We are delighted that you are considering applying to work as a Foundation Doctor within the Northern Foundation School.
Foundation Recruitment
Entry at F1 level each August is via the annual national FP applications process overseen by the UK Foundation Programme Office. Applicants must apply through the Oriel recruitment system.
Key Dates for August 2027 Recruitment Cycle
- Registration opens on Oriel on 15th September 2026
- Application window (including Pre-allocation) opens on Oriel from 23rd September (09:00 BST) - 7th October (12:00 noon BST) 2026
- National allocation to Foundation School is tbc
- The FP Group Preferencing window opens on tbc
- The FP Programme Preferencing window opens on tbc
- Match to programme will be confirmed for all applicants on tbc
The list of indicative Standard, Specialised and Priority Posts available for August 2027 can be found by clicking here
Please find a Summary of the UK FP 2027 Information here
Please note: It is important to note that placements offered as part of each programme may be subject to change at any point, including the formal recruitment cycle. This can be for a variety of reasons including clinical reconfiguration of services or a change in training or supervision capacity of a particular department. We do try to minimise the number of changes which are made however as the indicative programmes are uploaded to Oriel almost a year in advance of the programme starting, this is sometimes unavoidable. We will inform candidates of any changes to their allocated programme as soon as we possibly can in line with the Code of Practice guidance from NHS Employers.
Linked Applications
The Northern Foundation School honours linked applications however once both applicants are allocated to the Foundation School then the link is broken. The link does not allocate you to a specific Local Education Provider or programme.
Pre-Allocation
Approved special circumstances pre-allocate you to a Foundation School and where possible to the LEP closest to your home address. You will be allocated to a Standard FP Programme of your choice. If candidates want to be considered for SFP then they can choose not to be allocated to a Standard Programme and are able to rank via PIA with the remainder of the 2027 cohort.
If you have any further queries, please email Foundation recruitment
Foundation Priority Programmes
The Northern Foundation School offer 58 Priority Programmes in total, all with North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and all programmes include a £3,500 financial incentive in F1 and F2 as part of the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme (TERS). For August 2027 entry Priority Programmes will be included along with the Standard Programmes and Specialised Programmes and allocated via PIA at the same time as the rest of the cohort.
F2 Stand alone Recruitment
TBC
Inter-Foundation School Transfers
If a F1 trainee's circumstances have changed and there are specific reasons as to why a current F1 trainee needs to transfer to a different programme for their F2 year, they may be eligible to apply for a transfer based on set criteria. Please refer to the Inter-Foundation School Transfer (IFST) guidance available on the UKFPO website.