All applicants are expected to commence in post on the first Wednesday in August. All new F1 doctors must also attend the mandatory shadowing and induction period which takes place at the end of July.
Can I defer my start date?
It is not possible for applicants to defer their foundation programme start date unless it is for statutory reasons, and this is also only possible if you have qualified from medical school. Requests for a deferred start date need to be discussed with the employer and allocated foundation school.
Unable to take up allocated foundation programme
If anything should happen which would prevent you from commencing training on the expected date (such as illness, change of circumstances or final exams failure), it is vital that you let your foundation school and employer know as soon as possible to allow them to recruit to the vacancy.
Induction and shadowing period
As a newly appointed foundation doctor, the health service in the UK requires foundation doctors to undertake a mandatory shadowing and induction period prior to the start of the training programme. The shadowing period will include observing the F1 doctor they will be taking over from.
Your employer will provide details of the shadowing and induction period which is likely to take place in the week(s) before the start date of employment. The start date for this varies according to foundation school and/or employer but will generally take place end the end of July. Allocated applicants will be informed by their foundation school or employer of the exact start date.
Applicants must arrange for their provisional GMC registration to cover the shadowing and induction period.
Pre-employment checks
Pre-employment checks include Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG), and occupational health checks. Applicants must ensure that their reference is provided, as employers will not be able to offer a contract of employment without it.
If your reference has not been collected on Oriel within the main reference submission window, your employer will contact you about providing this reference offline and will let you know if further information is required.
Supporting Trainees Entering Practice (STEP)
All applicants allocated to a Foundation Programme are required to complete a STEP form to support the transition from undergraduate medical education to postgraduate training. The STEP process is a supportive process. It allows applicants to tell the foundation school about the educational and pastoral support they might need whilst in their training programme, and also ensure that any reasonable adjustments needed at work can be organised by the employer in a timely manner before the start of training.
UK students will be required to complete a STEP form online and medical school teams will communicate directly with students about the process. Full guidance and links to the annual timeline and form are available on the STEP webpages.
Applicants who applied via the UKFPO’s Eligibility process are also required to complete a STEP form but do so offline, using a MS Word based version of the form.