North West of England - National FP Recruitment

 

National Foundation Programme Recruitment 2023 – 2025

 

 

**KEY DOCUMENTS FOR FP-2023 APPLICANTS**

 

**NWEFS : FP-2023 WELCOME PACK & LOCAL MATCHING GUIDANCE**

**UKFP/SFP 2023 Applicants Handbook**

 

The UK 2-Year Foundation Programme

Frequently Asked Questions (UKFPO)

 

The North West of England Foundation School wants to ensure that applicants have access to the most up to date and accurate information. Any queries directed to the school for which the answer can be found in the Applicants Handbook may not be prioritised. In the first instance we strongly recommend all applicants to download and thoroughly review the guidance which can be found on the links above. 

 

 

Welcome to the 2023 application process for Foundation Training and an overview of the North West of England's local matching process.

 

Application for a UK Foundation Training Programme is through the national Oriel Recruitment system via the national Foundation Programme website, and is open only to UK medical students and entries through the national Eligibility Office.  Full details of how to apply, including the 2023 Applicants Handbook can be found at the top of this page.

The following information has been provided to give potential applicants an overview of the local processes carried out in the North West of England School in conjunction with Oriel.  This information will only become relevant to those who are allocated to this school in March 2023.

Click here to view the 2023 national Person Specification (FP).

 

 

 

 

Applying to the Foundation Programme

National UKFPO Timeline for 2023-25 FP Recruitment

 

07 September 2022, 9:00 GMT – 20 September 2022, 12:00 BST : National Application window on Oriel.

21 September 2022, 12:00 BST –  Applicants deadline for submission of Special Circumstances applications to home medical schools (see UKFPO website).

 

FP applications will not be accepted after the deadline of Wednesday 21st September 2022 at 12:00 (BST) under any circumstances. This is a national deadline and Oriel automatically locks after this time.

Applicants wishing to make contact having missed the deadline are advised to direct their enquiries to helpdesk@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk . The North West of England Foundation School will not be involved in any such discussion / appeals that fall outside of the UKFPO national application process.

 

 

Amending UoA (Foundation School) Preferences on Oriel

 

16 Feb 2022, 12:00 GMT : UoA Preferencing on Oriel closes.

Applicants will be able to amend their UoA (foundation school) preferences after the close of the national application window on 20 September 2022 until the time and date stated above. Oriel will lock at 12:00 and further changes to preferences after this time will not be possible. Applicants will not be given a reminder to advise them that this is the closing date for any changes. If either applicant in a linked pairing chooses to amend their preferences after the closing date for applications, the link will be broken.

We advise applicants to plan accordingly to ensure they submit their UoA preferences well in advance of the closure. Applicants contacting us regarding any such incidences having missed the deadline will be advised that no further action can be made to their application.

 

 

Linked Applications

 

A full set of guidance on linked applications can be found in the UKFP 2023 Applicants Handbook. We advise that applicants read the handbook before contacting the foundation school.

Linked applications can only be used for the first two stages of the allocation process (UoA /Foundation School and Match to Group/Trust) and the Oriel algorithm will use the lowest of the two scores to match the linked pair. This will be guaranteed only if both applicants make their preferences in exactly the same order as each other and also if they are both allocated to the primary list (not reserve list).

Where a linked pair cannot both be allocated to the same group/trust, e.g. there are not enough vacancies; the North West of England Foundation School will endeavour where possible to allocate the pair to groups within one hour’s commute of each other.

If applicants submit their preferences in a different order at UoA/Group match stages, the link on Oriel will be automatically broken and cannot be reinstated. At the North West of England Foundation School, linked applications do not continue into the final third stage to individual tracks (programmes) within the trust itself, this allocation is based purely against the applicants individual score against their preferences made in competition with the other allocated candidates.

Applicants wishing to opt out of their link can do so at any stage by amending their order of foundation school preferences following the close of the application  window.

 

 

Foundation Programme Applicants - Frequently Asked Questions

For further advice on eligibility, application scoring, linked applications, the allocations process, offers, appeals, EPM and SJT please visit the UKFPO FP FAQ page here.

 

 

2023-2025 Programmes available in the North West of England Foundation School

Please navigate to the Training Programme page to view the current *indicative* foundation programmes on offer in the North West

 

Interviews - Foundation Programme

The North West of England School will not be conducting Foundation Programme interviews for any part of the local matching process, including any subsequent matching processes relating to reserve list allocations.  However, applicants should note that all trusts will carry out pre-employment checks before any offer of employment can be made and this may require attendance in person.

 

Local matching process and FP Offers

On the 9th  March 2023 applicants in Oriel will be informed of their allocation to Foundation School.

The North West of England School will then run local matching to Trust and Track as a two stage process, outlined below.

 

Stage 1: Matching to Trust (Group)

Applicants allocated to the North West of England School will be directed to the 'Group Preferences' page within their Oriel account. From here applicants will be asked to enter their order of preference to group, where each employing trust within the school is identified as a separate group.

Full details of how to rank your order of preference and how to access additional information about each of our employing trusts will be emailed to allocated applicants from 9th March 2023.

In order to administer a two stage matching process the UK Foundation Programme Office will run an interim match to group and publish the results of this to applicants via Oriel. Applicants will be able to access these results and then progress to the second stage of the process.

 

Stage 2: Matching to Track (Programme)

Once applicants allocated to the North West of England School have accessed their group allocation result they will be directed to the 'Offers' page within their Oriel account.  From here applicants will be asked to enter their order of preference to the programmes available within their allocated group.

In order to adhere to the national timeframe for publication of final results on the 13th April 2023 we will need to set our own local deadlines for preferences to allow us to complete the two stages of matching to meet the national results day.

Our local timescales and deadlines for matching to trust and track are as follows :

 

Group Preferences

Open on Oriel from Thursday 9 March 2023, 12.00 noon.

**Deadline for Group Preferences on Oriel, Wednesday 15 March 2023, 12.00 noon**

Publication of group match results via Oriel,  Monday 20 March 2023.

 

Programme Preferences

Open on Oriel from Monday 20 March 2023

**Deadline for Programme Preferences on Oriel, Thursday 30 March 2023, 12.00 noon**

UKFPO publish final results on Oriel, Thursday 13 April 2023.

 

 

Further FP Allocation Rounds

Applicants to the Foundation Programme placed within the North West of England who do not receive a programme offer on 13 April 2023, will be matched in later allocation processes during May and early June 2023.

 

Futher allocation dates for FP are yet to be confirmed. As soon as we have these dates these will be shared and published.

 

How the matching is run

Recruitment is not a 'first come first served' process and all matching will be completed at the same time, AFTER the stated deadlines.  Matching to group - and later to programmes - will be completed on Oriel using the same algorithm run by Oriel to allocate applicants to foundation schools.

In the event that more than one person with the same score is competing for one vacancy within a group or programme, the Oriel algorithm will make a completely random allocation.  This is the only legally defensible way that an allocation can be made in this situation. 

Full details of the matching process will be emailed to allocated applicants from the 9th March 2022.

 

 

2023 UoA Allocation - Distribution of scores (pub. 09 March 2023)

The distribution of scores for those allocated to the North West of England School is as follows:

 

**Please click here for 2023 NWEFS Distribution of Scores** 

** Please click here for 2022 NWEFS Distribution of Scores**

** Please click here for 2021 NWEFS Distribution of Scores**

**Please click here for 2020 NWEFS Distribution of Scores**  

 

2023 Trust Minimum & Maximum scores (pub. 20 March 2023)

Minimum and maximum scoring for FP-2023 will be published on this website on Monday 20th March 2023.

These scores do not include or reflect scores of applicants who were allocated to trusts through the Personal Circumstances route or through any of the reserve list allocations – they only reflect scores of those allocated through the primary allocations.

Each annual recruitment process is independent and discrete from the one before and the one that follows.  The scores achieved and the pattern of allocations from one year cannot accurately reflect what the distribution of scores or the pattern of preferences will be in the following year.  We cannot predict how this year’s cohort of applicants will score, how they will rank their preferences or which Foundation School they will be allocated to. Seeing what the minimum score was last year for your favourite trust does not in any way indicate that this will be the minimum score this year.  Please also note that these scores cannot give any indication as to whether or not you will score highly enough to obtain a place in the North West of England School.  Your allocation will be based on your individual score and order of preference in relation to the scores and preferences of all those in this same recruitment process for Aug 2023.

The School strongly advises applicants not to use this information as an indicator of potential allocation to the North West School or a particular trust and accepts no responsibility for any applicant who bases their preferences on this information. 

 

**Please click here for 2023 Minimum and Maximum Scores** 

**Please click here for 2022 Minimum and Maximum Scores** 

**Please click here for 2021 Minimum and Maximum Scores** 

**Please click here for 2020 Minimum and Maximum Scores** 

**Please click here for 2019 Minimum and Maximum Scores**

 

 

Pre-Employment Checks and Mandatory Induction (FP/SFP-2023 Recruitment)

All applicants will be required to attend a mandatory (paid) induction before they can commence employment.  The mandatory induction days for incoming F1 trainees are the 4 days immediately prior to the first day of the F1 year.

These days are salaried days and a statutory requirement for new trainees, who are expected to attend.  The contract of employment will begin on the first day of induction and if you’re unable to attend any part of the 4 day induction period you must contact the employing trust to notify them and request annual leave in order to be approved absent. 

Here in the North West our trusts may also offer you the chance to attend a voluntary shadowing period which will give you the opportunity to shadow the exact job you will be taking on.  This voluntary period is likely to run from (date to be confirmed) but further details will be provided by your future employer from April/May 2023.

All applicants are required to attend pre-employment screening at the trust where they have been allocated.  Trusts are responsible for arranging their own pre-employment activities, which may include a clinical skills assessment and occupational health review, at a date and time which is suitable to them and the availability of local resource.  Applicants will be expected to attend and cannot be offered a contract of employment until this requirement has been completed, you are therefore advised to contact the trust where you have been allocated to find out when their pre-employment screening days are before making personal arrangements, such as holidays, which may impact your attendance.

 

Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) (pub. January 2023)

The Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) re-sit for incoming F1s will be held on Monday 13 March 2023 & Monday 24 April 2023 virtually.  

A PSA pass is now required for the completion of F1.

 

Additional Information

Right To Work Fact Sheet (click here)

 

Relevant Links and helpful resources

Click here to visit our Postgraduate Centre Contacts. 

Click here to visit our map to access further information for each of our employing trusts.

Click here to view a list of commonly used trust/location abbreviations. 

 

Important note

Recruitment is a matching process and an allocation is not a job offer.  All job offers will be made by the actual employer after successful completion of pre-employment checks.  

If you require any further information which is not cover by any of the above please contact the team on foundation.nw@hee.nhs.uk