The Trust has welcomed 93 Foundation Year 1 (FY1) doctors to its hospitals and services, including 22 who completed their degrees at Newcastle University’s School of Medicine.

Many of the new starters will already be familiar with working in the region's NHS services, having gained valuable clinical experience through placements during their medical training.

First steps as doctors

Professor Paul Paes, Head of the School of Medicine at Newcastle University, said: “It is an exciting moment to see our newest doctors begin their careers, caring for patients and becoming valued members of healthcare teams across the region.

"After years of dedicated study and clinical training, they have reached this important milestone.

“Having recently celebrated their graduations, they are now taking the next step in their professional journey, and we are immensely proud of them.

"It is particularly encouraging to see so many of our graduates choose to remain in the North East, where they will play a vital role in supporting and strengthening some of the best healthcare services in the country.”

Those beginning their foundation years with South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT) will spend their next two years on a programme of placements with the Trust’s medicine, surgery and community services.

They will also spend time at Hopewood Park in Sunderland, which is run by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.

After this, they will move on to speciality training. This is where they decide on their interests and career plans. They can become GPs, which will take another three years of training or a consultant, which will need seven to 10 years of further training.

As they took their first step on their FY1 journey, they followed a day of welcome sessions. They were also given courses on how to use IT programmes essential to their role, while Foundation Year 2 (FY2) doctors shared their tips and tricks to help them settle into the job.

Among the new starters is Francis Allen, 23, from St Albans in Hertfordshire, who graduated from Newcastle University earlier this summer.

He said: “I wanted to stay in the North East to train and I’d been here as a medical student, so I already know the Trust.

“I’m looking forward to using what I’ve learned in medical school, being part of the team and helping the people from Sunderland and South Tyneside.

“I’m most looking forward to my placements in different areas and I know I’m going to be based at South Tyneside District Hospital, so I’ll be getting to know that very well.

“One of the attractions of being in the North East is access to the great coastline and the National Park in Northumberland, there’s so much to do.”

Keeping talent in the region

Newcastle University has a long history of educating doctors for the NHS and remains one of the region’s key partners in developing the future medical workforce.

Many of its graduates continue their careers in the North East, supporting services across hospitals, community settings, and general practice.

Dr Shaz Wahid, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust Executive Medical Director, said: “Starting your first days as a doctor is a proud time and we are pleased to see these graduates are setting out on the next stage of their career with us.

“Many of them will have already met or recognise some of those they will be working alongside on our wards or in our services.

“Once again, many of those joining us come from the region’s universities, including Newcastle University, which has a long-established tradition of training doctors who go on to serve communities across the North East.

“We are always keen to keep the skills of those who have trained in the region here to help our patients and strengthen our Trust.

“We’re also delighted to welcome those who are making the move from outside the region and have decided to make this their home as they begin the next stage of their working life.”