The General Practice and Mental Health Teaching Centre is a new healthcare and education facility based at Foresterhill in Aberdeen, developed by the University of Aberdeen in partnership with NHS Grampian and the Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership.
Patients attending the Centre are seen by medical students, closely supervised by experienced GPs and psychiatrists, to support the training of future doctors while providing safe, high quality patient care.
Frequently asked questions
- What types of health problems can be dealt with by the Teaching Centre?
-
The Teaching Centre provides assessment and treatment for health problems that need attention within 1-2 days. These problems are well suited to assessment by medical students, with all clinical decisions overseen by a senior doctor (GP or psychiatrist) who may not usually be involved in your care.
Teaching Centre Appointments are not suitable for:
- Routine appointments
- Accessing, reviewing or changing repeat prescriptions
- Long-term condition management
- Medical certificates (Sick Note / Fit Note)
- Ongoing GP care
The Teaching Centre is not designed to operate like a GP practice. We do not provide specialist nurse-led long-term condition management or routinely make decisions about regular medications, unless an urgent change is needed for safety reasons.
If your same-day problem is found to be related to an underlying condition, we will manage the immediate issue and any ongoing care needs will be referred back to your usual GP practice..
- Who will I be seen by at my appointment?
-
You will usually be seen by final-year medical students (in their last year of training before becoming qualified doctors).
- One student will lead your consultation. The consultation may also be observed and supported by a second student and/or the supervising Tutor.
- Once the consultation is completed by the medical student, a Senior Clinical Tutor will review everything with you and ensure that all decisions about your care are safe and appropriate.
- The Senior Clinical Tutor for GP consultations will be an experienced GP.
- For consultations arranged by the mental health team, it may be a Consultant Psychiatrist.
- Is it safe to attend the Teaching Centre?
-
Yes. Your safety and care are always the priority.
- All consultations are supported by experienced clinicians.
- All diagnoses and decisions are carefully reviewed by a qualified clinician.
- The Centre operates under NHS Scotland clinical governance standards.
- Will my GP know what happened at my appointment?
-
Yes.
- A full summary of your consultation, including any diagnoses or treatment decisions made will be shared with your GP practice.
- If you are unwell, such that you need to be admitted to hospital this will be organised and your practice will be informed.
- We share information using the same established processes used by the GP Out of Hours service (GMED) and GP practices.
This enables your GP practice to continue to provide informed ongoing care.
- Can I choose not to attend the Teaching Centre?
-
Yes - accepting a referral to the Teaching Centre is entirely optional.
- When your GP practice or the mental health team offers to refer you for an appointment at the teaching centre, you can choose to decline the appointment.
- If you do decline, they remain responsible for meeting your needs for assessment, care and treatment.
- If you accept an appointment at the Teaching Centre but later need to cancel, please contact us as soon as possible. You should also contact the GP practice or mental health team that referred you to arrange an alternative appointment.
- Can I attend without an appointment?
-
No.
- The Teaching Centre is not a walk-in service.
- You must be referred by your GP practice or mental health team. They will let you know if the Teaching Centre is a suitable option for you.
- What happens if I need further tests or hospital care?
-
If needed:
- A supervising clinician will review your case and arrange appropriate care.
- This may include tests, prescriptions, or hospital referral.
- You may be asked to contact your GP practice to organise for tests or referrals which we can’t organise for you.
Your GP will always be informed.
- How is my information used and kept confidential?
-
- Your information is handled securely within existing NHS systems
- NHS Grampian is responsible for your data (the data controller)
- The University does not store identifiable patient data
- Students and staff follow strict confidentiality rules
Your information is used to:
- Provide your care
- Support the training of future doctors
- Can you support accessibility or communication needs?
-
Yes.
- The Teaching Centre is designed to be accessible
- Dedicated parking spaces for blue badge holders are available outside the Teaching Centre
- Support is available for communication needs (e.g. interpreters)
If you have specific requirements, please let your GP practice know when you are referred.
- How can I give feedback about my experience?
-
We welcome your feedback as it helps to improve patient care and student learning.
- If you have feedback about the student involved in your care, we would appreciate you sharing it during your consultation whenever possible.
-
Positive feedback is very encouraging for students and helps them build confidence in their skills and abilities.
- If you have concerns about the way a student has spoken or acted, please discuss these with the supervising Tutor. They are responsible for both your care and the student's supervision. Raising concerns at the time gives us the opportunity to address them promptly and provide the student with any additional support, training or supervision they may need.
- You can also provide feedback about the service or about the care which you received through the NHS Grampian Feedback Service.
- How is the Teaching Centre funded?
-
The Teaching Centre is a partnership between NHS Grampian and the University of Aberdeen. It is financed with NHS Scotland Medical Additional Cost of Teaching (ACT) funding.
Information for GP practices
The Teaching Centre provides supervised consultations for patients suitable for assessment and treatment within an educational setting.
It operates within NHS systems and governance and is not a standalone clinical provider.
- Suitability for appointments in the Teaching Centre
-
Patients suitable for an appointment in the Teaching Centre:
- Require a same-day consultation
- Regarding a condition appropriate for assessment by medical student
- Likely to require treatment by a GP (or in the case of referrals by the mental health team, by a Psychiatrist)
- And are happy to travel to the Centre and spend time speaking to medical students
Patients are not likely to be suitable for care in the Teaching centre if they:
- Require complex ongoing care
- Require assessment or treatment for the problem by another professional (e.g. a nurse, physiotherapist)
- Require continuity or specialist follow-up
- Require admission for inpatient assessment or monitoring (if the need for this has already been established)
- Can not or do not consent to referral and do not have a proxy who can give consent on their behalf
- Can not get to the Teaching Centre for assessment
- Key principles
-
- Consultations at the Teaching Centre are:
- Optional for patients
- Student-led
- Closely supervised by senior clinicians
- The Teaching Centre team take responsibility for dealing with the health problem for which the patient attends the centre, including the assessment, treatment and any immediately necessary action such as admission to hospital
- Ongoing care remains the responsibility of the registered GP practice or mental health team
- Consultations at the Teaching Centre are:
- Communication back to practices following consultations
-
- Decisions are recorded in the patient record
- Full consultation notes are shared using TrakCare and received into the Docman system of the registered GP practice
- Responsibility for ongoing care returns to the practice at which the patient is registered
What is different about the teaching centre?
The Teaching Centre has been developed in response to:
- The growing need for high-quality educational clinical experiences
- Increasing numbers of medical students
- Limited capacity in GP and psychiatry placements
- Unique
-
A unique model combining General Practice and Mental Health
Unlike traditional placements, the Centre brings together General Practice and Mental Health (Psychiatry) in one clinical setting.
This ensures:
- Medical students have the opportunity to gain experience in both specialties
- There are enhanced opportunities for collaboration between clinicians
- Patients can receive urgent mental health assessment and care outwith a hospital setting
- Real consultations
-
Real patient consultations with dedicated time and attention
Senior medical students learn best through interaction with real patients. In the Teaching Centre:
-
Students learn clinical reasoning skills and how to make safe care plans from experienced clinicians
-
Dedicated teaching time and opportunity for discourse is built into each appointment
- A supportive learning environment is provided alongside safe, high quality patient care.
-
- Safe
-
A safe and structured teaching environment
The Teaching Centre is designed for education:
- All consultations are run within NHS clinical governance systems
- Experienced GP tutors and psychiatrists review all decisions and care plans
- Patient safety, supervision and risk management are key elements of our model
The Teaching Centre has been designed in accordance with the Scottish Health Care Improvement Clinical Governance Standards (2025). This ensure that it attains to the highest possible rigour of safety planning and risk management. The plans have been approved by an extensive group of stakeholders, including NHS Grampian Chief Executive Team, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership, GPs, students and members of the public.
- Supporting NHS
-
Supporting the future NHS workforce
The Centre plays an important role in training future doctors.
- Student numbers are increasing across Scotland
- High-quality, hands-on experience is essential
- Early exposure to GP and mental health care supports recruitment and retention in key NHS roles
- Working with GPs
-
Working alongside existing GP practices
The Teaching Centre does not replace your GP practice
- It works in partnership with local GP practices and mental health services
- Patients are referred in for specific appointments only
- Your GP remains responsible for your ongoing care
This means:
- No disruption to your usual care
- Same-day consultations for patients reduces pressure on GP practices and other local services
Our team of Tutors consists of experienced clinicians from local primary care and Psychiatry services. The Teaching Centre does not replace or compete with existing NHS services. Instead, it provides an opportunity for clinicians to contribute to medical education alongside their other clinical work, helping to train the future NHS workforce. - New approach
-
A novel and distinctive approach
This model is the first of its kind within Scotland.
- We are the first Scottish Medical School to develop a teaching centre of this scale
- It ensures the sustainable delivery of high-quality primary care and mental health training with a growing student cohort
- It provides a consistent, rigorous learning experience for all students
- Accessible care
-
Designed for inclusive and accessible care
The Teaching Centre has been developed with a focus on inclusion and accessibility:
- Patients from a wide range of backgrounds can be referred
- The Centre provides an accessible and supportive environment for patients and students with a range of needs
- Communication support, such as interpreters, can be provided where needed
Privacy and data protection
- How we use your information
-
Your data is used to:
- Provide your care
- Support supervised medical education
Who manages your data?
- NHS Grampian is responsible for your health data
- The University does not hold identifiable patient records
What information is used?
- Personal details (e.g. name, CHI number)
- Health information shared during your consultation
- Treatment and prescription information
Where your data is stored
- Within secure NHS clinical systems only
- Protected by NHS governance and audit processes
Your rights
You have the right to:
- Access your data
- Request corrections
- Raise concerns
- Privacy notice
-
Privacy notice: University of Aberdeen General Practice Teaching Centre (GPTC)
The University of Aberdeen GPTC is a teaching centre operated by the University of Aberdeen which offers supervised GP appointments for the purpose of teaching future generations of GPs. This service is offered in partnership with NHS Grampian.
When you agree to recieve a GP appointment at the Teaching Centre, you are agreeing to be seen by a medical student who is supervised by a GP Tutor.
As part of this arrangement, NHS Grampian are the controller of your health data, and their Principal Privacy Notice should be read in conjunction with this privacy notice.
What information do we process about you?
The following information will be processed about you;
- Your name, contact details and appointment details
- Your Community Health Index number
- Information that you share with the student and GP Tutor as part of your appointment. This will include health information.
- Prescription information
Why do we process this information?
The University processes the health data that you share in your appointment for the purposes of providing training to our students.
The University’s lawful basis for processing health data is Article 6(1)(e) necessary for the public task, where the provision of education is outlined in the Universities Scotland Act.
The lawful basis for the processing of special category data for the purposes of the teaching experience is Article 9 (2)(g) Reasons of substantial public interest (with a basis in law). The processing of health data by students is necessary is ensure that the University can offer real world practical experience when training GPs.
The University of Aberdeen will not collect identifiable data and all data will be stored on NHS Clinical systems.
For the lawful basis under which NHS Grampian processes your health information please refer to their Principal Privacy Notice.
Who might we share the information with?
We may disclose personal information to other recipients in exceptional circumstances or when required to do so by law.
How long do we keep your personal information?
The University of Aberdeen does not store any personal information about you. All information is stored in NHS software and clinical systems. To find out more about how long NHS Grampian stores your health information please refer to their Principal Privacy Notice.
How can I access information about me?
If you have any questions about your health information, wish to exercise your data protection rights or make a complaint about the handling of your data, please contact NHS Grampian.
- Contact us
-
NHS Grampian Information Governance Team
For questions and support regarding your data and privacy, contact NHS Grampian, Information Governance Team, Rosehill House, Cornhill Road, Aberdeen
- Email: gram.infogovernance@nhs.scot
- Telephone: 01224 551549
More information about feedback see How can I give feedback about my experience?
Contact details for the Teaching Centre reception will be passed to patients when they are given an appointment.