The application review process consists of two parts:
Step 1: Review to ensure application is complete
The UKFPO administrative team will review your application and supporting evidence to ensure that a complete application has been submitted.
If any mandatory part of the application or supporting evidence is missing, the application will not be reviewed by the national review panel. This is because the panel will not be able to make an informed decision about an application if information or evidence that has been deemed a mandatory part of the application process is missing.
The following parts of the application and process are deemed mandatory and if any of these are found to be missing or not met during the Step 1 review process, the application will not move onto Step 2: Panel Review.
- Incomplete application form
- Missing pages or sections
- Mandatory fields have not been completed (mandatory fields are marked with a red asterisk)
- Incomplete supporting signatory section
- The supporting signatory has not completed and signed part 2 of the application form
- The supporting signatory has only partially completed part 2 of the application form
- Incorrect application form template
- You have re-used an application form from a previous recruitment year
- You have used an application form template which does not correspond to the current recruitment year
- Supporting evidence issues
- Supporting evidence for the application criterion has not been provided (for example, a Criterion 1 application does not include the required birth certificate(s) for the child/ren)
- Supplementary supporting documentation or evidence was not issued or dated within the 12 months preceding the close of the national application window
- Proof of address issues
- Proof of address has not been provided
- Proof of address is not dated within the specified validity period
- The proof of address is a document which does not meet the requirements listed on the UKFPO website.
Applications which do not pass the Step 1 review will be deemed unsuccessful and the applicant will not be able to appeal against this outcome.
An underlying principle of the national appeal process is that applicants cannot correct any errors made as part of their initial application and cannot provide any additional information/evidence they might have omitted from their application. Refer to the appeal guidance in the Resources section of the UKFPO website for further information.
Quality assurance
To ensure fairness and consistency, the national review panel will review at least 10% of applications that do not pass Step 1. This quality assurance check helps confirm that the Step 1 process has been applied correctly and consistently
Step 2: Panel Review
National Pre-allocation Review Panels
Applications which are found to be complete during the step 1 review will move onto step 2 panel review. National review panels will meet to consider these applications and review the application and supporting evidence provided by the applicant and their supporting signatory.
Applications which are reviewed during Step 2 of the process will be considered by a national panel that consists of representatives from the following stakeholder groups:
- Foundation School Directors (FSDs)
- Foundation School Managers (FSMs)
- Foundation doctors
- Medical Schools / Medical Schools Council
- UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO)
The role of the national review panel is to review each application and the supporting evidence provided by the applicant and supporting signatory against the national guidance for that pre-allocation criterion and agree an outcome for the applicant.
All panels are chaired by a national UK Foundation Programme lead and are conducted in accordance with our UKFPO panel process to ensure that a consistent decision-making process takes place across all panels to ensure that each application is reviewed and treated fairly.
Once all applications have been considered, the UKFPO will notify applicants of the outcome of their application on the date published in the application timeline.