Health professionals

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust welcomes and supports medical students and doctors in training alongside its locally-employed junior doctors and senior medical staff. We are proud to be a training hospital with a good reputation within the south west, known to provide a friendly and supportive learning environment in partnership with University of Exeter Medical School, Peninsula Medical School University of Plymouth and the Peninsula Deanery.

We receive great feedback in the General Medical Council yearly trainee survey as well as the medical schools’ student surveys. We listen to our students, trainees and staff and act on feedback. Our trainees are able to influence services and processes in the hospital and contribute to safer patient care and a better staff experience. Our trainees also have excellent success rates in post-graduate examinations.

We have an experienced medical education leadership and admin team to support medical students and doctors in training and a modern education and training facility.

The Horizon Centre is our innovation, education and research facility based at Torbay Hospital.

The Trust Library alongside the Horizon Centre at Torbay Hospital provides a service to staff and health and social care professionals working within the South Devon health community.

For more information about studying and training at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, contact our medical education teams:

Clinical Attachments for internationally trained doctors

Please note, due to ongoing clinical pressures, Clinical Attachments are not currently being offered at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust. Any requests during this time, may not receive a response.

We offer Clinical Attachment placements for internationally trained doctors who are seeking to gain experience of working in the NHS. These placements are for up to 4 weeks and are offered in a number of specialities within our Trust. Applicants will need to complete an application form and also submit references, copies of passport and driving licence, copy of IELTS test and score, copy of visa permitting entry to the UK, copy of primary medical qualification, letter of good standing from local police, occupational health form and employment declaration form. An administration fee will also be applied.

To make an enquiry or request an application form, please contact Jeremy White, Postgraduate Medical Education Manager.

What others say about training and education at Torbay and South Devon

GMC Survey 2022

Medical training at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust was slightly higher than the south west benchmark average in a number of areas.

Radiology performed very well and was a positive outlier throughout.

Geriatric Medicine performed very well throughout with 8 question areas being in the top national quartile of responses.

Trauma and Orthopaedic surgery scored very highly with 6 areas being in the upper quartile as did Gastroenterology.

The results for the IMT trainee GMC survey were the best in the region, in particular the 95.14 for Education Supervision and 96.67 for clinical supervision.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust Care Quality Commission Report, July 2020

In the Emergency Department, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals worked together as a team to benefit patients. They supported each other to provide good care.

In medical care, Leaders supported staff to develop their skills. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care.

The Day Surgery team had won prizes at the International Association of Ambulatory Surgery (IAAS) Congress. First prize was awarded to the day surgery emergency team and second to the day case hip replacement service for presenting projects based on their work which had transformed patients’ lives, improved their experience in hospital, reduced waiting lists, improved the efficiency of trust clinical processes, and reduced costs.

Within services for children and young people, staff monitored the effectiveness of care and treatment. They used the findings to make improvements and achieved good outcomes for children and young people. The service had been accredited under the UNICEF Baby Friendly Awards.

In community hospitals, the service had a strong sense of multidisciplinary team working to benefit patients. Care was delivered and reviewed by staff in a coordinated way with different teams, services and organisations across the trust area.

Innovative work

We have lots of innovative work going on in our Trust, with medical students and doctors in training involved in all areas:

  • Dedicated Torbay Clinical Skills Wing, including clinical skills and simulation
  • Patient experience, quality improvement and innovation team
  • Active research department
  • Trust Fellow roles with up to 50% time for non-clinical activity
  • Junior Doctor Representative Committee
  • Active Doctors’ Mess
  • Digital Futures Lab and mobile digital devices, including HoloLens technology for training as well as remote patient care
  • Multiple Sclerosis augmented reality project
  • Paediatric training cited as GMC Good Practice example: Improving handover arrangements

Information on current research and developments underway at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, see our Research and Development Department pages.

Meet some of our trainees

Nick Edmedes

Nick Edmeades, specialist trainee in ophthalmology

“I spent my ST2 and ST4 years of ophthalmology training at Torbay and had an excellent experience both times. Educational and clinical supervisors were organised, accessible and provided regular, constructive feedback. Timetables were mindful of training requirements such as dedicated refraction training sessions in my ST2 year. Study leave was encouraged and even supported an Orbis trip to Panama. The workplace environment is busy, energetic and extremely friendly. The on-site facilities include the invaluable EyeSi simulator as well as a dedicated ghost head and artificial eyes for infinite use. This led to my completion of 160 phacoemulsification cases in my ST2 year and over 220 in ST4. As a more senior trainee I was also able to supervise a junior in theatre with a consultant present – an experience that has better prepared me for a consultant role. I would unreservedly recommend any training opportunities in Torbay.”

Kyle Stewart

Kyle Stewart

“My name is Kyle Stewart and I am one of the GPST1 trainees currently in paediatrics. I first came to Torbay Hospital on an academic Foundation Year 2 programme. The hospital was extremely supportive of the work I carried out during this time and I ended up staying at the hospital for another three years in a bespoke role, doing 50% trust grade medicine and 50% innovation, research and medical education. This has allowed me to patent two new products, to perform research and to complete projects leading to publications in peer-reviewed journals. The key thing about Torbay is that the faculty are accommodating and will always support junior doctors with special interests or ambitions where possible, hence why I haven’t moved hospital since arriving here.
Outside of the hospital, Torbay also offers sandy beaches, watersports, an active nightlife and plenty of local amenities, definitely living up to its name as “the English Riviera”. It has been a pleasure to live and work in Torbay.”

Sophie McGlade

Sophie McGlade – Trust Fellow Doctor

“I am working in Torbay as a Trust Fellow having completed my F2 year of Foundation Training here. In my role I am working in Trauma and Orthopaedics and Acute Medicine during the course of the year and 30% of my time is spent in non-clinical activities. I have an interest in healthcare management, leadership and innovation and I will be funded to take part in a Postgraduate Certificate course in this area. There is plenty of support available in Torbay to assist trainees in becoming involved in the many varied educational and training opportunities on offer; from funding towards qualifications in clinical education, opportunities to teach other trainees and medical students, involvement in simulation training and development of quality improvement projects and audits.
I have very much enjoyed my training in Torbay, it is a friendly learning environment with supportive senior doctors very willing to teach. I feel that my time working in Torbay has enabled me to develop my skills and interests as a doctor and equipped me well for the future.”