Commissioners of the Echocardiography Training Programme (ETP) will allocate £2,000, per trainee, for the first academic year and £1,000 for the final six months of the programme (£3,000 in total) for educational training support and supply to the individual employers via the agreed contractual arrangements. For NHS England (NHSE) this funding will be included in the Trust’s Educational Contract, along with the salary support for trainees.
Under normal circumstances, the primary purpose of this funding is to contribute to the travel and accommodation expenses that a trainee will incur as part of the academic component of the programme. Due to the impact of the pandemic on delivery models of academic programmes, trainees and training departments should consider utilising the funding for other online learning resources relevant to their programmes, for example attendance at virtual conferences, where that will enhance their learning. As successful completion of BSE TTE Accreditation is a requirement of the programme, this funding may also be used to cover the costs of the process.
Funding cannot at present, be utilised to procure IT equipment which should be provided to trainees by their employer to support any remote/home working requirements.
NHS England reserves the right to audit and/or request accountability information in relation to how the education training support fund has been utilised.