Specialised Foundation Programmes (SFP) in the South West

The recruitment process for two year Specialised Foundation Programmes commencing August 2023 opens in September. For more information, the UKFPO Applicant’s Handbook is available on the UKFP website. Recruitment will be managed via the national online recruitment system, Oriel. For 2023 SFP recruitment the South West will have two separate Specialised Units of Application (SUoAs), one for our Research posts in both Severn and Peninsula Foundation Schools, and one for our Education and Leadership & Management posts based in the Peninsula. Within your Oriel application you can select up to a maximum of two SUoAs.

Research
17 Posts (Severn and Peninsula)

Education and
Leadership & Management
8 Posts (Peninsula)

Oriel Vacancy ID

https://www.oriel.nhs.uk/Web/PermaLink/Vacancy/63984A11

Oriel Vacancy ID

https://www.oriel.nhs.uk/Web/PermaLink/Vacancy/5A653120

Research Programmes

6 x Research Foundation Programmes based at North Bristol NHS Trust
9 x Research Foundation Programmes based at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
2 x Research Foundation Programmes based at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Severn Research Programmes

The Severn Foundation School and the University of Bristol offer 15 Specialised Foundation Programmes (SFPs). Our research opportunities are unbundled from the clinical rotations allowing successful applicants to competitively select the most suitable combination of research area and clinical rotation. There are a wide variety of research opportunities encompassing a range of academic subjects.

The programmes are based in either North Bristol NHS Trust (Southmead Hospital) or University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (Bristol Royal Infirmary/Weston General Hospital). The F1 year will allow the newly qualified doctor to gain experience in a range of clinical placements. The F2 year comprises an academic block of four months, during which the F2 doctor will undertake a research project and continue with one day per week clinical work. For the remaining 8 months of the F2 year, doctors will undertake more specialised medical training, e.g. General Practice, ITU/Critical Care, whilst continuing 1 day per week of academic work. During the F2 year doctors will also attend the Research Methods course designed specifically for this programme.

Information about Specialised Foundation Programmes in Severn

Peninsula Research Programmes

These posts will be of particular interest to those aspiring to an academic career, but the research skills will be generic and the experience of benefit to anyone with an interest in health and health service research.

Each programme starts with a generic clinical F1 year comprising 3x4 month rotations. In F2, the pattern is for 2x6 months clinical posts with time allocated either in-week or in separate clinical/specialised weeks depending on the type of specialised programme. One of the 6-month posts may be pre- determined by the trust and there is some choice for the second clinical post.

Wide ranging research possibilities exist through the University of Exeter Medical School.  Each research foundation trainee has the opportunity to preference their research area, such as Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Mental Health, Environment and Human Health, Dementia and Ageing, Evidence synthesis and modelling for health improvement, Primary Health Care, or Diabetes.

Research Opportunities available at University of Exeter for Foundation Doctors

Education and Leadership & Management Programmes

6 x Education Foundation Programmes based 2 each in Truro, Exeter and Torbay
2 x Leadership & Management Foundation Programmes based in Torbay

These posts provide exciting opportunities to develop key skills and experience in Medical Education or Leadership & Management while also gaining the generic foundation capabilities through a clinical placement in the acute trust.

Each programme starts with a generic clinical F1 year comprising 3x4 month rotations.  In F2, the pattern is for 2x6 months clinical posts with time allocated either in-week or in separate clinical/specialised weeks depending on the type of specialised programme. One of the 6-month posts may be pre- determined by the trust. For the second 6-month post, each post-holder will be offered a limited choice of clinical specialty, with the final decision dependant on a combination of trainee preference, availability, F1 experience, the requirement to provide a broad training programme and the Foundation Programme Director’s view of any individual educational needs.  The F2 year will however need to include acute medicine.

Successful applicants can complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Education or Healthcare Management, Leadership and Innovation at University of Plymouth Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.

It is not possible to choose/swap which Postgraduate Certificate you undertake.

Applicants based at Truro and Torbay complete their Postgraduate Certificates through the University of Plymouth Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.

Applicants based at Exeter complete their Postgraduate Certificates through the University of Exeter.

The F1 year will allow the newly qualified doctor to gain experience in a range of clinical placements, with 5 study days to attend the first module of the PG Cert and the associated learning sets.

 

Longlisting

All applicants will be longlisted against the essential criteria in the South West SFP Person Specification 2023

Longlisting

All applicants will be longlisted against the essential criteria in the South West SFP Person Specification 2023

Research Shortlisting

Shortlisting for Severn and Peninsula's Research programmes will be carried out for all applicants using Educational Achievements (Additional Degrees, Presentations, Prizes and Publications) and the following White Space Questions:

  • Career Goals
  • Achievements/Experience (both questions)
  • Programme interests - You must select Research.
    • Research
NB The rationale section under Programme Interests will not be used for shortlisting

Education and Leadership & Management Shortlisting

Shortlisting for the Education and Leadership & Management programmes in Peninsula will be carried out for all applicants using the following White Space Questions:

  • Career Goals
  • Achievements/Experience (both questions)
  • Programme interests - You must select both Education & Teaching AND Leadership & Management as both questions will be used to shortlist for both programme types
    • Education and Teaching 
    • Leadership

The Teamworking and General questions will not be used by the South West but may be used by other Specialised Units of Application, so please check the websites of the other SUoAs you may be applying for, to ensure you answer all required questions.

Research Interviews

Interviews for Severn and Peninsula's Research programmes will be held virtually via an online video conferencing platform. Health Education England South West does not offer telephone interviews.

The interviews for Research will be held on:

Monday 7th November 2022

Education and Leadership & Management Interviews

Interviews will be held virtually via an online video conferencing platform. Health Education England South West does not offer telephone interviews.

Interviews for Education and Leadership & Management will be held on:

Wednesday 16th November 2022

Disability Confident Scheme

Under the Disability Confident Scheme, we guarantee to interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. By ‘minimum criteria’ we mean that you must provide evidence in your application form which demonstrates that you generally meet the level of competence required, as well as meeting any of the qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential in the South West SFP Person Specification.

We are committed to the employment and career development of disabled people. If you tell us that you are disabled, we can make reasonable adjustments at each stage of the recruitment and selection process and, if you later progress to employment, to where and how you work. If you wish to apply under the scheme, please indicate this in the Disability and special arrangements question in the Personal section of the application form. We will try to provide access, equipment or other practical support to ensure that if you have a disability you can compete on equal terms, regardless of disability.

Preferencing Information

The Programme Preferencing window for both Research and Education and Leadership & Management vacancies opens on 7th September 2022 and closes on Friday 14th October 2022 at 12:00 midday (BST).

Please ensure you rank only the programmes you are genuinely interested in and would accept if offered.

SFP Recruitment Timeline

Programmes commencing August 2023

22 August 2022 Programmes available to view on Oriel
25 August 2022 Registration on Oriel opens. Applicants can register at any time during the application window until 12:00 noon (BST) on Tuesday 20 September 2022. Eligibility Office applicants will have already registered as part of the eligibility application process.
7 September – 20 September 2022 at 12:00 midday (BST) National application period: complete the online FP application form (including FP preferences, Educational Achievements) and the SFP application form(s) for specific SUoAs (max. 2 SUoA applications)
7 September – 14 October 2022 at 12:00 midday (BST) Specialised Foundation Programme preferencing window
Wednesday 16 November 2022 Interviews for Education and Management & Leadership posts (Peninsula)
Monday 7 November 2022 Interviews for Research posts (Severn and Peninsula)
11 January 2023 SFP national offers. Successful SFP applicants will receive offers. All offers must be accepted or declined on Oriel by the stated deadline. Applicants will have 48 hours to respond to offers
18 January – 10 February 2023 Cascade SFP national offers. Successful SFP applicants will receive offers. All offers must be accepted or declined on Oriel by the stated deadline. Applicants will have 48 hours to respond to offers.