A NEW intake of more than 120 trainee doctors will help the local hospitals continue to provide excellent and safe care for all its patients.

After completing medical school, junior doctors have to complete a two-year foundation programme at hospitals, where they experience multiple areas of practice. The first year doctors are known as F1s and the second years as F2s.

After these two years, they decide if they want to go on to specialty training, core training or training as a GP, with some hopefully deciding to take up posts across Basildon, Southend and Broomfield hospitals, part of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Johnson Samuel, group director of medical education, said: "It's wonderful to welcome our new cohort of junior doctors across the Trust, one of the largest acute hospital trusts in the country. Our hospitals will benefit greatly from their skill and medical expertise, particularly on the frontline, managing patients 24/7.

"All of our multi-professional clinical staff and education teams are very supportive and ready to help and guide this next generation of doctors. We have a number of specialities across our three sites offering a wealth of clinical experience, which allow junior doctors to get the most out of their placement rotations.

"We value the contribution of junior doctors and I hope that their time here will be useful and enjoyable as they start the next stage of their medical careers."

This new cohort will firstly undertake their Preparation for Professional Practice course. They'll spend the next 10 days learning about their hospitals and its support systems; undergoing core practical skills sessions and shadowing a current FY1 who had been with the hospital for a year.