UKFPO Bulletin

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February Bulletin

Heart Month 

Rare Disease Day – 28 February 

Time To Talk Day Day – 6 February 

Other national campaigns this month 

Action for happiness calendar – ‘Friendly February’ 

Introduction

Welcome to my 2nd bulletin blog of what has already been a very eventful 2026 

Changes to Foundation Programme allocation 

As many readers will be aware, the UK Government has proposed that UK medical school graduates and graduates from some other countries should be prioritised in the allocation of Foundation Programme posts. As I write, their Bill is currently going through parliament – read more information about the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill. 

This has meant that UKFPO has had to change some of our timelines, so that the release of pre-allocation results was delayed, and the main allocation will be later than the published date. I fully understand and apologise for the upset and concern that all this will have caused.  

Please keep an eye out for further announcements on our website.  

National Foundation Doctors Presentation Day 

On 23 January, it was the 2026 National Foundation Doctors Presentation Day, held this year at Southampton Football Club, where current Foundation Programme doctors present work that they have done during their Foundation training. It is one of my favourite days of the year when it comes to my UKFPO work. It is great to see such excellence demonstrated by Foundation Programme doctors and makes me feel very optimistic about the future of our profession.  

Submissions this year included QI projects, original research, case reports and for the first time, ‘Foundation Programme and Arts’. We had to choose from 945 abstracts this year (a huge thank you to those who helped with shortlisting), which is a record number of submissions, and could only choose 174 for presentation, although I’m sure that lots of quality of work was done that we didn’t have the space for. Thanks to all those who came and presented their work, and I would also like to thank the UKFPO team for working so hard and showing such enthusiasm in organising the presentation day.  

Our keynote speaker was Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer in England and practising physician, who many of you will know for his work during the Covid-19 pandemic. He explored the changes in demographics, epidemiology and medical practice that have occurred this century, and will go on to affect the careers of current Foundation doctors. He discussed the importance of both generalism and specialism skills, and how future senior doctors will have to demonstrate skills in these areas, as well as the professional skills you are already developing through Foundation Programme training. Professor Whitty finished by discussing the NHS England Medical Training Review, which is moving into its second phase.    

There are more details about the 2026 National Foundation Doctors Presentation Day on the UKFPO website. I am very grateful to those who took the time to judge the winners in each category, and those who helped with the admin for helping to make it such a stimulating and enjoyable day. 

If you are a current F1 doctor, it’s worth having a think about projects that you could do between now and October/November 2026, when UKFPO will be asking for submissions for the 2027 National Foundation Doctors Presentation Day. 

As ever, look after yourselves and each other. 

Dr Mike Masding, UKFPO National Clinical Director 

Notices and announcements 

Share your STEP experience! 
In preparation for STEP 2026, which opens on 2 March 2026, we have updated the content on our STEP microsite. The microsite will soon feature a STEP ‘Case Studies’ section, which is intended to help students understand how completing the STEP form can support their transition to Foundation training. 

If you would like to contribute to our collection of STEP case studies, please email foundation.step@nhs.net with your short article about how the STEP process has benefited you in your career. Include your Foundation Year level (that is FY1 or FY2) and the name of your Foundation School.  

If your submission is selected to be published on the UKFPO website, we will anonymise your submission and issue you with a certificate of participation.  

The Left Field Shift: embracing the unexpected opportunities of rural medicine 

We have published the first iteration of Dr Kaveeta Malhi’s project ‘The Left Field Shift: embracing the unexpected opportunities of rural medicine’ (Kaveeta is one of this year’s UKFPO Fellows). Further “thrival guides” will follow, providing location‑specific insights based on what current foundation doctor mentors wish they had known before arriving at their hospitals. 

Have a look at the guides, share them with your colleagues and consider creating and submitting your own! More information, including the submission form and additional resources, is available on the get involved webpage.

Spotlight on educational resources

SCRIPT eLearning – Module Spotlight 

SCRIPT is an eLearning programme to improve safety and competency among healthcare professionals around prescribing, therapeutics and medicines management. Further information is on our SCRIPT – Safe prescribing eLearning programme webpage. 

To mark National Heart Month this February, we’re highlighting cardiology-focused SCRIPT modules that can help build your confidence when managing medical emergencies during your foundation placements: 

  • Cardiac Arrest – covers the medicines and therapeutics used during and immediately following CPR in adults. 
  • Cardiac Arrythmias – discusses the management of cardiac arrythmias (including AF) in the secondary care setting. 
  • Heart Failure – explores the pharmacological treatment options in heart failure, reflecting the updated NICE guidelines. 

All foundation doctors have free access to this resource – just log in and search for the modules above. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can register at: https://foundation.safeprescriber.org/login. 

Reflection 

Foundation doctors will already know lots about the value of reflection as a clinician. To support this knowledge, we have collected and signposted to information from various sources on our Reflection webpage. 

Also, at the recent Developing Excellence in Medical Education Conference (DEMEC) in December 2025, a panel held a discussion about reflective writing, which foundation doctors may find interesting: DEMEC 2025 – Reflective Practice – YouTube. Note that this session includes discussion of clinician burnout, dark humour, and emotionally challenging clinical situations.  

Webinars 

Upcoming webinars 

See our Webinars page for recordings of our most recent webinars. 

We have further webinars coming up in March and April 2026, including our annual ARCP guidance webinar – information will be shared in our next edition. 

If there are any specific topics you think we have missed or you wish for us to cover in our educational webinar series, please send your suggestions to foundation.educationandsupport@nhs.net  

Opportunities and events 

Humans of the Foundation Programme 

New article published this month: 

See our Humans of the Foundation Programme webpage for more information, including how to submit your own article. 

Live Q&A: UKFPO Fellow recruitment 2026-27 

Hosted by our UKFPO Fellows, Devon Ward and Kaveeta Malhi, this live Q&A session is designed for F1 doctors who are considering applying for next year’s UKFPO Fellowship. The session will give you the chance to ask questions before the application window opens, gain practical tips, and learn more about the Fellowship and what it involves. This will be an informal session (no recording), where you can ask Devon and Kaveeta anything you’d like to know about the Fellowship! 

More information is on the Live Q&A: UKFPO Fellow recruitment 2026-27 event listing. 

UKFPO Fellowship 2026 applications 

The application window will open on Monday 2 March at midday. It will close either when we receive 100 applications or by Monday 9 March at 9am – whichever happens sooner.  

To find out more about what the UKFPO Fellowship involves, please read the short blurbs and projects from our previous UKFPO Fellows and view the UKFPO Fellow webpages for further information on how to apply and the job description.  

If you have any questions, please email foundation.educationandsupport@nhs.net

Elearning for healthcare update 

Review the January 2026 elfh update