UKFPO reduce number of places

Just got this email from UKFPO. Looks like there are going to be 120 fewer jobs in England than originally expected and that under 90% of applicants will get into their first choice foundation school (wasn't it 93% or something last year?). I suppose if this is the worse that happens with the application process this year then we will have got off lightly in comparison to some previous years :wink:

Dear Applicant

RE: Foundation Programme places available for all, but number of posts reduced

There are enough Foundation Programme vacancies for all applicants to be placed this year, plus a significant surplus of jobs. That may sound like good news as it means that as long as you demonstrate in your application answers that you meet the person specification, you will be placed during the main recruitment round and can find out your foundation school allocation on 6 January 2009. However, it is bad news for the undersubscribed trusts which cannot staff their rotas due to a lack of applicants.

Because of the difficulty of filling vacancies in certain areas of England, the MMC England Programme Board asked the UK Foundation Programme Office for an options paper to ensure that patient care can be delivered at the required standard in all the trusts across England. They determined that each foundation school in England should remove six posts before you and your colleagues are allocated to a foundation school. Please note that this does not apply to foundation schools in Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland.

What this means to you is that a very small number of programmes previously shown on the website will be removed. The foundation schools are currently in the process of making these changes.

To put it into context, there will be approximately 7,000 applicants for around 7,060 programmes (once the number of programmes is reduced by 120). We predict that, based on applicants’ first choices, nearly 90% of applicants will still get into their first choice foundation school.

It is important to note that these changes will not affect your chances of getting a foundation training job.

Regards

Derek Gallen

National Director

UK Foundation Programme Office

Reply 1

Renal

It makes sense, it's not great for students when they're applying but it will probably be better for them when they start work.

Reply 2

Helenia

If I miss my place in STFS because of this I'll be sad (but unlikely to ever actually find out). That aside, I think it makes sense to do it that way than have some places horrifically understaffed.