SPECIALTY
RECRUITMENT
HANDBOOK
2015 Recruitment Rounds
Version 1.1
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
INTRODUCTION
This guidance constitutes the minimum requirements expected of a LETB/Deanery/Royal
College for managing specialty recruitment 2015 within the UK. The document also
illustrates a number of policy agreements and changes signed off by the Recruitment Sub
Committee on behalf of Health Education England (HEE) and the devolved nations where
they are involved in national recruitment.
Requirements Control Framework (RCF)
This document describes the Medical and Dental Recruitment and Selection (MDRS)
programme’s Core Unified Process and key elements of the technical solution (Oriel) which
will enable that process.
Code of Practice (CoP)
The Code of Practice outlines the key information that should be provided to applicants at
each stage of the recruitment cycle. It is referred to through the recruitment handbook.
Recruitment Governance
Specialty
Recruitment Terms of Governance.docx
Requirements Control Framework (RCF)
HEE MDRS RCF
v2.0.docx
Code of Practice (England)
Version Control
Initial Draft circulated to ROG
08/09/2014
10
Updated with feedback from ROG members
14/09/2014
11
Updated following feedback from RSG
29/09/2014
12
Alternative Certificate of Foundation Competence
06/10/2014
13
1
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
CONTENTS
1 OVERVIEW OF 2015 NATIONAL RECRUITMENT ........................................................... 4
2 RECRUITMENT PROCESS ................................................................................................ 5
3 LOCAL RECRUITMENT ..................................................................................................... 6
4 APPLICATIONS................................................................................................................... 7
5 ADVERTISEMENT .............................................................................................................. 8
6 TIMETABLE ......................................................................................................................... 9
7 ELIGIBILITY / LONGLISTING .......................................................................................... 11
8 SHORTLISTING................................................................................................................. 15
9 INTERVIEWS ..................................................................................................................... 16
10 OFFERS ........................................................................................................................... 19
11 CLEARING....................................................................................................................... 23
12 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 25
13 FEEDBACK ..................................................................................................................... 26
14 APPLICANT SUPPORT .................................................................................................. 27
15 COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS ...................................................................................... 29
16 DEFENCE DEANERY APPLICANTS ............................................................................. 30
17 LAT RECRUITMENT (ENGLAND ONLY) ...................................................................... 32
18 DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT ......................................................................................... 34
APPENDIX 1 – ACF RECRUITMENT .................................................................................... 35
APPENDIX 2 - PROCESS ALIGNMENT GROUP (PAG) DECISIONS................................. 41
2
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
APPENDIX 3 - NATIONAL RECRUITERS ............................................................................. 44
APPENDIX 4 – GLOSSARY OF TERMS ............................................................................... 48
3
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
1
Overview of 2015 National Recruitment
1.1.
All specialties must have or have previously had their national recruitment process
signed off by the Recruitment Sub Committee.
1.2.
All major changes to national recruitment processes must have had approval by the
Recruitment Sub Committee.
1.3.
All recruitment must use the nationally approved person specifications. All approved
person specifications can be found at www.specialtytraining.nhs.uk
1.4.
Specialities should follow a clustered interview model or single interview centre
model where possible.
New Specialties for National Recruitment for 2015
1.5.
Combined Infection Training is a new approved specialty which will be recruited at
ST3 level by the JRCPTB. Applicants need to have completed or be undertaking a
Core Medical or ACCS (Acute Medicine) training programme in order to be eligible.
Exceptions to National Recruitment
1.6.
1.7.
Academic Recruitment is currently outside the national recruitment activity with the
exception of General Practice and Cardiothoracic Surgery. However, there is a new
process for confirming appointment to ACF posts in 2015 (see Recruitment Process
section for more information)
The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine has confirmed that recruitment into ST3 is
outside the NHS, in pharmaceutical companies, after completion of ST2 (or
equivalent).
4
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2
2015
Recruitment Process
2.1
All recruitment processes must adhere to good recruitment practice, employment
law and the “Code of Practice”.
2.2
To support the process recruiting organisations are expected to have appropriate
management and governance arrangements in place with a named Executive
Director with overall responsibility as well as appropriate operational arrangements
for making appointments. These should include trained short listing and interviewing
panel members and project teams at Trust level to manage any risks to patient
safety. Royal Colleges/specialties need to have comparable arrangements in place.
2.3
Recruiting Organisations must publish the timetable they are working to on their
website in advance, including applications opening and closing dates and interview
dates to allow applicants to plan their applications.
2.4
Patient care and safety are the priority concern. Any variation from the national
rules would have to be a reasonable and proportionate response to local
circumstances and not lead to conspicuously unfair results.
2.5
The Recruitment Process must adhere to the NHS Employers ‘Employment check
Standards’ set out in the NHS requirements for pre-employment checks, as
established by the Department of Health, including DBS disclosure.
2.6
Doctors who are appointed to another NHS Trust may be required to work their
notice which may prevent them taking up their training posts as early as they would
wish. Patient care and safety is the main priority. Trusts should be asked to try to
release doctors as soon as they are able and make all reasonable endeavours to
avoid successful applicants being unable to take up their new post
2.7
Doctors appointed to an Academic Clinical Fellow post must have satisfied the
requirements of both the academic interview and a full clinical interview. Where
applicants already hold a National Training Number (NTN) or Deanery Reference
Number (DRN) in the specialty they are applying for, there is no need of them to
attend a further clinical interview as they will have already met this requirement.
Offers to ACF posts will be made conditional upon applicants meeting the required
standard in the clinical interview. Applicants who are required to attend a clinical
interview, who fail to meet the required standard will have their offers withdrawn by
the appropriate recruitment office. Full details on the agreed process can be found
in Appendix 1.
5
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
3
2015
Local Recruitment
3.1
In deciding whether or not to run a national recruitment round, lead recruiters
should first confirm with the lead dean that they would be supportive of local
recruitment taking place to training places
3.2
Before undertaking local recruitment to vacancies left after national recruitment it
will be necessary for the LETB/deanery to contact the lead recruiter for the specialty
to establish whether the specialty is conducting a nationally co-ordinated round
within the applicable timeframes available.
3.3
Where approval is not given for local recruitment to take place, any substantive
posts that exist or arise subsequently for recruitment should be held over until the
next national recruitment round1.
3.4
All local recruitment should meet the nationally agreed standards for that specialty.
The lead national recruiter should provide a pack to local recruiters containing all of
the national recruitment documentation. As a minimum, this should contain
scoresheets, scoring domains and interview questions. Local recruiters must
ensure that they follow the exact same interview process as the national process.
3.5
Further information on local recruitment can be found in the LAT guidance section
in section 17.
1
See the Reference Gold for Postgraduate Specialty Training in the UK (Gold Guide, 4th Ed).
6
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
4
2015
Applications
4.1
All applications should be made via the Oriel online application system.
4.2
Application forms and the interview processes must map to the national person
specifications.
4.3
Currently there are no national person specifications for sub specialty recruitment or
special interest posts.
4.4
The nationally agreed Part One, Part Two and Part Four of the application form
should be used
4.5
Applicants will be able to make unlimited and multiple applications to different
specialties subject to specific guidance produced by the national coordinator of the
specialty/level and to them meeting the eligibility criteria stated in the person
specification.
4.6
Arbitrary/randomised recruitment and selection processes must not be used.
4.7
No late applications should be considered.
7
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
5
2015
Advertisement
5.1
There is a requirement to advertise and promote applications to all posts for a
minimum period of 28 days (excluding Bank holidays). Applications must be kept
open for at least the last two weeks of this window. This is to satisfy Resident
Labour Market Test (RLMT) requirements.
5.2
Applications for Round 1 and Round 2 must follow the agreed national timetable
with all specialties opening and closing at the same time.
5.3
All posts must be advertised on NHS Jobs, recruitment systems and on each
LETB/deanery website and on relevant Royal College websites.
5.4
Adverts should clearly state if the posts offer dual training e.g. GIM.
5.5
Adverts, information for applicants and application forms must be clearly structured
so they are accessible to applicants with disabilities and so that applicants can
easily find relevant details when carrying out a search.
5.6
All national recruiting organisations should keep a screenshot of the NHS jobs
advert clearly showing the advert publishing date. This should be provided to
LETBs/Devolved Nations on request to allow them to evidence RLMT
5.7
Local LETBs should not advertise locally managed recruitment to training posts
unless there has been agreement from the national recruiting organisation.
5.8
Adverts should meet criteria outlined in the Code of Practice.
5.9
A UK wide BMJ advert will be placed centrally for 2014 recruitment with the advert
being placed for the 6th November edition.
5.10
All adverts should use the standard national template.
Template for NHS Job adverts
Standard Advert
Templates_NHS Jobs.doc
Template for portal vacancy advert
Portal Advert
Template.doc
8
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
6
2015
Timetable
6.1
All recruiting organisations must adhere to the national timetable.2
6.2
Opening and closing times should adhere to the national timetable.
ACF Timetable
Applications open
Applications close
Interview window
Initial Offers out from
Hold deadline
Monday 13th October 2014
Monday 10th November 2014
Tuesday 11th November to Friday 9th January 2015
Monday 12th January 2015
Friday 30th January 2015
Round 1 - CT1/ST1 and Run Through (For August - December 2015 start)
Adverts
Applications Open
Applications Close
Interview Window
Initial Offers out
Hold deadline
Upgrade deadline
Hierarchal deadline
Paperwork deadline
Thursday 6th November 2014
At 10am, Tuesday 11th November 2014*
At 4pm, Thursday 4th December 2014
Monday 12th January to Wednesday 11th March 2015
By 5pm, Thursday 12th March 2015
At 1pm, Thursday 19th March 2015
At 4pm, Thursday 26th March 2015
At 4pm, Tuesday 31st March 2015
No later than Wednesday 8th April 2014
* Please note: period of Oriel downtime for planned system maintenance from 8.00am to
1.00pm on Thursday 13th November 2014. Oriel will be unavailable to applicants and
administrators during this time
Round 1- CT1/ST1 Re-adverts (For August – December 2015 start)
Adverts
Applications Open
Applications Close
Interview Window
Initial Offers out
Hold deadline
Upgrade deadline
Paperwork deadline
2
Thursday 12th March 2015
At 10am, Tuesday 24th March 2015
At 4pm, Thursday 9th April 2015
Tuesday 21st April to Wednesday 20th May 2015
By 4pm, Thursday 21st May 2015
At 1pm, Wednesday 27th May 2015
At 4pm, Friday 29th May 2015
Wednesday 5th June 2015
Excludes Dental Recruitment
9
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
Round 2 - ST3/ST4+ Recruitment (For August - December 2015 start)
Adverts
Applications Open
Applications Close
Interview Window
Initial Offers out
Hold deadline
Upgrade deadline
Hierarchal deadline
Paperwork deadline
Wednesday 11th February 2015
At 10am, Tuesday, 17th February 2015
At 4pm, Wednesday, 11th March 2015
Monday 23rd March to Wednesday 13th May 2015
By 5pm Thursday 14th May 2015
At 1pm Wednesday 20th May 2015
At 4pm Friday 22nd May 2015
Wednesday 27th May 2015
Friday 29th May 2015
10
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
7
7.1
2015
Eligibility / Longlisting
Once applications have been received, LETBs/Deaneries/Recruiting Organisations
should undertake an administration check to include:







Right to work status
GMC / GDC Registration
Evidence of Foundation Competency
English Language Skills (as per the eligibility criteria)
Exclusion criteria
Any examination requirements in line with the post
Match to Specialty Level
7.2
Longlisting should be completed by appropriately trained administrative staff in the
Recruitment Office.
7.3
Longlisting should be completed following the agreed national decisions and
timelines for agreed criteria.3
7.4
Eligibility criteria should be determined at the point of application advertisement
7.5
No late applications should be considered.
7.6
Applicants who apply in subsequent rounds will need to be reassessed at longlisting
stage to ensure their eligibility criterion has not changed.4
7.7
Longlisting should always precede shortlisting5 (where shortlisting is applicable)
Overseas Guidance / Right to work status
Immigration Guidance
Immigration
Guidance.docx
Information for Overseas Nationals
Immigration
Guidance.docx
GMC / GDC Registration
7.8
GMC registration – Applicants will need to confirm their General Medical Council
(GMC) registration status or General Dental Council (GDC) registration status
3
PAG Resolution 3.6 (2014)
PAG Resolution 3.10 (2014)
5
PAG Resolution 3.15 (2014)
4
11
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
where required before applying for specialty training.
7.9
Applicants will need to hold full GMC registration with a licence to practise at the
time of appointment. For more information applicants should visit: 6
www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/before_you_apply/registration_factsheet.asp
Proof of Foundation Competency
7.10
Applicants are required to provide evidence of having met the UK Foundation
Programme competences or equivalent.
7.11
Applicants should complete the 2015 alternative competency certificate if they are
currently not undertaking the UK foundation programme or have not successfully
completed the UK foundation programme within the last three years.
7.12
Only the nationally agreed alternative competency certificate should be used for
2015 recruitment. 7
7.13
Only the new-style alternative competency forms reflecting the 2012 Foundation
Curriculum (with 2014 amendments) will be accepted.
7.14
The alternative certificate should also be used for public health applicants applying
from a medical background.8
7.15
The alternative certificate should not be used by trainees to circumnavigate the two
year foundation programme early.
7.16
Alternative certificates should be uploaded as part of the application and submitted
with the completed application form.9
7.17
In the event foundation competency evidence is submitted that is not of the
appropriate standard, the assessor may choose to request more information from
the applicant. A period of 5 working days commences from when the applicant is
requested to supply the additional information.10 This additional time should not be
advertised to the applicants.
English Language Skills
7.18
6
Recruiters should ensure that applicants “have sufficient knowledge of the English
language necessary for the work to be performed in a safe and competent
manner”11.
Does not apply for Public Health applicants from a background other than medicine
7
PAG Resolution 3.1 (2014)
PAG Resolution 3.3 (2014)
9
PAG Resolution 3.4 and 3.5 (2014)
10
PAG Resolution 3.6 (2014)
11
The Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) (Amendment) Regulations 2013).
8
12
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
7.19
If the applicant’s undergraduate training was not undertaken in English and they do
not have a current International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
certificate at the level specified in the person specifications, they need to provide
other evidence of English language skills.
7.20
Examples of suitable evidence can be found on the General Medical Council website:
http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/registration_applications/13676.asp
7.21
The required IELTS score is 7 in all domains (speaking, listening, reading and
writing), to be achieved in a single sitting within 24 months of the time of application
with a minimum overall score of 7.5.
Exclusion Criteria
7.22
Specialty training posts and programmes are not normally available to any doctor
who has previously relinquished or been released or removed from that training
post/programme.
7.23
When applying for a post the declaration section of the application form will ask the
applicant if they have previously relinquished or been released or removed from a
training programme from the specialty to which they are applying.
7.24
If the applicant answers yes to this question they will need to provide full details of
the resignation/release/removal from a training programme to the recruiting
organisation by email at the point of application. This should be provided on the
Support for Reapplication to a Specialty Training Programme form and approved by
both the Head of School/Training Programme Director and Postgraduate Dean in
the region where training was previously undertaken. This will need to be submitted
to a given confidential email address at the time of application submission.
7.25
The form should be completed by all trainees who are applying to a specialty
training programme that they have previously been removed/released from or that
they have previously resigned from.
7.26
Trainees currently working in the specialty, applying to continue their training in
another region, without a break in service, do not need to submit a completed form
Match to Specialty Level
7.27
All previous experience in the particular specialty/specialty level must be declared
by applicants on their application.
7.28
This includes experience outside the UK and all experience in the UK, whether
within educationally approved posts or not.
13
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
7.29
It should be noted when longlisting or shortlisting that all posts within the specialty
(excluding foundation and honorary/unpaid posts) count when assessing length of
experience against person specification requirements.
7.30
Eligibility for selection to ST1/CT1 requires a maximum experience of 18 months or
less in the specialty unless otherwise specified on the person specification.
7.31
There is no limit on experience for eligibility for selection to ST2/CT2 although
applicants are required to have at least 12 months experience in the specialty they
are applying to.
7.32
There is no limit on experience for eligibility for selection into ST3/CT3 although
applicants are required to have at least 24 months experience in the specialty to
which they are applying, or as specified in the Person Specification.
7.33
There is no limit on experience for eligibility for selection to ST4 although applicants
are normally required to have at least 36 months experience in the specialty they
are applying to.12
Probity Guidance
Managing Concerns
about Probity.docx
Alternative Certificate for Foundation Competency 2015
Alternative
Certificate_2015 FINAL.docx
Evidence of Foundation Competence – Applicant Guide
Evidence of
Foundation Competence - Applicant Guide.d
Evidence of Foundation Competence – Signatory Guide
Evidence of
Foundation Competence - Signatories Guide
Long Listing Decision Summary Document
Long List Decision
Summary Document.docx
Support for Reapplication to Specialty Training
Exclusion Policy
Support Form.docx
12
Refer to relevant person specification
14
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
8
2015
Shortlisting
8.1
All shortlisters should have access to shortlisting scoring frameworks along with the
person specifications
8.2
All shortlisters must be trained in recruitment and selection principles and
processes including current equality and diversity legislation within the last 3 years.
The domains for shortlisting should be publicly available on the lead recruiter’s
website.13
8.3
Scoring criteria linked to the domains can be published at the discretion of the
recruiting organisation.
8.4
Self-assessment scoring should be adjusted at interview if the scores are found to
be incorrect.14. This could mean the increasing or decreasing of scores. If major
discrepancies are found the probity guidance should be used.
13
14
PAG Resolution 4.1
PAG Resolution 4.3
15
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
9 Interviews
9.1
Recruiting organisations should follow the minimum agreed standards for invitation
to interview.
9.2
Recruiting organisations should ensure they interview enough applicants to fill
training positions based on historical trends and number of vacancies available.
Subject to quality and quantity of applications.
9.3
Standard practice is for applicants to have 5 working days’ notice for an invitation to
interview. However in exceptional circumstances applicants can be given less
notice e.g. last minute applicant withdrawal creating free interview slots.
9.4
Interview invite letters/communications should include full details of all documents
applicants need to present at interview.
9.5
Reasonable efforts should be made to accommodate applicants’ personal situations
regarding interview time slots, recognising that interview dates are unlikely to be
moved.
9.6
Recruiting organisations should provide applicants with an understanding of what to
expect at interview/assessment centre.15
9.7
Recruiting organisations should use the nationally agreed documentation for
document checking at interview.
9.8
The minimum time for an interview for specialty training is 30 minutes.
9.9
The interview process and scoring system is determined by nationally agreed
processes for the specific specialty/level.
9.10
Applicants should be informed of the number of stations at interview and what they
are designed to assess.16
9.11
Publishing the marking criteria for interviews is mandatory, however publishing
scores is at the discretion of the national recruitment office which can decide
whether to make these available to the applicant.17
9.12
Trainees should not normally be used as interview panel members. However,
where a recruitment process may be in jeopardy as a result of interviewers
withdrawing, trainees can be used. This should only be seen as an exceptional
circumstance and only where the trainees have undertaken all of the required pre
requisite mandatory training
9.13
Where trainees are used as interviewers, they should have an appropriate level of
authorisation to take part e.g. Postgraduate Dean nomination, nomination from the
15
PAG Resolution 5.6 (2014)
PAG Resolution 5.12 (2014)
17
PAG Resolution 5.11 (2014)
16
16
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
Training Programme Director/Head of School.
themselves for interview panels
2015
Trainees should not self select
9.14
Where trainees are used as interview panel members, care should be taken to
ensure that they are paired with an experienced interviewer
9.15
Where trainees are used, care should be taken to ensure that they are not
interviewing for peers. Higher specialty trainees can be used to interview for basic
levels of training. When interviewing at ST3 level and above, only trainees in their
final year of training will be deemed appropriate to interview
9.16
Recruitment leads should ensure that there is a mechanism in place for interviewing
trainees to declare any conflict of interest e.g. knowing an applicant
9.17
Dependant on the specialty, local amendments to the national guidelines maybe
permitted, e.g. additional interview stations.
9.18
Applicant communication skills should be assessed at interview, either via a global
judgement or individual station.
9.19
Actors should be used at interview where appropriate18 and add value to the
selection process and outcome.
9.20
Where clinical concerns are raised about an applicant, based on their performance
at interview, it is the responsibility of the Clinical Lead on the day to investigate this
and decide on the appropriate course of action. If the Clinical Lead agrees that the
concerns are serious, he/she should report this to the applicant’s current
Responsible Officer, and to the GMC/GDC, where deemed appropriate.
9.21
Lay Representatives should be used during all interview/selection processes. A
best practice guide has been developed and should be followed by all national
recruitment offices, wherever possible. 19
9.22
Applicants should be asked to bring their portfolios to the interview/assessment
centre in line with specialty specific guidance.
9.23
The applicant portfolio must not contain patient identifiable data and should only
include the applicant’s own work. In previous years there have been examples
where some applicants have presented work which was not their own. If this
happens evidence must be taken from the applicant’s portfolio and the person
concerned reported to the GMC/GDC, following probity guidance.
9.24
Interviewers will take account of applicants’ portfolios, their structured CV and the
summary of their portfolio of evidence.
9.25
Interviewers should have access to the application form at appropriate interview
stations (excluding personal details, fitness to practise and equal opportunities
sections), e.g. portfolio station if requested.20
18
PAG Resolution 5.9 (2014)
PAG Resolution 5.8 (2014)
20
PAG Resolution 5.10 (2014)
19
17
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
Minimum standards for interview invitations
Minimum standards
to interview invitation.doc
What applicants can expect at interview
What to expect at
interview.docx
Interview Document Checklist
Document
Checklist.doc
Standard template for collection of missing documents at
interview
Missing Document
Form.doc
Frequently asked questions for document checkers
FAQs for Document
Checkers.docx
Lay Representative/Chair Best Practice Guide
Lay Representative
Recruitment Guide_2014_v1.01.docx
18
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
10 Offers
10.1
LETBs/Deaneries are responsible for the making of offers and should ensure the
process is managed by appropriately trained staff and quality assurance processes
are in place.
10.2
National Training Numbers (NTNs) will be offered before LATs (where LATs are
available).
10.3
The offer of dual training should be clearly stated at point of offer.
10.4
All vacancy (Programme/Post) information will follow the agreed datasets templates
sent to LETBs/Deaneries for completion. 21
10.5
The nationally agreed offer template must be used. The new upgrading templates
(accept + and hold+) must include all offer details including start
date/duration/location.22
10.6
Applicants will be able to accept, reject or hold offers (within the set timeline for the
recruitment round). Applicants will have 48 hours from the time of their offer,
including weekends and bank holidays, to decide whether to accept, reject or hold
it.
10.7
Offers not responded to within the 48-hour period will be classified as expired and
the applicant will have been deemed to have rejected the offer
10.8
Held offers must have a decision made against them before the hold deadline.
Offers still being held when the deadline is reached will be automatically rejected by
Oriel
10.9
Applicants who accept a post in the first recruitment round are able to apply and
accept posts in future recruitment rounds. When accepting a post in subsequent
rounds, applicants are required to give the appropriate notice.
10.10
If an applicant accepts a post in a subsequent round of recruitment, the recruiter will
write to the applicant and give 72 hours to confirm which offer should be kept. If the
applicant fails to make a decision the original offer will be rejected as the default
option.23
21
PAG Resolution 13.5 (2014)
PAG Resolution 7.5 (2014)
23
PAG Resolution 7.1 (2014)
22
19
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
10.11
2015
The organisation responsible for releasing the offers should ensure applicants
understand that when accepting a post they will not be offered another post in the
current recruitment episode. Exceptions to this are upgrades within the accepted
programme or hierarchical upgrades, within a defined time period
Offer Responses
Accepting an offer
10.12
The applicant will be excluded from any further offers from this and any other
specialty within this round.
10.13
The accepted offer preference will be automatically upgraded if the applicant has
opted into upgrades and preferred preferences become available.
10.14
Interview documents must be scanned and attached to the applicant record on Oriel
within the agreed deadlines (see timetable). The interview document checklist
should be used and documents scanned and attached in the checklist order. (PAG
5-6) At the upgrade date/time the documents will be visible. After the upgrade
date/time, scanned documents will be immediately visible.
10.15
The most recent offer email received by the applicant (either offer email or upgrade
email) should be attached to the document workflow.
10.16
Pre-employment processes commence.
10.17
If the offer is for a LAT the applicant may still get a CT/ST offer until the hierarchy
deadline.
Holding an offer
10.18
Only ONE offer can be held at any time.
10.19
The held offer preference will be automatically upgraded if the applicant has opted
into upgrades and preferred preferences become available.
10.20
Offers from other specialties can still be received if eligible.
10.21
The held offer can be rejected or accepted at any time within the agreed timetable
(see section 6).
10.22
If an applicant tries to hold two offers, the first offer will be rejected.
Rejecting an offer
10.23
An applicant choosing this option will have their offer removed and receive no
further offers from the specialty/level within the round.
20
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
10.24
2015
Applicants will continue to receive offers from other specialties if eligible/available.
Offer Upgrading
10.25
Applicants will automatically receive offer upgrades if they accept or hold an offer
AND opt in for upgrades. This means that should a higher ranked preference
become available in the region where they have held or accepted an offer, they will
be automatically upgraded to this offer with no option to revert to their original offer.
10.26
Applicants can opt in or out of upgrades at any point and this option is on the
applicant home screen. If an applicant chooses to accept or hold their offer with
upgrades, they will be directed to an additional page, which shows them all their
higher preferences. They will be able to edit their higher preferences at this point by
opting out of those they are no longer interested in.
10.27
Upgrading can continue until the dates described in the national timetable (see
section 6).
Hierarchical Offers
10.28
Up to the hierarchy deadline applications will remain active in the groups where a
hierarchically improved sub-preference remains available.
10.29
Initial hierarchical offers are made with the full 48 hours window for applicant
response. The hold and upgrade options may or may not be available depending
on the group settings and the timeline.
Fitness to Practise and Offers
10.30
Applicants with Fitness to Practise issues should be informed within seven days of
accepting the post about whether they can be accepted onto the programme.24
Offer letter template
Offer - without
holding with upgrades.doc
Offer - with
holding.doc
24
PAG Resolution 3.14 (2014)
21
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
Hierarchical Upgrades
Hierarchical
Upgrades.docx
Fitness to Practise Process
National FtP
Policy.doc
22
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
11 Clearing
The below principles should be followed for all specialties that have a clearing round as part
of national recruitment. Clearing should be seen as best practise, to ensure a high
proportion of vacancies are filled in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible. In
some cases it may result in specialties not needing to re-advertise.
11.1
Specialties with appointable applicants and vacancies remaining after all offers
have been exhausted should enter a clearing round.
11.2
Clearing should open no more than one week after the final offer has been made or
the hierarchal deadline has passed, whichever is the latest
11.3
The timespan of clearing will be specialty specific dependant on the number of
applicants and posts remaining. The Code of Practice must be adhered to where
practically possible.
11.4
All remaining appointable applicants will be able to re-preference remaining
vacancies.
11.5
Applicants in clearing will have the opportunity to positively preference remaining
vacancies they are interested in.
11.6
Applicants who do not preference would be deemed not to be interested in any of
the remaining vacancies. This will be the default option.
11.7
There should be no national and local set appointable levels. All applicants should
be assessed against a single threshold for the entry level and should be classified
as either appointable or not based solely on that threshold.
11.8
Applicants offered a post through clearing will have 48 hours to accept or decline.
There will be no hold option.
11.9
It is important that applicants only preference posts and areas they will accept a
post in. A rejection of a vacancy they have preferenced will make them ineligible for
clearing in the same specialty.
11.10
Applicants who have gained a LAT will not enter clearing.
11.11
Applicants who need to satisfy RLMT will not be offered in clearing until the
specialty can confirm no UK or EEA applicants remain for a vacancy and all other
requirements of RLMT have been met.
23
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
11.12
2015
It is acknowledged that posts may enter clearing due to attrition from previous
acceptances of training programmes. These posts will not be offered to initial round
successful applicants who may have preferenced them as the upgrade deadline will
have passed. The number of instances would be small but is recognised as a
necessary practice to ensure the recruitment process remains robust.
24
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
12 References
12.1
The national reference form should be used for all specialties.25
12.2
References will only be requested once applicants have accepted training offers.26
12.3
References should be used to confirm employment history and to highlight serious
concerns from referees.
12.4
12.5
For Academic Recruitment only, references should be collected in hard copy.
The Oriel Reference Portal will go live on 1st April 2015. References for all clinical
recruitment rounds should be requested and collected through the portal.
National Reference Form
Reference Form.doc
25
26
PAG Resolution 6.4 (2014)
PAG Resolution 6.1 (2014)
25
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
13 Feedback
13.1
Applicants should be given feedback during the following stages of the recruitment
process.
 Longlisting
 Shortlisting (if applicable)
 Interview/Selection centre
Feedback should be provided to all applicants, not just those that request it
Longlisting
13.1.1 A rationale must be provided as to why an applicant was unsuccessful.
Shortlisting
13.1.2 Applicants should be provided with their total shortlisting score, the total socre
available for shortlisting and the score they would have needed to be invited to interview
Interviews/Assessment Centre
13.1.2 Feedback should be provided no later than 7 working days after the initial national
offer deadline
13.2
It is best practice to provide feedback on the various domains of the interview
process:
 Applicant score per station
 Applicant total score (as appropriate also confirm %age contribution of
shortlisting score etc.
 Maximum score available
 Their appointability and the minimum score required for appointability (as
appropriate)
 Their ranking and the rank needed to obtain a post
Feedback templates and communications
Feedback Email
Templates.doc
26
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
14 Applicant Support
14.1
To help applicants with their job searches, LETBs/Deaneries and local recruiting
NHS Trusts will publish on their websites all potential posts that they will be
advertising. In line with The Code of Practice for Provision of Information for
Postgraduate Medical Training, this should include information on available posts in
the rotation. Indicative vacancy numbers will also be published on the LETB and
national recruiter websites.
Recruiters will need to
14.2
Have in place mechanisms for on-going email communications to applicants;
and where possible provide a telephone support line.
14.3
Provide on their websites timely and effective information for applicants that is
specific to their application process.
14.4
Provide guidance to applicants on completion of the application form;
14.5
Provide details of shortlisting criteria and weightings including any scoring scheme
used.
14.6
Provide effective telephone and/or email responses to applicant’s queries and a
helpdesk service or equivalent;
14.7
Ensure NHS Trust consultants and clinical tutors are well informed and up to date
with process information in order to provide effective applicant support;
14.8
Applicants will need support; career information and guidance to help them make
the best choices in entering the next round of recruitment and subsequently
LETBs/Deaneries will need to provide:
14.9
Career information: applicants need good quality information to enable them to
consider other career choices.
14.10
Feedback from the recruitment process: consider ways in which applicants can
access feedback from their applications and interviews. It is recommended that
applicant’s shortlisting and interview scores are made available to them.
14.11
The minimum support that should be available to applicants from each
LETB/Deanery is attached under section 13 (Feedback)
14.12
A national applicant guide, which provides a detailed guide to the application
process, is available www.specialtytraining.nhs.uk
27
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
14.13
2015
Doctors must be given written information about how they can access confidential
advice. This should include Occupational Health Departments, other local
Employment Assistance Programmes to which NHS Trusts have access and
organisations such as BMA’s Doctors for Doctors Unit. LETBs/Deaneries should
brief Occupational Health departments or appropriate networks about the position
so that counselling support can be provided to doctors if required.
28
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
15 Complaints and Appeals
15.1
There is a national complaints procedure which should be used by all recruiting
offices. Specialties and LETBs/Deaneries should not have separate complaints
procedures for national recruitment activity.
15.2
For complaints relating to national recruitment activity the lead recruiter is
responsible for managing and “owning” the complaints. It is their responsibility to
liaise with local LETBs/Deaneries to ensure complaints are managed in line with the
national complaints procedure.
15.3
A log of all complaints, how they were handled and subsequent outcomes should
be maintained by each national recruitment office.
National Complaints Procedure
MDRS Complaints
Policy.docx
29
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
16 Defence Deanery Applicants
Applications
16.1
Defence Deanery applicants will be required to complete the online application form
for all specialties.
16.2
Applicants who are deployed during the application window without internet access
should arrange for a proxy application to be made on their behalf.
16.3
Defence Deanery applicants will still be required to complete a Defence Medical
Services application as this is required for assessment of eligibility to apply and for
informing the Defence Deanery of which specialties they plan to apply for.
16.4
Defence Deanery needs as much notification as possible of application dates in
order that alternative arrangements/proxy applications can be organised, where
necessary.
Interviews
16.5
Applicants applying for NHS and Military posts in the same recruitment round will be
permitted two interviews where the interviews for each of the posts take place in
different LETBs/Deaneries.
16.6
Defence Deanery needs as much notice as possible of interview dates and venues,
in order for military panel members to be sourced.
16.7
Defence Deanery needs as much notice as possible of the interview model that will
be used for each specialty e.g. single centre, local interviews.
16.8
Where multiple military panel members attend on the same day, these should be
spread out across all panels, not assigned to the same panel.
Offers
16.9
Offers for Defence Deanery applicants have to be made by the Defence Deanery.
16.10
Offers for Defence Deanery applicants should only be processed by the lead
recruiter for the NHS post. Offers to military training posts will be made by the
Defence Deanery only
16.11
Defence Deanery applicants who have applied for NHS training posts can hold an
offer until military offers are made or the hold deadline (whichever is the earliest).
16.12
If a Defence Deanery applicant is offered a military post their NHS offer will be
declined as the default option.
30
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
16.13
Interview scores for military applicants should be released to the Defence Deanery
five working days before offers are released for NHS applicants. This will allow the
Defence Deanery time to prepare their own offers, although this information will be
kept confidential and offers will not be released by the Defence Deanery until the
day that NHS offers are released.
16.14
The Defence Deanery requires copies of interview score sheets for applicants who
fail to benchmark, but not for those who reach the required standard. For Defence
Deanery applicants, the benchmark score will be the appointable threshold/cut off,
not the score that would have been required to be made an offer.
31
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
17 LAT Recruitment (England Only)
17.1
LAT recruitment should only be undertaken through the national recruitment
processes.
17.2
LAT recruitment should be to the same standard as NTN recruitment. There should
not be different appointment levels
17.3
No local LAT recruitment should be undertaken
17.4
All NTNs should be offered before LAT posts are considered.27
17.5
If NTNs are available for the relevant recruitment round they should be advertised
and LAT only recruitment rounds should not occur in this instance.
17.6
Applicants should be advised to preference all vacancies that they are interested in
and not to preference locations that they would not accept an offer from.
17.7
In 2015 specialities should minimise the number of LATs they advertise to ensure
they are in proportion to future NTN vacancies28. MWAG will set restrictions on the
number of LATs each specialty can advertise
17.8
There should be no LAT recruitment in 2015 in the following specialities29


Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Paediatric Surgery.
17.9
Applicants would not be eligible for further LATs in a specialty if they have already
undertaken more than 24 months of LATs in that specialty . Applicants should not
have undertaken more than three individual LAT posts within the two year period
17.10
LETBs should not extend LATs beyond the academic year. For those appointed at
any point in a 2015 recruitment round, appointments should end no later than 2nd
August 2016.
17.11
There should be no FTSTA recruitment.
17.12 National CT2/CT3 recruitment should only occur in the following specialties if
sufficient vacancies arise.
27
This is an England only policy. Further work on the offer methodology is required to ensure applicants are
not disadvantaged in having to accept LATs from the devolved nations before English LATs are available.
28
The final guidance will provide a ratio of NTN/LATs for each specialty. This will take in to account LTFT,
Academic and OOP issues.
29
Further specialties may be added in the final guidance.
32
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK




2015
CMT
Anaesthesia
Emergency Medicine
Core Psychiatry
LETBs can recruit to these specialties/levels locally, with the approval of HEE
17.13
There is an intention through HEE not to provide the structure or process for any
LAT recruitment in England from August 2016. Therefore SAC and NHS trusts are
advised to urgently review the options that will be available to them from that time
including appointment of Locum Appointment for Service
33
SPECIALTY RECRUITMENT HANDBOOK
2015
18 Document Management
18.1
All recruiters should follow NHS Guidelines on Record Management.30
18.2
LETBs/Deaneries should adhere to the documentation deadline as set out by the
national recruitment timetable to ensure that receiving LETBs/Deaneries/Employers
receive information in a timely manner.
18.3
LETBs/Deaneries should not send any personal file or other identifiable data via
post.
18.4
All personal identifiable data should be transferred via the Document Management
portal on Oriel.
30
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/records-management-nhs-code-of-practice
34
APPENDIX 1 – ACF Recruitment
For 2015 recruitment, applicants to NIHR ACF posts will need to satisfy the requirements of
the clinical interview process for the specialty. Please visit the following website for further
information. http://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/academic-clinical-fellowships.htm
Key Processes









NIHR ACF recruitment timetable will run before the national timetable (See section 6)
All academic appointees should demonstrate a level of competence equivalent to
clinical appointees.
Applicants who do not hold either an NTN or DRN in the same specialty at the time of
applying for academic recruitment will be required to attend a national clinical
process/interview for the specialty in addition to the ACF interview
Applicants who are required to undertake a national clinical process/interview will be
advised to also apply for the clinical training programme. However, this is not
mandatory. Local recruiters are required to liaise with the lead for the clinical
recruitment to arrange clinical interviews for applicants, as required.
Where national recruitment is not undertaken for the specialty and/or level of the ACF
award, a local clinical interview process should be arranged. Where national
recruitment happens for the specialty, but at a different level, the clinical interview
should be arranged to mirror the national process in terms of interview stations used,
but with questions set at an appropriate level for the entry level of the ACF award.
Applicants should be assessed against the national person specification for the
specialty and the national ACF person specification.
ACF panels must have a minimum of one clinician in the relevant specialty.
ACF offers will be made via Oriel.
Offers made to applicants needing to attend and meet the threshold of a clinical
interview will be made an offer in January 2015 that is conditional upon meeting the
requirements of the clinical process/interview
Frequently Asked Questions for Applicants
I wish to apply for an NIHR ACF post to commence in 2015. What is the process?
You will need to apply for the NIHR ACF post through the Local Education Training Board
(LETB) where the post will be based, using the Oriel system. The recruitment is managed by
the relevant LETB, and advertisements will appear on their website from October 2014.
35
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for ACF interviews organised by the LETB, which will
have an academic and clinical component, you will be required to pass all components of the
interview.
If you do not already hold a National Training Number (NTN) or Deanery Reference Number
(DRN) in the GMC specialty to which you are applying for you will be required to undertake
the national clinical recruitment process and attend an assessment/interview for that GMC
specialty as appropriate.
It is advised that ACF applicants without a NTN/DRN also submit an application for standard
clinical training in that specialty, this is not mandatory.
I hold a clinical National Training Number (NTN) in the GMC specialty associated with
the ACF I am applying for.
Will I still need to attend a national clinical
assessment/interview?
No. You will have already passed the assessment at the national clinical interview for this
GMC specialty previously and therefore will not have to do so again.
I hold a Deanery Reference Number (DRN) having previously successfully applied for
core level training. Will I still need to attend a national clinical assessment/interview?
If you hold a DRN whilst applying for a post linked to a GMC specialty that has relevant core
level training (e.g. core trainee in Anaesthetics, Core Medical Training for medical specialties
and Core Surgical Training for surgery), then you will have already passed the assessment
at the clinical interview previously and therefore will not have to do so again.
If the core level training you are undertaking is not relevant to the GMC specialty you will be
applying for in the NIHR ACF then you will need to undergo the national clinical assessment/
interview for that specialty.
I hold a National Training Number, but not in the same GMC specialty that I am
applying for academic training. Will I still need to attend a national clinical
assessment/interview?
Yes. Although you have met the required standard in a national clinical interview before, it
was not in the same GMC specialty. Therefore, to ensure a consistency of approach with all
applicants, you will need to undergo a national clinical assessment/interview for this GMC
specialty.
When will offers be released?
Offers will be released in January 2015. If you already hold an NTN in the relevant GMC
specialty and are the preferred candidate then you can be offered the post. If you do not
36
hold an NTN in that GMC specialty the offer will be conditional upon meeting the required
standard in the clinical assessment/interview. Clinical interviews will normally not be held
until after offers for NIHR ACF posts have been made.
If you receive an offer conditional upon meeting the requirements of a national clinical
assessment/interview, you are advised to hold this offer until 19th March 2015. This will
ensure that you are not withdrawn from other applications that you have made, until you
know the outcome of your performance at the national clinical assessment/interview.
Process:
What happens if I do not reach the required standard in the national clinical
assessment/ interview?
Your NIHR ACF offer will be withdrawn by the relevant recruitment office.
What will be the likely delay between my ACF interview and my national clinical
interviews?
It depends on the level of the NIHR ACF post that you are applying for. NIHR ACF
interviews will normally take place in November/December 2014. National clinical
assessments/interviews for ST1 specialties will take place between January and March
2015. ST3 national clinical assessment/interviews take place between March and May
2015.
If you are applying for a NIHR ACF in either General Practice or Cardiothoracic Surgery, the
clinical and academic interview processes run at the same time, via the respective national
recruitment processes.
37
Frequently Asked Questions for Recruiters
What is the process for applicants applying for NIHR ACF to commence in 2015?
Applicants will apply for NIHR ACF posts in October 2014, in line with the normal ACF
recruitment timeline.
Joint academic/clinical interviews will take place in the same way as in previous years, now
using the Oriel System.
However ACF applicants without a NTN/DRN in the applied specialty, deemed appointable
at the ACF interview, will be required to reach the threshold of ‘appointability’ at a national
clinical assessment/interview.
ACF applicants will be ranked on their performance at the ACF interview not the national
clinical interview.
How many appointable applicants, following ACF interviews are put forward for
National clinical assessment/interview?
All appointable applicants without a NTN/DRN in the specified specialty should attend
national clinical assessment/interview.
The top ranked applicant at the ACF interview should be informed that the ACF offer is
conditional on attaining the required standard at national clinical assessment/interview.
The reserve ACF appointable applicants should be informed of their appointability at the
ACF interview and put forward for national clinical assessment/interview. If it is not possible
to include all appointable applicants, then a minimum of the top 5 appointable applicants
should be put forward for interviews by every LETB.
Will all applicants need to attend a national clinical assessment/interview?
No. If the applicant already holds a clinical NTN/DRN in the same GMC specialty as their
NIHR ACF application, there is no need for them to attend a national clinical
assessment/interview as they will have already met the required clinical standard previously.
In addition, any applicants deemed unappointable at the academic interview need not be put
forward for national clinical assessment/interview.
Will applicants who hold a clinical NTN in a different GMC specialty to the one they
are applying for in the ACF be required to attend a national clinical
assessment/interview?
Yes. Although they have met the required standard in a national clinical interview
previously, it was not in the same GMC specialty. Different specialties assess different skills
38
and competences at interview and therefore it should not be assumed that success in one
clinical interview is appropriate for all specialties.
As applicants now attend a separate clinical interview, can the NIHR ACF interview
now cover academic topics only?
No. The NIHR ACF interview should still cover clinical and academic elements in the same
way as it always has.
Do we need to set up separate clinical interviews for those that have applied for NIHR
ACF posts?
No. It is expected that they will attend the specialty specific national clinical interviews that
already take place between January and May.
What happens if national clinical recruitment is not taking place for the specialty and
level of the NIHR ACF post?
A local clinical recruitment panel will need to be organised, ensuring that the national clinical
recruitment processes for the specialty are fulfilled.
How do we manage the offers process?
Offers to NIHR ACF posts should be made in line with the published academic recruitment
timeline. ACF offers through Oriel will need to be made conditional upon applicants reaching
the required standard in the clinical assessment/interview, where required.
Please note all applicants deemed appointable at the ACF interviews, without a NTN/DRN,
will be required to attend a national clinical assessment/interview if the top ranked applicant
does not have a NTN/DRN.
The applicants will be ranked based on the ACF interviews regardless of their ranking in the
national clinical interview.
Following ACF interviews if the preferred applicant holds a clinical NTN or equivalent in the
same GMC specialty they should be offered the ACF post.
What happens if an applicant we make an academic offer to, fails to reach the
required standard in the national clinical assessment/interview?
Their conditional academic offer will need to be withdrawn by the recruitment office and this
will need to be communicated to the applicant.
39
The hold deadline for academic recruitment has been extended to 19th March 2015.
Applicants made conditional offers based on meeting the requirements of a national clinical
assessment/interview should be advised to hold their offer rather than accept it. If they
accept the post, Oriel will withdraw them from all of their other applications. If applicants
subsequently fail to meet the requirements of the national clinical assessment/interview, this
could cause the applicant problems as they will have no live applications in the recruitment
process.
What is the required standard for NIHR ACF candidates undergoing the national
clinical process and/or attending a clinical interview?
Applicants who do not hold an NTN/DRN will need to be assessed and interviewed through
the relevant national process for the specialty. The applicant will be required to reach the
threshold of ‘appointability’ at national selection assessment/interview. They do not need to
have been ranked high enough to have received a post i.e. ‘appointed’.
Applicants that do not reach the appointable score threshold at national selection
assessment/interview will have their ACF offer withdrawn.
All ACF appointment offers to applicants not holding a NTN/ DRN must clearly state that this
is a conditional offer subject to passing the threshold of appointability in the national process
and that offers will be withdrawn from candidates that are unsuccessful in that process.
It is important that specialties clearly determine their appointable threshold in a way that is
transparent, fair and equitable to all ACF applicants. It is recommended as best practice that
cut off scores are agreed prior to interviews.
40
APPENDIX 2 - Process Alignment Group (PAG)
Decisions
The following alignments were agreed by the Process Alignment Group (PAG), to be used
by all recruiters, to ensure that a consistent approach is being used by all specialties, UK
wide.
All recruiters must ensure that they adhere to the decisions, in all of their medical and dental
recruitment processes.
Advertisement
1. All recruiters should adhere to the nationally set recruitment timeframes
2. The nationally agreed template should be used when placing advertisements on NHS
Jobs
3. The nationally agreed template should be used when placing advertisements on the
Oriel portal
Longlisting for CT/ST1
1. Evidence of foundation competence should be provided at the time of application,
where foundation competence has already been achieved
2. Where applicants are currently undertaking a foundation programme they are not
required to provide any evidence of competence at time of application or interview.
Evidence of satisfactory completion of the foundation programme should be provided
before commencement of the post
3. Where an Alternative Certificate is being used as evidence of foundation
competence, this must be the 2015 Alternative Certificate of Foundation Competence
which maps to the 2012 Foundation Curriculum (with 2014 amendments).
Alternative Certificates from previous application years will not be accepted
4. Where the evidence provided is not sufficient and additional information is required
from the applicant to prove their foundation competence, 5 working days should be
allowed for this, from the time contact is made with the applicant
Longlisting for ST3/4
1. Evidence of core competence should be provided at time of application, where core
competence has already been completed
2. Where applicants are currently undertaking a core training programme they are not
required to provide any evidence of competence at time of application or interview.
Evidence of satisfactory completion of the core training programme should be
provided before commencement of the post
3. Where an exam is required as a pre requisite at the time of application, and exam
status is not clear from the application form, applicants should be given 72 hours to
provide appropriate evidence form the time contact is made with them
41
Longlisting – Generic
1. Where applicants make a Fitness to Practise declaration on their application form,
but fail to provide additional information by email, 72 hours should be given for this to
be provided, from the time contact is made with the applicant
2. Where employment gaps are not fully detailed, applicants should be given 72 hours
to provide appropriate information, from the time that initial contact is made with the
applicant
3. Where career progression is not clear from an application, applicants should either
be given 72 hours to provide appropriate information or the application should be
flagged and evidence should be reviewed at interview
Shortlisting
1. Shortlisting guidance, including domains that applications will be score against,
should be provided to applicants
Interviews
1. Applicants should be given at least 5 working days’ notice of an interview. The only
exception to this would be when interview slots become available at a later date, due
to reasons that could not have been foreseen in advance
2. Applicants should be informed of the number of interview stations and what each will
be assessing
3. Publishing of the interview marking scheme (domains not scores available) is
mandatory
4. Each interview should last for a minimum of 30 minutes in total
5. Lay representatives should be used in all interview/selection processes
6. Nationally agreed minimum standard should be used when inviting applicants to
interview
7. Applicants must be informed of what to expect at interview
8. The nationally agreed Interview Document Checklist must be used as a minimum,
however, additional fields can be added, as required
9. The nationally agreed Missing Document Form must be used as a minimum and
issued to applicants at interview. Additional fields can be added, as required
Offers
1. Nationally agreed offer templates should be used, as a minimum
References
1. References should be submitted on the nationally agreed reference form
2. References should not be required until after the applicant has accepted a post
Feedback
1. Feedback to be provided after each stage of the recruitment process
2. Nationally agreed feedback templates should be used as a minimum
3. Interview feedback should be provided no later than 7 days after the national offer
deadline
42
Document Management
1. National deadline for uploading interview documents to Employer portal. No
interview documents to be sent by either post or email
2. Interview documents to be scanned and uploaded to the Employer portal in the same
order as on the nationally agreed Interview Document Checklist
Complaints
1. Nationally agreed complaints procedure to be used for all complaints on recruitment
process
Locum Appointments for Training – England Rules
1. NTN posts to be offered before LAT posts
Fitness to Practise
1. Where applicants have made a Fitness to Practise declaration on their application,
and subsequently accept a post, they must receive confirmation that the receiving
LETB/Deanery is willing to accept them onto a training programme, no later than 7
days after accepting the post
Defence Deanery
1. Defence applicants are required to complete the online application form for all
specialties
2. Defence applicants must not be transferred to the offers part of the Oriel system,
unless they are also applying for a NHS post
3. Interview scores for defence applicants must be provided to the Defence Deanery 5
working days before offers for the specialty are released
4. Offers to Defence Deanery posts must be made by the Defence Deanery and not by
the lead recruiter
43
APPENDIX 3 - National Recruiters
CORE
LEAD RECRUITER
CONTACT
EMAIL
TEL
Acute Care Common Stem - Acute Medicine
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Acute Care Common Stem - Anaesthesia
HE West Midlands
Yvonne Draper
yvonne.draper@wm.hee.nhs.uk
0121 695 2499
Acute Care Common Stem – EM
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
London
Stephen Parr
stephen.parr@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1655
Core Anaesthetics Training
HE West Midlands
Yvonne Drpaer
yvonne.draper@wm.hee.nhs.uk
0121 695 2499
Core Medical Training
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Core Psychiatry Training
HE North West
Janet Brown
janet.brown@nw.hee.nhs.uk
0161 625 7604
Core Surgical Training
HE KSS
Teddy Abrokwa
tabrokwa@kss.hee.nhs.uk
0207 415 3432
Broad Based Training (PILOT)
HE North West
Janet Brown
janet.brown@nw.hee.nhs.uk
0161 625 7604
RUN-THROUGH
LEAD RECRUITER
CONTACT
EMAIL
TEL
Paediatrics
RCPCH
Emily Gooday
Emily.Gooday@rcpch.ac.uk
0207 0926142
Ophthalmology
HE South West
Leann King
Leann.King@southwest.hee.nhs.uk
01454 252659
Neurosurgery
HE Yorkshire
Melanie Whittaker
Melanie.Whittaker@yh.hee.nhs.uk
0114 2264588
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
RCOG
Matthew Huggins
mhuggins@rcog.org.uk
0207 772 6262
Community Sexual and Reproductive Health
HE EOE
Helen Mckee
h.mckee@nhs.net
01223 743 333
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
Histopathology
London
Stephen Parr
stephen.parr@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1655
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
Diagnostic neuropathology
London
Stephen Parr
stephen.parr@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1655
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
Paediatric and perinatal pathology
London
Stephen Parr
stephen.parr@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1655
44
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
Stephen Parr
stephen.parr@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1655
NES
Michele Laverty
Michele.Laverty@nes.scot.nhs.uk
0141 223 1554
Medical Virology
NES
Michele Laverty
Michele.Laverty@nes.scot.nhs.uk
0141 223 1554
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
Clinical Radiology
London
Stephen Parr
stephen.parr@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1655
General Practice
GP NRO
Kelly Chambers
kelly.chambers@wm.hee.nhs.uk
0121 695 2262
Public Health Medicine
HE East Midlands
Marcia Reid
marcia.reid@nhs.net
0115 8233379
Cardiothoracic Surgery (Pilot)
HE Wessex
Anna Parsons
Anna.Parsons@wessex.hee.nhs.uk
01962 718448
UNCOUPLED
LEAD RECRUITER
CONTACT
EMAIL
TEL
Intensive Care Medicine
HE West Midlands
Thomas Melia
Thomas.Melia@wm.hee.nhs.uk
0121 213 1967
Anaesthetics
HE West Midlands
Yvonne Draper
yvonne.draper@wm.hee.nhs.uk
0121 695 2499
Emergency Medicine (ST4)
HE Yorkshire
Melanie Whittaker
Melanie.Whittaker@yh.hee.nhs.uk
0114 2264588
LEAD RECRUITER
CONTACT
EMAIL
TEL
Infectious Diseases
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Respiratory Medicine
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Dermatology
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Neurology
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Cardiology
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Rheumatology
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Genito-urinary Medicine
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Geriatric Medicine
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Medical Oncology
HE KSS
Martyn Clark
mclark@kss.hee.nhs.uk
0207 415 3432
Clinical Neurophysiology
Renal Medicine
HE Yorkshire
RCP
Barbara Welch
barbara.welch@yh.hee.nhs.uk
01482 660718
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Forensic histopathology
London
Medical Microbiology
45
Nuclear Medicine
London
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
Stephen Parr
stephen.parr@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1655
Endocrinology and Diabetes Mellitus
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Gastroenterology
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
Audio vestibular Medicine
London
Stephen Parr
stephen.parr@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1655
Clinical Genetics
HE West Midlands
Denise Harris
denise.harris@wm.hee.nhs.uk
0121 695 2537
Clinical Oncology
HE KSS
Martyn Clark
mclark@kss.hee.nhs.uk
0207 415 3432
Allergy
London
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
Stephen Parr
stephen.parr@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1655
Acute Internal Medicine
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Haematology
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Immunology
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Rehabilitation Medicine
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Sport and Exercise Medicine
HE East Midlands
Marcia Reid
Marcia.reid@nhs.net
0115 823 3379
Occupational Medicine
London
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
Stephen Parr
stephen.parr@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1655
Metabolic Medicine
HE East Midlands
Marcia Reid
Marcia.reid@nhs.net
0115 823 3379
Palliative Medicine
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Medical Ophthalmology
RCP
Stephen Harding
Stephen.Harding@rcplondon.ac.uk
0203 075 1329
Paediatric Cardiology
HE Wessex
Anna Parsons
Anna.Parsons@wessex.hee.nhs.uk
01962 718448
LEAD RECRUITER
CONTACT
EMAIL
TEL
London
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
020 7 863 1621
Stephen Parr
stephen.parr@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
020 7863 1655
General Surgery
Paediatric Surgery
HE Yorkshire
Martin Foster
Martin.Foster@yh.hee.nhs.uk
Otolaryngology
HE Yorkshire
Ryan McKenzie
Ryan.Mckenzie@yh.hee.nhs.uk
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery
HE Yorkshire
Martin Foster
Martin.Foster@yh.hee.nhs.uk
0113 343 1940
46
Urology
HE Yorkshire
Ryan Mckenzie
Ryan.Mckenzie@yh.hee.nhs.uk
0113 343 1940
Plastic Surgery
London
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
Stephen Parr
stephen.parr@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1655
Cardio-thoracic surgery
HE Wessex
Anna Parsons
Anna.Parsons@wessex.hee.nhs.uk
01962 718 448
Vascular Surgery
London
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
Stephen Parr
stephen.parr@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1655
Oral and Maxillo-facial Surgery
HE South West
Leann King
Leann.King@southwest.hee.nhs.uk
01454 252 659
LEAD RECRUITER
CONTACT
EMAIL
TEL
Psychiatry of Learning Disability
HEE North West
Janet Brown
janet.brown@nw.hee.nhs.uk
0161 625 7604
General Psychiatry
HEE North West
Janet Brown
janet.brown@nw.hee.nhs.uk
0161 625 7604
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
HEE North West
Janet Brown
janet.brown@nw.hee.nhs.uk
0161 625 7604
Forensic Psychiatry
HEE North West
Janet Brown
janet.brown@nw.hee.nhs.uk
0161 625 7604
Medical Psychotherapy
HEE North West
Janet Brown
janet.brown@nw.hee.nhs.uk
0161 625 7604
Old Age Psychiatry
HEE North West
Janet Brown
janet.brown@nw.hee.nhs.uk
0161 625 7604
DENTISTRY
LEAD RECRUITER
CONTACT
EMAIL
TEL
Orthodontics
London
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
Dental Foundation
London
Alana Martinez
alana.martinez@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk
0207 863 1621
Paediatric Dentistry
HE West Midlands
Wendy Cole
Wendy.Cole@wm.hee.nhs.uk
0121 695 2590
47
APPENDIX 4 – GLOSSARY OF TERMS
We have attempted to keep this guide as free from jargon and acronyms as is possible, but
in some instances the use of terminology cannot be avoided.
HEE
Health Education England
Deaneries
Within the NHS, the UK is divided up into regional areas, which each manage the
postgraduate medical training carried out within their borders. To date, these regions have
been known as ‘deaneries’.
LETBs
From April 2013 onwards, in England these regions will no longer be known formally as
‘deaneries’, but Local Education and Training Boards, i.e. ‘LETBs’.
The use of ‘LETB’ as a term will only be employed in England; in Scotland and Wales, the
term ‘deanery’ will remain in use.
Recruiting Organisations
This term refers to those bodies coordinating recruitment for a specific specialty. They are
also referred to as Lead Recruiters.
Interview/assessment centre
This refers to the stage of recruitment where an applicant will visit a deanery/UoA to be
assessed in person. 'Assessment/selection centre' will usually refer to the actual
venue/building in which the interview takes place.
Process Alignment Group
PAG
Recruitment Operational Group
ROG
Recruitment Sub-Committee
RSC
Requirements Control Framework
RCF
48
Code of Practice
CoP
Medical and Dental Recruitment and Selection
MDRS
Disclosure & Barring Service, formerly Criminal Record Bureau
DBS
Locum Appointment (Training)
LAT
Locum Appointment (Services)
LAS
National Training Number
NTN
Resident Labour Market Test
RLMT
General Medical Council
GMC
General Dental Council
GDC
English Language Testing System
IELTS
National Recruitment Office
NRO
British Medical Association
BMA
49