Swapping Foundation Posts and Rotations
Important:
- F1 programmes cannot be swapped.
- This policy applies to F2 programme swaps only.
Key Principles
- You cannot swap rotations or posts unless through the official F2 swaps process or with exceptional approval by the Foundation School Director.
- Allocations to Foundation Programmes are made through a fair and transparent national process — rotations cannot be exchanged privately.
- Any unauthorised changes will not have educational approval.
- For selection into specialty training, it is important that you show evidence of Foundation capabilities as well as suitability for and commitment to that specialty. Selection panels are aware that many FDs will not have had their most preferred rotations. What they will be looking for is evidence of your commitment to that specialty e.g.
- Tasters
- Audit
- Careers activity
Why Swaps Are Limited
The School recognises that allocating a two-year programme can limit the range of posts available to Foundation Doctors (FDs). While our responsibility is to ensure that each doctor is placed in a generic programme that enables them to meet the curriculum outcomes, we are keen to improve FD satisfaction with their programmes wherever possible. For this reason, we offer an F2 swaps process.
- While the School wishes to achieve the best possible outcomes for Foundation Doctors, it does not want to create unrealistic expectations that all swap requests can be accommodated.
- All doctors are allocated a balanced 2-year programme.
- Swaps must:
- Maintain a safe workforce across trusts
- Not create staffing gaps affecting patient safety
- Keep programmes educationally balanced
Our ability for Swaps is limited and therefore not guaranteed. The school has a responsibility to ensure that every doctor undertakes an appropriately balanced rotation.
Application Process
- F1 doctors will receive an email in November/December with instructions.
- Deadline for application is usually early January.
- You must:
- Submit one complete application
- Ensure all information is correct
- After submission:
- No changes can be made it is the applicants responsibility to ensure correct completion of the form
- Applications cannot be withdrawn once the deadline for submission has past
- Outcomes are final
❗ Late applications are not accepted.
Important Rules
- Swaps can only happen within the official window.
- You cannot arrange swaps privately with colleagues.
- Once approved:
- You cannot decline or reverse the swap. Your original programme allocation will not be available.
- Priority for swaps will be given to requests with approved special circumstances (for Option 1 only) after which swaps will be considered in a random order. The school will use a random number generator to allocate a number to each applicant and swaps will be considered in that order.
F2 Swap Options
Option 1: Change Location
- Apply to move to another area (e.g. Torbay → Plymouth).
- You must be willing to accept any suitable programme in that location.
- Priority is given to approved special circumstances, subject to availability see Appendix 1.
Option 2: Swap One Post
- Stay in the same location but swap one placement (keeping your other posts in your allocated programme).
- Your programme must still:
- Remain balanced
- Include at least one community placement **(see footnote)
- You cannot:
- Repeat specialties
- Do two community placements
- Swap for something very similar to an existing post
- Ask to swap to a specialty that your location does not currently offer to F2 residents
A balanced programme usually includes:
- At least one medical placement
- One surgical placement
- One community or psychiatry placement
Decision-Making
- All applications are reviewed individually.
- The Head of School’s decision is final.
- There is no appeals process.
Additional Notes
- Only one application per F1 will be considered if multiple applications are submitted only the latest application by time and date will be considered.
- Special circumstances apply to location swaps only.
LINKED APPLICANTS
Applicants, who entered the Peninsula Foundation School as linked applicants, will be treated as UNLINKED in the swaps process unless they both indicate on their individual online forms that they want to be treated as LINKED.
If you were not a linked applicant but now want to be treated as LINKED for the swaps process e.g. you only want to move to Plymouth if your partner can move to Plymouth, then you both need to indicate that on your online Swaps forms.
- Linking your application with someone else’s may reduce the chances of either of you achieving a swap of location.
Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) F1 doctors
Now that allocation to the Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) is made through the Preferenced Informed Allocation (PIA) process, we will consider requests from F1 doctors allocated to an SFP who wish to swap their F2 programme. We will only consider requests to swap from an SFP F2 programme to a standard F2 year, recognising that PIA may result in some residents being allocated to an SFP programme they do not wish to undertake.
SFP F1 doctors cannot apply to swap their allocated F2 academic component under any circumstances. For example, SFP doctors cannot swap a PG Cert programme for a research academic programme. Any swap from an allocated SFP F2 programme remains dependent on suitable vacancies being available and therefore cannot be guaranteed.
If Your Swap Is Not Approved
- The decision is final. There is no appeals process.
- No further swaps will be considered later even if vacancies arise.
- You are encouraged to:
- Arrange specialty tasters in areas of interest
- Speak with your supervisor or PGME team
** The only exception to this is if your originally allocated two-year programme did NOT contain a community post. Then you would be exempt from the rule about a swap maintaining a community placement. All other rules would still apply.
Appendix 1
Peninsula Foundation School – Criteria for special circumstances applied to swaps requests
To be considered for prioritisation in the Peninsula Foundation School swaps process on the grounds of special circumstances, you must meet one of the criteria 1 -4 below.
The following (in isolation) DO NOT constitute grounds for making a Special Circumstances application:
Wishing to stay in the same Trust/wishing to move to a different Trust
Living/owning property in a specific location
A spouse’s/partner’s geographical location
Career aspirations (i.e., your allocated programme does not contain the specialty you want)
As with all swaps applications the ability to accommodate a swap of your F2 programme depends on there being a suitable vacancy available.
2.1 Criterion 1: You are a parent or legal guardian of a child or children under the age of 18, who reside primarily with you or for whom you have significant caring responsibilities
2.1.1 If your sole criterion is that you (or your partner) are currently pregnant, you will not be regarded as eligible for special circumstances under this criterion.
2.1.2 It is expected that you and your child(ren) in this category will remain at your current address and application for a swap will be remain at the hospital trust local to that address.
2.1.3 If you and the child(ren) do not normally reside together, this should be referred to on the application form, and information supplied as to why the caring responsibilities remain equally significant.
2.1.4 You will be required to supply the following supporting evidence: –
- Copy of birth certificate(s) of the child(ren)
- for legal guardians, a copy of the legal document that confirms your status for the child named in the birth certificate.
- statement confirming that you have significant caring responsibilities for the child(ren) from an appropriate professional who you have known for at least six months, except for in a minority of cases.
- proof of current address, e.g. driving licence, utility bill dated within the last three months or council tax bill dated within the last twelve months.
2.2 Criterion 2: You are the primary carer for someone who is disabled (as defined by the Equality Act 2010)
Definition of ‘disability’ under the Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. For the purposes of the Act: –
- substantial means more than minor or trivial
- long-term means that the effect of the impairment has lasted or is likely to last for at least 12 months.
- normal day-to-day activities include things like eating, washing, walking, and going shopping.
Some conditions, such as addictions to non-prescribed substances, are specifically excluded.
People who have had a disability in the past that meet this definition are also covered by the scope of the Act.
There are additional provisions relating to people with progressive conditions. People with HIV, cancer and multiple sclerosis are protected by the Act from the point of diagnosis. People with visual impairments are automatically deemed to be disabled.
2.2.1 For you to meet this criterion, you must be the primary carer for this person, who would normally be your partner, sibling, or parent.
2.2.2 If the person you are caring for is not your partner, sibling or parent, you will have to explain clearly and present a strong case as to why and how you have the role of primary carer for this person.
2.2.3 If you provide care for a person as part of a group of carers, e.g. a family, you are not eligible to apply under this criterion.
2.2.4 It is expected that you and the person who you care for in this category will remain at your current address(es), and the application for a swap will be to the hospital trust local to that address. If this is not the case, relevant evidence must be supplied as to why follow up arrangements could not continue as present.
You will be required to supply the following supporting evidence: –
- statement from GP/Social Services professional that you have known at least six months, confirming your role as primary carer for this person.
- proof of current address, e.g. driving licence, utility bill dated within the last three months or council tax bill dated within the last twelve months.
2.3 Criterion 3: The applicant has a medical condition or disability for which ongoing follow up for the condition in the specified location is an absolute requirement
2.3.1 As you already have this medical condition, it is expected that you will remain at your current address, and application for a swap will be to the hospital trust local to that address.
2.3.2 If the request for a swap is not for the hospital trust local to your current address, relevant evidence must be supplied as to why follow up arrangements could not continue as present.
2.3.3 You will be required to supply the following supporting evidence (the supporting evidence needs to be clear and explicit, and it must state why you need to be at a particular hospital trust)
- A report, by the current medical specialist treating your condition or Occupational Health physician, in which they will be required to: –
- Describe the current medical condition or disability
- Describe the nature of the ongoing treatment and frequency
- Explain why the follow up must be delivered in a specific location rather than by other treatment centres in the Peninsula.
- proof of current address, e.g. driving licence, utility bill dated within the last three months or council tax bill dated within the last twelve months.
2.4 Criterion 4: Educational support
2.4.1 If you consider there are unique circumstances that require you to be in a particular hospital trust due to educational reasons.
2.4.2 Relevant reasons include where it is recommended that a trainee experiencing difficulties remains in the same trust to benefit from the continued support of the local education team.
2.4.3 Educational reason DO NOT include a request to transfer based on wanting to complete a particular specialty offered by a particular trust.
- You will be required to supply the following supporting evidence:
- Statement from current Foundation Programme Director setting out the reasons for remaining in the current trust.