Professor Howard (Psychiatric Bulletin, February 2007, 31, ) highlights the training standards set out by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB; http://www.pmetb.org.uk). One of these states that all trainees must attend a departmental induction, which includes information on the curriculum, their duties and reporting arrangements.

We conducted a survey of the existing senior house officer (SHO) induction programmes in the Eastern Deanery to assess if any changes are needed to fulfil PMETB standards. Each area has a trust and local induction, which varied in format and content. Some programmes run on consecutive days and others are incorporated into lunchtime educational meetings. They all consist of sessions on medical staffing, on-call arrangements and talks by pharmacy staff. Some trusts include all mandatory training such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, fire safety, etc. Lectures on specific skills (e.g. psychiatric emergencies), a tour of the hospital sites including the library, and meeting with clinical tutors or educational supervisors are commonly included in the induction programmes. A SHO handbook was provided by a majority of trusts. Only one trust gave an introduction to the psychiatric curriculum.

The SHO feedback showed that the most useful part of an induction programme was meeting with other colleagues and receiving practical information, including details of on-call arrangements and contact numbers. They favoured shorter sessions run over several weeks.

This survey reflects the variability of SHO induction programmes within one deanery. Clear guidance is needed to ensure the standardisation and quality of the programme throughout a region.