F2 Stand-alone 2026 – Introduction

The UK Foundation Programme Office is seeking to recruit doctors who hold or are eligible for full registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) to work in recognised F2 Stand-alone training programmes as part of the UK Foundation Programme. Applicants who are not currently working as part of the two-year or F2 stand-alone foundation programme are invited to apply for F2 level programmes across the UK.

F2 stand-alone foundation doctors will have the opportunity to gain experience in a series of placements in a variety of specialties and healthcare settings and will be offered the same educational resources and teaching opportunities as F2 foundation doctors on two-year programmes. They will also have access to a Foundation online e-Portfolio.

All applications will be longlisted in accordance with the national person specification for F2 programmes. Some of the criteria will also be considered during the interview. The F2 person specification can be found on the resources webpage.

We do not offer exceptions or exemptions to the essential criteria detailed within the F2 person specification. Ensure you refer to the guidance relevant to the recruitment year you are applying to for full details of what can be accepted.

The UK is divided into regions for the purposes of providing education and training across the foundation programme. For each region, there is a foundation school, which provides dedicated support to both applicants and foundation doctors. Each foundation school is responsible for overseeing the education and training within the employing organisations in its geography.

There are eighteen foundation schools across the UK. There is one foundation school for each of the devolved nations, i.e., Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and England is divided up into fifteen foundation schools.

The UKFPO is responsible for the national recruitment process, which includes applications, longlisting, interview and offers processes. The local foundation schools assume responsibility for applicants who are due to commence foundation training once offers have been accepted.

The Foundation Schools pages provide information about which areas of the UK each Foundation School covers. A list of foundation school contact details and website addresses can be found on the contacts page.

The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) manages the recruitment process to foundation training, issues guidance on foundation training and promotes the consistent delivery of the foundation programme across the UK. Working with partners, the UKFPO enables sharing of good practice to help raise the standards of training. It is funded by and is accountable to the four UK health departments.

During the F2 Stand-alone application process, all communication with the UKFPO must be carried out by email. The UKFPO does not have a telephone service. The team will endeavour to provide relevant advice based on the information provided in response to email enquiries. If the answer to an applicant’s query is provided in the published guidance, the team will direct them to the relevant resource to obtain the answer to the enquiry.

Non-urgent advice: Key information

The UKFPO does not provide a pre-checking service of applications before they are submitted. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure they have read and understood the guidance, and to check their application form thoroughly before they submit. The UKFPO team are not specialists in immigration law. Queries regarding immigration and right to work status must be directed to the UK Home Office.

Non-urgent advice: UKFPO and General Medical Council (GMC) registration

The UKFPO is a separate body to the General Medical Council (GMC). All registration queries should be directed to the GMC.

The UKFPO cannot provide applicants with guidance about their registration application.