Recruitment to F1 Stand-alone Foundation
Programme Vacancies 2017
Applicant Guidance
Contents
Introduction
Applications
Eligibility Criteria
National Timeline
Accessing Oriel
Applicant Communications
Longlisting Criteria
Interviews
Interview Timeline
Interview Locations
Interview Schedule
Programme Preferencing
Offers Matching Routine / Algorithm
Offers Upgrade
Offers Process
Offers Timeline
References
Information to Employers
Clearing Process
Map
Useful Resources
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Introduction
The UK Foundation Programme is a two-year work-based training programme intended to bridge
the gap between medical school and specialty / general practice training. With effect from 2017,
the UK Foundation Programme Office are looking to recruit doctors who hold or are eligibile to
apply for full registration with General Medical Council (GMC) to work in recognised training posts
as part of the UK Foundation Programme.
Trainees will have the opportunity to gain experience in a series of placements in a variety of
specialties and healthcare settings.
Trainees will be offered the same educational resource and teaching opportunities as provisionally
registered F1 trainees, with access to the Foundation Learning ePortfolio.
Applicants are invited to apply for F1 level posts across the four nations of the UK. Applicants
appointed to F1 level will be offered an F2 programme subject to satisfactory progression. No
remedial training will be offered if an applicant is unsatisfactory after one year.
Foundation Year 1
Foundation year 1 (F1) enables medical graduates to begin to take supervised responsibility for
patient care and consolidate the skills that they have learned at medical school.
Foundation Year 2
Foundation year 2 (F2) doctors remain under clinical supervision (as do all doctors in training) but
take on increasing responsibility for patient care. In particular they begin to make management
decisions as part of their progress towards independent practice. F2 doctors further develop their
core generic skills and contribute more to the education and training of the wider healthcare
workforce e.g. nurses, medical students and less experienced doctors. At the end of F2 they will
have begun to demonstrate clinical effectiveness, leadership and the decision-making
responsibilities that are essential for hospital and general practice specialty training. Satisfactory
completion of F2 will lead to the award of a foundation programme certificate of completion (FPCC)
which indicates that the foundation doctor is ready to enter a core, specialty or general practice
training programme.
Applications
Applications will be accepted through the online application system (Oriel) from 09:00 (GMT) on
Monday 27th February 2017. The application window will close at 12:00 (GMT) on Thursday 16th
March 2017. Applicants can access the application from through the Medical and Dental
Specialities staff group via https://www.oriel.nhs.uk
Non-UK/EEA applicants should ensure they are aware of the immigration rules for postgraduate
doctors/dentists in training and have the necessary Right to Work documents to start work on the
1st August 2017 with no restrictions on their training. Further information can be found on the home
office website: www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk.
Applications from doctors who require Tier 2 sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will
be considered alongside all other applications. However, non-EEA candidates may not be
appointed to a post if a suitably qualified, experienced and skilled EU/EEA candidate is available
to take up the post as the employing body is unlikely, in these circumstances, to satisfy the
Resident Labour Market Test.
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Eligibility Criteria
Qualification
Applicants must have a valid medical degree recognised by the General Medical
Council (GMC).
ILS / ALS or
equivalent
It is desirable for applicants to have valid Intermediate Life Support (ILS)
certification or equivalent. The expectation will be for trainees to undertake
relevant re-certification courses or be able to demonstrate their ability to perform
life support at the appropriate level. It is desirable for applicants to hold
Advanced Life Support (ALS) or equivalent.
Professional
Registration
Applicants must hold or expect to obtain full registration with a licence to
practise with the GMC by the start of the UK Foundation Programme 2017.
Applicants should be of good standing and fit to practise medicine safely in
accordance with the GMC’s Good Medical Practice (2013)*.
English
Language
Proficiency
Applicants are required to have demonstrable skills in listening, reading, writing
and speaking in English language that enable effective communication in clinical
practice with patients and colleagues, as set out in the GMC’s Good Medical
Practice (2013)*.
This can be demonstrated by providing a valid academic IELTS certificate with a
minimum score of 7.5 in each domain (speaking, listening, reading and writing),
or proof that your primary medical qualification has been undertaken solely in
English, that all examinations undertaken were solely in English and that your
primary medical qualification has included at least 75% of contact with patients
in English. Alternatively, evidence of employment in an NHS organisation for a
minimum of 3 months may be considered satisfactory.
Right to Work Applicants must either be a UK or EEA national, or otherwise be in a position to
demonstrate they have the right to work as a doctor in training in the UK.
Applications from doctors who require Tier 2 sponsorship are welcome and will
be considered alongside all other applications. However, non-EEA candidates
may not be appointed to a post if a suitably qualified, experienced and skilled
EU/EEA candidate is available to take up the post as the employing body is
unlikely, in these circumstances, to satisfy the Resident Labour Market Test.
*Please note that whenever General Medical Council documents are referenced, it is possible that revised versions will be produced after the
UKFPO's information has been published. Therefore, applicants should always refer to the most up-to-date version of these publications.
General Information
F1 doctors / trainees currently enrolled on the UK Foundation Programme are not eligible to apply
for F1 stand-alone posts. Applicants who have successfully completed the F2 year and have
received a Foundation Achievement of Competency Document (FACD) are not eligible to apply for
F1 stand-alone posts.
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National Timeline
27 February 2017 – 16 March 2017
(12:00 noon (GMT) deadline)
March 2017
13 March 2017 – 20 March 2017
20 March 2017
21 March 2017 – 28 March 2017
03 April 2017 – 07 April 2017
10 – 12 April 2017
24 April 2017 – 27 April 2017
(12:00 noon (GMT) deadline)
3 May 2017 – 12 May 2017
15 May 2017
17 May 2017
30 June 2017
July / August 2017
Application window on Oriel. The application period
closes at 12:00 noon (GMT) on Thursday 16 March 2017.
Late applications will not be considered under any
circumstances. Applicants will not be asked to preference
programmes as part of their application.
Applicants that need to apply for GMC registration need
to provide evidence of passing PLAB 1
Applications are longlisted
Invite to interviews to be sent out to applicants. Invites
will be sent through Oriel for applicants to book an
interview slot at their chosen interview location on a first
come first served basis
Applicants book interview slots through Oriel
Interviews held at specified locations across the UK.
Applicants will attend a 20 minute panel interview using
national scoring criteria
Interview scores available to view on Oriel
Applicants invited to preference individual programmes. It
will not be mandatory for applicants to preference all
programmes listed, however those who have actively
preferenced programmes will be allocated first during the
offers matching process
Offers / upgrade process (optional). Successful
applicants will receive offers during this period.
Applicants need to either accept or decline offers within
the specified deadline. Applicants have the option to opt
to receive upgrades should a higher preference become
available during this window
Applicants applying for GMC registration to provide
evidence of having passed PLAB 2
Final offers details available to view on Oriel
Applicants must have applied for full GMC registration in
order for this to be granted ahead of the start of the
foundation programme in July / August 2017
Reference requests will be sent to applicant referees as
part of the pre-employment checks
Confirmation of appointments to individual employers
Applicants must demonstrate that they will hold full
registration with the GMC at the start of the programme.
Applicants who do not hold full GMC registration will be
withdrawn and their training offer will be revoked
Foundation programme commences*
*Induction / Pre-Employment Shadowing Arrangements
As a newly appointed foundation year one doctor, the health service in the UK requires trainees to
undertake a period of shadowing / induction prior to the start of the Foundation Programme to
shadow the F1 doctor they will be taking over from. This period will also include an induction into
the NHS and the designated place of work. This is likely to be the week(s) immediately preceding
the start of the programme. Any applicant appointed through this process to a F1 post will be
expected to attend the induction / shadowing week.
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Applying to the Foundation Programme / Accessing Oriel
Applicants need to apply through the online application system (Oriel). Oriel can be accessed
through https://www.oriel.nhs.uk
Applications will be accepted from Monday 27th February 2017 at 09:00 until 12:00 noon (GMT)
on Thursday 16th March 2017. Late applications will not be accepted under any circumstances.
Applicants will be invited to register on the system before completing their application form.
The Oriel applicant portal is tested for compatibility with Internet Explorer 7+, Chrome, Firefox and
Safari. Applicants are advised to use one of those browsers when using the website and where
possible the most up to date version of that browser.
For technical queries applicants should contact the technical helpdesk on [email protected]
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Applicants must select Medical and Dental Specialities as the STAFF GROUP and NOT the
STAFF GROUP Foundation when applying through Oriel.
Applicants who select the Foundation STAFF GROUP by clicking on the UK Foundation
Programme Office logo will not be able to access the application for F1 stand-alone recruitment.
Applicant Communications
Applicants can contact the UKFPO team via the general enquiries please visit
http://www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/pages/stand-alone-recruitment or telephone number:0121 695 2423.
Applicant queries for stand-alone posts can be directed to:[email protected]
Applicants are advised to check their e-mail and Oriel accounts regularly throughout the
application process. Applicants will be prompted via e-mail to check their account for information
at relevant times throughout the process. E-mails sent via Oriel are also stored in Oriel accounts.
Applicants can amend / change their email address through ‘Update Contact Details’.
Please note: we strongly advise that applicants DO NOT USE HOTMAIL email accounts as they
regularly block emails from NHS servers. This means that applicants may not receive important
messages about their application. Applicants are advised to regularly check junk mail folders in
case any emails are incorrectly filtered as junk / spam.
Application statuses are live in Oriel. At relevant points throughout the process applicants’
statuses will be updated, for example, following the process of longlisting and to inform applicants
of their interview outcome. Applicants will need to log in to their Oriel account to respond to any
offers received during the national offers process.
For general enquiries about the UK Foundation Programme applicants are advised to e-mail the
[email protected]
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Longlisting Criteria
The UKFPO will coordinate the process of longlisting applications following the close of the
application window. Longlisting will be carried out in accordance with the eligibility criteria.
1. Is the applicant currently enrolled / working as an F1 trainee as part of the national UK
Foundation Programme? If yes, the applicant is ineligible. If no, proceed to question 2.
2. Has the applicant successfully completed the F2 year and have received a Foundation
Achievement of Competency Document (FACD) / Foundation Programme Certificate of
Completion (FPCC)? If yes, the applicant is ineligible. If no, proceed to question 3.
3. Does the applicant hold full registration with the GMC? If yes, proceed to question 5. If no,
proceed to question 4.
4. Is the applicant eligibile to apply for full registration with the GMC? If yes, proceed to
question 5. If no, the applicant is ineligible. Applicants applying for full GMC registration will
be required to provide evidence by 30 June 2017.
5. Has the applicant provided satisfactory evidence of English language proficiency? If yes,
proceed to question 6. If no, the applicant is ineligible.
6. Has the applicant demonstrated that they have the right to work as a doctor in training in
the UK / is the applicant eligible to apply for Tier 2 sponsorship under RLMT? If yes, the
applicant should be longlisted for invite to interview. If no, the applicant is ineligible.
Interviews
Longlisted applicants will be invited to attend a panel interview through Oriel. Applicants will be
able to choose and book an interview location, date and time slot online. Interview places will be
allocated on a first come first served basis depending on interview capacity at each of the
locations. Skype interviews will be available from one location only (Scotland).
Each panel interview will be scheduled for a duration of 20 minutes. Applicants will be asked a
number of questions including a clinical scenario.
Interview panels will consist of at least 2 people who are familiar with the curriculum and
assessments of the foundation programme. At least one panel member will be a clinician.
Interview Timeline
13 March 2017 – 20 March 2017
20 March 2017
21 March 2017 – 28 March 2017
03 April 2017 – 07 April 2017
10 – 12 April 2017
Applications are longlisted
Applicants invited to attend for interview. Invites will be sent
through Oriel for applicants to book an interview slot at their
chosen interview location on a first come first served basis
Applicants book interview slots through Oriel
Interviews held at specified locations across the UK.
Applicants will attend a 20 minute panel interview using
national criteria and scoring to determine whether they are
appointable
Interview scores available to view on Oriel
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Interview Locations
Interview panels to be held in a single location in each of the four nations (England, Northern
Ireland, Scotland and Wales) and each of the four geographies within England (Midlands and
East, North (x2), South and South West).
Interview Schedule
Location
Midlands and East of
England
North of England
South and East of England
South West
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Interview
Date(s)
Tuesday 4th
April 2017
Friday 7th April
2017
Wednesday 5th
April 2017
Tuesday 4th
April 2017
Tuesday 4th
April 2017
Friday 7th April
2017
Thursday 6th
April 2017
Monday 3rd April
2017
Venue
West Bromwich Albion Football Club,
Birmingham Road, West Bromwich, B71 4LF
St James' Park, Newcastle, NE1 4ST
KCOM Stadium, Anlaby Road, Hull, HU3
6HU
Stewart House, 32 Russell Square, London,
WC1B 5DN
Southern House, Otterbourne, Winchester,
Hampshire, SO21 2RU
Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training
Agency, Beechill House, 42 Beechill Rd,
Belfast, BT8 7RL
NHS Education for Scotland, 2 Central Quay,
89 Hydepark Street, Glasgow, G3 8BW
Rooms, 0.23,0.26 and 0.27 in the Cochrane
Building, School of Medicine, Cardiff
University, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4YU
Programme Preferencing
Applicants will be invited to preference programmes across the UK through Oriel if they have been
deemed appointable at interview. Applicants will not be required to preference all programmes,
however those who have active programme preferences will be allocated first during the offers
matching process.
Applicants will be able to use the drag and drop functionality to preference individual programmes.
Applicants will have the option to rank programmes in their order of preference or to drag and drop
programmes to the ‘not wanted’ column to indicate that they would not accept a post in a particular
programme. Applicants will not be considered for or allocated to programmes listed in the ‘not
wanted’ column, even if there are no spaces available in the programmes they have actively
chosen to rank.
The preferencing window will open on Monday 24th April 2017 and will close at 12:00 noon (GMT)
on Thursday 27h April 2017. There will be no further opportunity for applicants to rank programme
preferences or to amend their preferences in Oriel once the deadline for preferencing has been
reached.
Applicants who do not preference during this time will be randomly matched to programmes in
rank order secondary to applicants who actively ranked programmes within the window.
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Offers Matching Routine / Algorithm
All applicants will be ranked in score order and given a unique rank in Oriel. Applicants will be matched to
programme based on a meritocratic algorithm whereby the highest scoring applicant will be matched to the
highest programme preference choice available. The system will attempt to match applicants to their
highest choice programme preference in the first instance and work through the list of preferences in rank
order.
Offers Upgrade
Applicants will have the option to opt in for upgrade offers. Following the initial round of offers, if an
applicant has chosen to opt in for offers upgrades, their offer upgrades to a higher preference
should a higher programme preference become available, i.e. in the event that a higher ranking
applicant chooses to decline their offer during the first round of offers.
Applicants must accept their initial offer if they wish to be considered for upgrade offers.
If an applicant chooses to opt in for offers upgrades, their offers will be upgraded automatically as
part of the matching routine on Oriel. If higher choice preferences become available as applicants
decline their initial offers, applicants who have opted in for upgraded offers will be upgraded with
each round of offers. Applicants do not have the option to accept or decline an upgraded offer.
Upgrade offers cannot be reverted back to the initial offer or a previous upgrade as the
programmes will have been offered / matched to other applicants as part of the renewal process.
Applicants can choose to opt out of offers upgrades at any point. For example, if an applicant is
allocated their 10th preference initially, the applicant should accept the offer. In the second round
of offers, the applicant’s offer is upgraded as a slot had become available in their 5th choice. The
applicant is happy with their 5th choice and therefore decides to opt out of any further upgrades.
The UKFPO will run the offers matching routine and release offers / upgrades on each of the
specified dates within the offers timeline.
Offers Process
The initial round of offers will be released to applicants on Wednesday 3rd May 2017.
Applicants will be required to accept or decline their offers by a 48 hour deadline from the time
when offers are released. For example, if offers are released at 12 noon on Wednesday 3rd May,
applicants will have until 12 noon on Friday 5th May to either accept or decline or their offer will
automatically expire.
The same process will apply to the second round of offers scheduled for Monday 8th May 2017.
If an applicant declines an offer, no further offers will be made from the vacancy and the applicant
will not be offered a programme for 2017, unless they have applied to another vacancy and
successfully receive an offer (for example, a stand-alone F2 vacancy).
If an applicant misses the deadline to either accept or decline their offer, their offer will
automatically be declined, no further offers will be made, and the applicant will not be matched to
a programme for 2017, unless they have applied to another vacancy and successfully receive an
offer (for example, a stand-alone F2 vacancy).
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Offers Timeline
Wednesday 3rd May 2017
Initial round of offers
Friday 5th May 2017
Monday 8th May 2017
Deadline for applicants to accept or decline their offers
Second round of offers
Offers upgrade. Applicants who received and accepted an offer
during the initial offers round who have chosen to opt in for
upgrades will receive an automatic upgrade in the event that a
higher choice programme preference has become available. New
offers will be made to applicants who didn’t rank highly enough to
be included in the first offers round
Third round of offers
Deadline for applicants who received an initial offer during the
second round of offers to accept or decline their offers
Offers upgrade. Applicants who received and accepted an offer
during the initial offers rounds who have chosen to opt in for
upgrades will receive an automatic upgrade in the event that a
higher choice programme preference has become available. New
offers will be made to applicants who didn’t rank highly enough to
be included in the first or second offers rounds
Final matchings available to view on Oriel
Wednesday 10th May 2017
Friday 12th May 2017
Monday 15th May 2017
With effect from Monday 15th Offers clearing process – applicants who have yet to receive an
May 2017
offer will be considered for any future vacancies which may arise
prior to the start of the Foundation Programme 2017. This process
will be managed through Oriel
References
The UKFPO will initiate the process of collecting employment references as part of the necessary
pre-employment checks required under the NHS Employment Check Standards.
Offers will be finalised on Friday 12th May 2017. Reference requests will be sent through Oriel on
Monday 15th May 2017. Applicant referees will be invited to submit references online through Oriel
and will be given 4 weeks in which to complete the reference(s). The referencing window will close
on Monday 12th June 2017 after which time the foundation schools / employers will need to seek
references offline using the offline reference form provided by the UKFPO. References must be
sought and approved in accordance with the national pre-employment check standards.
Notification to Employers
Details of final allocations will be communicated with employing organisations by no later than
Wednesday 17th May 2017.
Clearing Process
It is likely that vacancies will arise after the national offers round for F1 stand-alone recruitment.
The UKFPO will co-ordinate a process of clearing through Oriel.
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Applicants who were deemed appointable at interview who did not receive an offer during the
initial offers period in May will be invited to preference available programmes. Offers will be made
with effect from Wednesday 21st June 2017 with a further round of offers depending on the
number of places available.
Applicants will have 48 hours to respond to offers from the time at which the offer was made, for
example, applicants will have until 12 noon on Friday 23 June 2017 to respond to offers made at
12 noon on Monday 21 June 2017. Applicants must either accept or decline their offer, or their
offer will expire and will automatically be declined.
Applicants who have accepted offers during the offers rounds in May will not receive further offers
during the clearing round.
14 – 20 June 2017
21 June 2017
23 June 2017
26 June 2017
28 June 2017
29 June 2017
30 June 2017
July / August 2017
Applicants invited to preference available programmes. Applicants must
preference programmes by 12:00 noon (GMT) on Tuesday 20 June 2017
Clearing offers made
Deadline for applicants to accept or decline offer
Second round of clearing offers made
Deadline for applicants to accept or decline offer
Confirmation of clearing appointments sent to individual employing
organisations
Applicants must demonstrate that they hold full registration with the GMC.
Applicants who do not hold full GMC registration will be withdrawn from
the process and their training offer will be revoked
Foundation programme commences
Please note that applicants will be required to demonstrate that they have the right to work in the
UK by the start of programme in July / August 2017.
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Map
Useful Resources
Do you need to take the PLAB test?
http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/plab.asp
How to apply for registration and licencing with the GMC?
http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/applications.asp
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Fees to join the medical register:http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/fees.asp#Join
National Insurance Number (NI)
➢ Your UK National Insurance number is a unique personal number allocated to you that is
used to identify you to HM Revenue & Customs and the Department of Work and Pensions.
➢ It ensures the Government correctly records any contributions you are entitled to. Your
National Insurance contributions go towards the UK social security and the state pension
system.
➢ Everyone who works in any capacity in the UK will need to register for a national
insurance number.
➢ When you arrive in the UK, you can apply for an NI number by calling 0345 600 0643 or by
making an appointment at your local Job Centre Plus.
The Foundation Programme Curriculum 2016
http://www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/curriculum/
Reference Guide 2016
http://www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/pages/curriculum-eportfolio/e-portfolio/reference-guide
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