F2 Stand-alone 2026 – References

In this section you will be asked to provide the names and contact details of 3 referees. References will be requested via Oriel once offers have been accepted. Refer to the 2026 F2 Stand-alone timeline for reference submission dates.

You can change your referee details online after you have submitted your application, and until the reference period is closed, or until the referee has submitted a reference; whichever comes first.

If you accept an offer, reference requests will be sent by email to your referees through Oriel.

If your referee does not receive the reference request please email england.helpdesk.foundationprogramme@nhs.net so we can look into this for you.

Non-urgent advice: Information

You are responsible for ensuring that your references are provided to your employer before you start work as a foundation doctor.

Your referee must have supervised your clinical training during the last three years of your employment or undergraduate education. One referee must be your current or most recent consultant or educational supervisor familiar with your clinical development.

It is important that you ask your referee if they agree to provide a reference for you before you complete this section, and ask that they provide you with an email address that they access regularly. Each form takes approximately five minutes to complete.

Ensure that you double check the email address of your referees before entry on to Oriel to ensure there are no discrepancies.

Referees do not need an Oriel account. They will access the reference request via a link sent to their email and are advised to check their junk/spam folder regularly.

Should your referee require assistance completing the reference, guidance is available on the Information for referees webpage.

If your referee does not submit your reference on Oriel within the specified window (refer to the recruitment timeline), your employing organisation will contact you before you start work to arrange for the missing references to be provided offline, via email.

A contract of employment will not be issued until satisfactory references have been received.

You can change your referee details on Oriel, even after you have submitted your application, and up until the reference period is closed, or until the referee has submitted a reference; whichever comes first.

1) Go to References in your dashboard menu bar.

2) You will be presented with the details of your referee. Select the update references button.

3) Edit the referee details that you wish to amend and click on the Save button which is on the right-hand corner of the screen.