Criterion 2: Primary Carer

You are the primary carer for someone who is disabled (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) and your circumstances have changed since submitting your original Foundation Programme application or commencing your foundation training.

An applicant is eligible for this criterion if they are the primary carer for somebody. This person would normally be a partner, sibling, or parent.

You must describe how your circumstances have changed and why you need to move to a different foundation school region. You must present clear arguments as to why current caring arrangements cannot continue as they presently do.

If the person you are caring for is not your partner, sibling or parent, you will have to explain clearly and present a strong case as to why you have the role of primary carer. You must explain why alternative carers cannot be arranged.

Criterion requires

  • Your circumstances must have changed since the point of initial application to the 2-year foundation programme (if you haven’t yet started the Foundation Programme) or your circumstances have changed since commencing your foundation training (current F1 or F2 doctors in training).
  • You must provide care over the course of a typical week and not just at weekends (that is, your caring responsibilities require you to be in the requested region on a constant basis.
  • It is expected that you and the person who you care for in this category will remain at your current address(es), and the application for IFST will be to the foundation school local to that address. If this is not the case, relevant evidence must be supplied as to why caring arrangements could not continue as present.

Criterion does not support

  • If you provide care for a person as part of a group of carers, e.g. a family, you are not eligible to apply under this criterion because you are not the “primary” carer.

The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. For the purposes of the Act:

• substantial means more than minor or trivial
• long-term means that the effect of the impairment has lasted or is likely to last for at least 12 months
• normal day-to-day activities include things like eating, washing, walking and going shopping

Some conditions, such as addictions to non-prescribed substances, are specifically excluded.

People who have had a disability in the past that meet this definition are also covered by the scope of the Act. There are additional provisions relating to people with progressive conditions. People with HIV, cancer and multiple sclerosis are protected by the Act from the point of diagnosis. People with visual impairments are automatically deemed to be disabled.

A primary carer is generally defined as the person who provides the majority of the day-to-day care and support to an individual who is unable to fully care for themselves, due to illness and/or disability. This person is typically the one who handles the bulk of the caring responsibilities, such as assisting with personal care, medication, or other practical needs.

You must provide care over the course of a typical week and not just at weekends. Your caring responsibilities must require you to be in the requested location on a constant basis.

Completing the application form for criterion 2

  • Part 1 of the application form must be completed by you. This includes a “care plan” section in which you must provide details of the care arrangements and explain how the responsibility of working as a foundation doctor and as the primary carer will be combined and managed.
  • Part 2 of the application form must be completed by the supporting signatory who should be the GP, social worker or care-coordinator of the person being cared for. They must confirm your role as primary carer for this person and provide information about the level of care you provide.
  • Part 3 of the application form must be completed by the Foundation School Director (or deputy) at the foundation school within which you are already in a training programme, or have been allocated to.
  • Part 4 of the application does not contain any section that requires completion or a signature. However, the information provided should be read and understood by the applicant.

    The information provided by the supporting signatory needs to be legible, clear and explicit.
Download the application form

Supporting evidence requirements

You are required to provide the following supporting evidence

  1. Proof of current address in your name, and which is in the area of the foundation school that you need to be allocated to (see proof of address guidance for list of acceptable documents).
  2. If you already have a formal care plan document, you can also provide this as additional supporting evidence, however, Part 1 and Part 2 of the application form must also be completed.

Supporting signatory requirements

The supporting signatory must:

  • have a relevant professional working relationship with the person being cared for
  • be over the age of 18.
  • have known the applicant and the person being cared for, for 1 month or more.  In circumstances where this is not the case, the applicant must provide an explanation as to why their supporting signatory has not known them longer, and why an alternative signatory could not be used to support the application
  • not be in a personal relationship with the applicant.
  • not live at the same address as the applicant.
  • not be related to the applicant by birth or marriage.
  • not be a doctor in training of any grade (up to ST8).