London - South West

The SW London deanery has the perks that come with being in London (both work -egresearch opportunities- and non-work related) whilst being small enough to be able to form strong relationships with other trainees and trainers.

The deanery benefits from including SWLEOC, Britain’s biggest orthopaedic centre specialising in elective surgery, and St George’s Hospital, one of the four London major trauma centres. This allows for a good balance of elective and trauma exposure. The programme is divided up so that ST3 is dedicated to trauma, and ST4 to hip+kneearthroplasty. ST5-6 is then split between the remaining subspecialities so that ST7-8 can be spent focussing on the trainee’s particular interest. By being small it means that you can be well supported and everyone is treated as an individual. The TPD is very hands on too, so this also means that your training is kept under observation for any issues, and gaps can be addressed early to allow for a smooth progression to CCT.

Teaching is combined with SE London and KSS and includes an invaluable ‘reg ready’ crash course for new ST3s to help with new registrar nerves. There are 20 regional training days throughout the year with a structured programme which cycles through the specialities, and there are also biannual meetings to showcase research and audit work.

The furthest commute is Tooting to Epsom, and so it is perfect for those who want geographical simplicity, and it is easy to get both into and out of central London.