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 on this website or in the UKFPO Applicants Handbook may not be prioritised. In the first instance we strongly recommend all applicants to thoroughly review the guidance.
Welcome to the 2025 – 2027 application process for Specialised Foundation Programmes (SFPs) at the North West of England Foundation School
SFPs are an opportunity for doctors to develop their research and/or teaching skills and/or medical and management capabilities. There is great variety between specialised programmes with some focusing on more traditional pathways while others focus on quality improvement and even health informatics.
All programmes have one common purpose and SFPs are designed to ensure that all trainees achieve the core competencies of foundation training whilst simultaneously supporting the development of key skills in other areas of medicine.
Applying for a Specialised Foundation Programme
Applications for SFPs can only be made via the national Foundation Programme website and the recruitment portal, Oriel. The application window is the same as the application window for FP. Applicants are advised to follow the guidance published by the UKFPO for further information on how to preference these programmes.
Specialised Foundation Programmes Available to 2025-27 Applicants
The North West of England Foundation School in 2025 will offer 63 SFPs in our acute employing trusts, across the 3 key areas of academia; Leadership, Research and Education (summary below):
|
Employing Trust |
Total No of SFPs |
Academic Component |
||
|
Education |
Research |
Leadership |
||
|
Bolton |
6 |
available |
|
available |
|
East Lancashire |
3 |
available |
available |
|
|
Lancashire Teaching |
3 |
available |
available |
|
| Liverpool University | 24 | available | available |
|
| Manchester University | 15 | available | available |
available |
| NCA - Bury Rochdale Oldham | 3 | available |
|
|
|
NCA - Salford Care Organisation |
6 |
available |
available |
available |
| UH Morecambe Bay | 3 | available | ||
Please click here to download a detailed breakdown of the programmes available (Research, Education and Leadership) in our school for 2025-2027. This programme information is indicative only and may be subject to further changes by NHS England and the employing trust due to a required alteration in service requirements. With regards to Research based SFP placements, some trusts do not currently show the specific specialities assigned to them on the chart. Our academic employing trusts will try their best to accommodate personal requests that address peoples research interests. There tends to be some flexibility on the research topic pursued, as long as there is a suitable academic supervisor to support this. Most research placements will be focused towards the clinical element within the specific training programme (track) in the first instance, so topic projects will usually be tilted towards these in some way. However we strongly recommend you speak to each trust you are interested in indepedantly as there may be some variation with this rule as some sites may be more flexible than others. Further information on Research, Education and Leadership programmes this can be found by scrolling down this page to Where to find additional information on our SFP Programmes. If you cannot find the information you require in the additional information section, please contact the relevant Postgraduate Administrator / Foundation Administrator with any queries using the contact information here.
For information on the location of the employing trusts and facilities available please visit our Trust Map page and click on the relevant map pin.
Specialised Programmes in Education and Leadership
NHS E-NW offers funding and study opportunities for foundation doctors on SFP Education and Leadership pathways to undertake the following modules at Edge Hill University. The first module of each learning programme is funded, with further funding for additional modules at trust discretion. Doctors on a Research SFP pathway wishing to enrol on these courses should discuss with their local SFP lead, funding of this will be at trust discretion only or need to be financed independantly.
Education:
SFP doctors are advised to enrol on the following module: CPD4454 Teaching and Learning in the Clinical Context. A further two modules can also be undertaken to complete the full PGCert in Teaching and Learning in Clinical Practice. All SFP doctors will need to self-enrol for each module with Edge Hill University (not the foundation school) and payment of fees will need to be managed by the doctor in the first instance with reimbursement through their trust study leave claiming mechanism. The first module attracts funding with the remaining two modules being funded at trust discretion.These modules are: CPD4456 & CPD4455. PGCert enrolment is due to take place in September 2024 and will have intakes for both September 2024 and February 2025 starts. Most doctors opt for the February start to allow themselves time to settle into their new foundation programme posts.
Doctors on the PGCTLCP have 3 years to complete the PGCert, but if they wish to complete it sooner may do so over 3 semesters, which is the more usual progression route.The link to their website can be found here PGCert Teaching and Learning in Clinical Practice
Leadership:
SFP doctors are advised to enrol on the following module: Medical Leadership HEA4117. All SFP doctors will need to self-enrol for this module with Edge Hill University (not the foundation school) and payment of fee will need to be managed by the doctor in the first instance with reimbursement through their trust study leave claiming mechanism. Most opt for a February start to allow themselves time to settle into their new foundation programme posts. The link to the Edge Hill University website can be found here. Unlike CPD4454, HEA4117 runs over 10 cohorts during the year. Further information regarding this module can also be viewed here: https://nwpgmd.nhs.uk/Postgraduate-Module-in-Medical-Leadership
Anyone wishing to undertake an SFP module should be aware that funding arrangements may be subject to further changes by NHS England and the above guidance applies only to the 2024-2025 cohort of FY2 doctors.
Where to find additional information on our SFP trusts/programmes
If you would like to know more about the tracks, specialised foundation programmes and supervisors on offer at individual trusts then please use the links and contact details provided below. We recommend that you read the additional programme information contained within the highlighted links first before you contact the academic leads with any queries. If visitors notice any programme information that appears out of date, we advise applicants to contact the SFP trust directly for an updated set of guidance.
Alder Hey
Academic Lead: Dr Melissa Gladstone
Bolton
Please click the following links to access additional information about the academic opportunities at Bolton : Education / Leadership
Academic Lead: Dr Mayen Egbe
East Lancashire
Please click here to access additional information about the academic opportunities at East Lancashire.
Academic Lead: Dr Thanos Konstantinidis
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals
Please click here to access additional information about the academic opportunities at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals. Meet the team here.
Liverpool University
Aintree University Hospital Site & Royal Liverpool Hospital Site
Please click here to access additional information about the academic opportunities.
Academic Lead: Dr Cecilia Jukka
Manchester University
Please click here to access additional information about the academic opportunities at Manchester University FT
Academic Lead: Dr Easwari Kothandaraman
Morecambe Bay
Please click here to access additional information about the academic opportunities at Morecambe Bay.
Academic Lead and honorary senior lecturer in Manchester & honorary clinical lecturer in Lancaster: Dr Marwan Bukhari
NCA - Bury, Rochdale and Oldham / Salford Care Organisation
Please click here to access additional information about the academic opportunities at NCA.
Academic Lead : Dr Peter Kilgour
If applicants are having difficulty contacting an academic lead we advise that they contact the relevant Postgraduate Administrator / Foundation Administrator with any queries - click here.
Integrated Clinical Academic Training (ICAT)
The aim of the The Integrated Clinical Academic Training programme is to facilitate and support the academic development of both undergraduate and postgraduate clinical trainees who are interested in following a clinical academic career path.
Manchester ICAT overview
The Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC) hosts the Manchester Integrated Clinical Academic Training (ICAT) programme. The aim of the ICAT programme is to facilitate and support the academic development of both undergraduate and postgraduate clinical trainees who aspire to follow a clinical academic career path. All aspects of the ICAT programme are overseen by the ICAT Operations Group.
To achieve this aim, the ICAT programme is managed as a partnership between The University of Manchester and NHS England - North West and in close liaison with the NIHR Trainees Coordinating Centre (NIHR TCC), which oversees ‘Integrated Academic Training’ nationally and is responsible for the allocation of funding to support programmes.
Specialised Foundation doctors in the North West benefit from this integrated and coordinated approach to academic training via:
Access to research supervisor’s research within world-class facilities that cover the full healthcare continuum
Attendance at dedicated Manchester ICAT training and networking days held in the University
Access to a University-based academic teaching programme designed and delivered by the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences training team.
Further information can be found on the Manchester ICAT website: http://www.mhs.manchester.ac.uk/icat/
ICAT Contacts
Professor Paul May (Director of Clinical Academic Development - University of Liverpool ICAT)
Professor Calum Semple (Deputy Director - University of Liverpool ICAT)
Dr Cecilia Jukka (Liverpool University Hospitals, ICAT SFP Lead)
Debbie Sweeney (University of Liverpool ICAT Project Officer)
Laura Skinkis (University of Manchester ICAT SFP Lead)
Dr Amy Gadoud (Lancaster University - ICAT Lead)
Beth Whittaker (Lancaster University - ICAT Officer)
Lancaster University ICAT Website