FAQs

If there is no acronym / initialism next to the Trust I have been allocated how will I know where I am based?

This is usually because we do not yet know the exact hospital location of your particular placement. Where we are aware of locations, we will specify these. We would recommend contacting the Medical Education Centre at the relevant Trust. See our Trust Contacts sheet for more information.

What is the banding for each placement in the rotation? 

We are not provided with any information regarding the banding of placements in each rotation. For more information on the banding of your placement, please contact Medical Staffing in your Trust.

Does my placement have On Call opportunities?

We are not provided with any information regarding the On Call opportunities during placements. For more information on the On Call opportunities, please contact Medical Staffing in your Trust.

Am I able to swap any of my rotations for F1 or F2?

An internal ‘Swap Shop’ process is available for substantive F1s to swap their entire F2 rotation, if specific criteria are met. Please see our Swap Shop page for more information.

What are the shadowing arrangements?

A mandatory, four-day (minimum), shadowing/induction period has been introduced for all new Foundation Year 1 trainees. The Trusts are currently in the process of creating their new shadowing programmes and will contact all new F1s shortly to confirm the details.

Does the Foundation School offer standalone F2 programmes?

The Oxford Deanery doesn’t have standalone jobs set aside for Foundation Year 2 but we often have vacancies come up over the year. The deanery doesn’t recruit to any foundation vacancies after the national recruitment process for the 2 year programmes. Any vacancies that come up over the year are recruited to by the Trust where the vacancy is. The vacancies are normally advertised on the NHS jobs website.

The Trusts under the Oxford foundation school are:

– Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
– Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
– Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
– Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
– Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

Where will F2 GP placements be based?

If your F2 year has General Practice as one of the placements, this means that you could be sent to any practice in the surrounding area of your allocated trust. Unfortunately we do not have any information on which practices these may be but you will be advised nearer the time of your placement by your Trust.

What am I entitled to in terms of study leave?

Please refer to the Deanery-wide Study Leave guidance for details of how to arrange study leave and funding.  The Foundation School list of essential/desirable courses is available and must be referred to before booking any courses etc. 

Study leave can also be used for taster sessions.