Oriel is of one the initiatives of the Medical and Dental Recruitment and Selection (MDRS) programme. It includes the design and, now ongoing implementation, of a UK-wide recruitment system for postgraduate specialty medical, dental and public health training. From December 2014 onwards, healthcare scientists will also be recruited through the system. The Oriel team within Health Education England (HEE) continues to work with trainees, the devolved nations and wider stakeholders to produce a unified system and solution.
After a successful pilot with over 3000 trainees in February 2014, Oriel was launched on 1 September 2014, enabling applicants to register, view vacancies, apply, schedule and manage interviews within just one online portal. Applicants will also be able to receive offers from the system from December 2014 onwards. As the previous recruitment phases relied on over twenty systems across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Oriel has brought about a major improvement in efficiency and consistency throughout the UK, using a centralised one-stop shop system with an improved user interface and recruitment journey for applicants. It was the preferred choice of the British Medical Association (BMA) and BMA Junior Doctors Committee (BMA JDC), General Medical Council (GMC), the General Dental Council (GDC) and HEE.
Now it is live, it is expected that Oriel will further improve access to careers and recruitment information, decrease the time trainees spend on submitting applications, and decrease administration time to process applications and recruitment. Some of the new developments include improved security, compatibility for tablet and mobile devices, interactive FAQs, standardisation of emails and communications and the introduction of a single reporting mechanism. The system is expected to further embed the open, fair and effective processes for recruitment, selection and appointment by enabling all applicants and administrators to use the same solution.
The system is being implemented through a staged approach across 2013 to 2015 to ensure that all checks are in place and the system is ready to be used before it goes live for each recruitment round. Future planned developments include an online reference portal, enabling employer access to increase quality data flows, as well as many small changes to improve functionality for both applicants and administrators.
Further information on Oriel and how to apply for each round can be found on the Oriel website.
Your feedback is important to us. If you would like to know more about the MDRS programme or one of the work streams, then please let us know by contacting the MDRS team.