checklist is trainee-facing, but works well as a practical handout or signpost when trainees need clearer guidance on the regulatory, contractual and administrative steps around completion of training.
Together, they help shift the conversation from “are the requirements complete?” to “what will help this trainee start well as a newly qualified GP?”
From ST3 to First Post: An ES Roadmap for Final Transition Conversations
A one-page roadmap and prompt guide for educational supervisors working with trainees in the final weeks of ST3. It supports reflective conversations about readiness, uncertainty, workload, professional identity, first post decisions, practicalities and sustainable working. This is not an ARCP checklist; it is designed to help supervisors make space for the conversations that prepare trainees for early independent practice.
First 5 / Next 5: CCT To-Do List for Completing GP Trainees
A practical trainee-facing checklist for the transition from GP registrar to qualified GP. It covers the core post-CCT steps that often cause stress — including GP Register entry, Performers List, indemnity, RCGP membership and first role arrangements — followed by professional-life essentials such as tax, pension, appraisal, DBS, Smartcard access and creating a secure CCT folder. Although written for trainees, this resource is included here because it is a useful handout or signpost for supervisors to share with trainees as part of final transition planning.
Half Day Release Resources
Ready to use Teaching Sessions
Teaching Sessions for July
Although we’re releasing these resources in July they’re designed to be flexible. Use them now if you’re ready, or save them for later in the training year when they best fit your programme.
Whenever you choose to use them, we hope they save you time and spark meaningful learning for your trainees.
w/c 15th June
Communication Skills
This month’s set of SCA-style cases focuses on communication in general practice when patients create strong interpersonal pressure within the consultation.
The emphasis is on recognising the pull to rescue, argue, submit, over-explain or keep offering solutions — and instead staying clinically clear, collaborative and proportionate. Across the four cases, trainees are challenged to manage patients who are overwhelmed and looking to be rescued, angry and frustrated by ongoing symptoms, highly informed and directive, or apparently reasonable but unable to accept offered options. Together, the cases support the transition to the level of judgement, flexibility and patient-centred reasoning expected at SCA level.
Trainees will practise balancing validation with boundaries, explanation with shared decision-making, and safe clinical management with the patient’s emotional and practical reality. The cases focus on tension-type headache with dependency and overwhelm, persistent low back pain with requests for MRI and stronger analgesia, symptomatic subclinical hypothyroidism with a request for levothyroxine, and insomnia where every proposed solution feels unworkable.
Each case is fully mapped to the RCGP SCA domains and includes:
Doctor brief
Actor script
Evidence-based UK management plan
Structured initial management framework
Examiner-facing assessment grid
Common trainee errors and high-scoring behaviours
w/c 8th June
Clinical Conundrums
20-30minute starter to create energised discussions
Quick Random Scenarios - Give Trainees 5 minutes in small groups
Come back together - What did they decide & why -Explore as needed.
June’s Clinical Conundrums
w/c 1st June
Hot Topic
Alzheimer’s Disease in Primary Care
Early diagnosis, new treatments and the GP Role
Alzheimer’s disease is a familiar part of general practice, but the conversation around it is changing.
New disease-modifying treatments have raised public and professional awareness of early diagnosis, treatment windows and specialist referral. For GP trainees, the challenge is not to become experts in monoclonal antibody treatment, but to understand what these developments mean for safe, realistic primary care.
This 60-minute Hot Topics session helps GP educators explore Alzheimer’s disease through two practical case vignettes. The session focuses on early recognition, careful assessment of memory concerns, reversible contributors, medication review, referral to memory services, carer support, risk, driving, capacity and ongoing GP care after diagnosis.
Key themes include:
Recognising possible early Alzheimer’s disease in primary care
Distinguishing dementia from mimics and contributing factors
Responding honestly to questions about new Alzheimer’s treatments
Making useful memory clinic referrals
Supporting patients and carers after diagnosis
Managing risk, driving, capacity, safeguarding and carer strain
This session keeps the “hot topic” firmly grounded in everyday general practice: noticing early, thinking broadly, communicating clearly, and supporting the person and family over time.
Click to download the resources
Slides (PowerPoint), Case Vignettes & Facilitator Notes.
w/c 22nd June
Navigating the Flow: Bleeding Symptoms & Pelvic Red Flags
A ready-to-use teaching session for GP educators supporting trainees to assess and manage common gynaecological bleeding presentations in general practice.
This 2.5–3 hour interactive session is designed for GP trainees and is aligned to the RCGP Gynaecology and Breast Health curriculum. It focuses on practical GP decision-making: recognising bleeding patterns, identifying red flags, applying NICE-aligned referral thresholds, and communicating sensitively about intimate symptoms, examination, uncertainty and cancer worry.
The session includes a full PowerPoint slide deck with facilitator notes, three breakout case discussions, a fishbowl role-play card for post-coital bleeding, and a quick reference handout for trainees.
The teaching covers:
Heavy menstrual bleeding and iron deficiency
Secondary amenorrhoea
Postmenopausal bleeding and suspected cancer referral
Post-coital bleeding and cervical assessment
Pregnancy risk, STI risk, contraception, HRT and cervical screening context
Patient priorities, treatment preferences and shared decision-making
Access barriers, trauma-informed care, neurodivergence, learning disability, language needs and inclusive practice
The session uses a mix of large-group teaching, case-based breakout discussion, fishbowl demonstration and micro-skills practice. It is suitable for VTS teaching, HDR sessions, tutorial groups or educator-led teaching programmes.
This resource can be used for ST2/ST3 teaching, tutorial groups, half-day release sessions or trainer-led professional practice discussions. It includes a slide deck with facilitator notes and a separate small-group scenario pack.
Premium Services - Clinical Cases for GP Teaching Programmes
4 Cases with doctors brief, patient’s script and marking scheme matched to SCA domains.
All within the Women’s Health Curriculum - perfect for SCA preparation or communication skills sessions on this challenging area of the RCGP curriculum
A secure link is sent to you to download after payment received
A ready-to-use set of four high-quality role play cases, perfect for a GP teaching session focused on communication skills. Each case includes candidate notes, patient script, & educators brief/marking guide mapped to RCGP SCA domains.
Curriculum-linked
Realistic scenarios
Saves hours of educator prep time
All ready-to-use sets are sent, as PDF’s, within 2 working days
Your own six-case SCA mock exam, we use your brief to provide cases which meet your teaching priorities. If you wish to cover specific clinical topics, specific consultation challenges, then opt for our bespoke service and we’ll provide you with 6 cases aligned to the RCGP SCA and your brief
Customised
Curriculum-mapped
Delivered within 1 week via email
Perfect for educators who want a truly tailored exam experience for their trainees.
*Purchase Orders
If your organisation requires a Purchase Order (PO) before confirming a booking, GP Fluency will provide a pro forma invoice or quotation on request. This document will outline the agreed services, costs, and terms to support your internal approval process. Once a valid PO number has been issued and acknowledged, the delivery timeline will begin, and GP Fluency will proceed with fulfilling your order. Please contact us via the custom requests or contact us page
Run a full, timed mock SCA in your programme with six ready-to-use cases that reflect the breadth of the GP curriculum. Includes patient scripts, candidate briefs, examiners mark schemes and notes.
For use in 12minute SCA Remote Consultations
Easily used for in person Mocks too (note there are no physical examinations in line with SCA expectations)
Designed to challenge and support
Ready for you to use on receiving
Everything you need to deliver a high-quality mock exam without the hours of case writing.
All ready-to-use sets are sent within 2 working days via email
Premium Services - Mock SCA Resources for GP Teaching Programmes
Run a full, timed mock SCA in your programme with six ready-to-use cases that reflect the breadth of the GP curriculum. Includes patient scripts, candidate briefs, examiners mark schemes and notes.
For use in 12minute SCA Remote Consultations
Easily used for in person Mocks too (note there are no physical examinations in line with SCA expectations)
Designed to challenge and support
Ready for you to use on receiving
Everything you need to deliver a high-quality mock exam without the hours of case writing.
All ready-to-use sets are sent within 2 working days via email
Your own six-case SCA mock exam, we use your brief to provide cases which meet your teaching priorities. If you wish to cover specific clinical topics, specific consultation challenges, then opt for our bespoke service and we’ll provide you with 6 cases aligned to the RCGP SCA and your brief
Customised
Curriculum-mapped
Delivered within 1 week via email
Perfect for educators who want a truly tailored exam experience for their trainees.
*Purchase Orders
If your organisation requires a Purchase Order (PO) before confirming a booking, GP Fluency will provide a pro forma invoice or quotation on request. This document will outline the agreed services, costs, and terms to support your internal approval process. Once a valid PO number has been issued and acknowledged, the delivery timeline will begin, and GP Fluency will proceed with fulfilling your order. Please contact us via the custom requests or contact us page
Custom Requests
Need something different? Whether it’s a short case for a teaching session, or an extended role play for a specific skill area, contact us with your request and we’ll see what’s possible