Provisionally registered doctors with a license to practice must complete one year in an approved training programme to be eligible to apply for full registration with the GMC.
The requirements for satisfactory completion of F1 are set out in the Foundation Programme Curriculum 2021. By confirming that a foundation doctor has met all the requirements for satisfactory completion of F1, the Foundation Training Programme Director/Tutor (FTPD/T), Foundation School Director (FSD) and Medical School Dean or Postgraduate Dean or their authorised signatories must be satisfied that the foundation doctor has achieved the required outcomes of training and practices in line with the principles of professional practice set out in Good Medical Practice.
The foundation school must inform the medical school and Postgraduate Dean if the foundation doctor has not been signed off at the expected time and advise of the new expected completion date for their F1 year.
With a significant number of medical graduates undertaking F1 in foundation schools that are not linked to their medical school, it is essential that there is an agreed, robust national process and timeline for the completion of the F1CC to enable the timely completion of the Certificate of Experience (CoE). The GMC requires the CoE to be completed for a foundation doctor before they can approve their application for full registration.
The GMC will not accept completed CoEs which were signed 28 days or more before the end of the F1 year. The process for confirming that an F1 doctor has met the required standards should be completed as close to the end of F1 as is practically possible, but also must allow sufficient time for the GMC to process applications for full registration.
Following completion of the F1CC and the CoE, there must be systems in place to ensure that the FTPD/T, FSD, medical school dean or their authorised signatories, and if necessary, the GMC, are informed if circumstances change, that is, the F1 doctor no longer meets the requirements for satisfactory completion at that time.
