North Western Foundation School
Geography
Trusts and Hospitals
- University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
o Furness General Hospital, Barrow
o Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Lancaster - Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
o Royal Preston Hospital
o Chorley and South Ribble District General Hospital, Chorley - East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
o Royal Blackburn Hospital, Blackburn
o Burnley General Hospital, Burnley - Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust
o Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan - Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
o Royal Bolton Hospital, Bolton - Pennine Acute Hospital NHS Trust
o Fairfield General Hospital, Bury
o North Manchester General Hospital, Manchester
o The Royal Oldham Hospital, Oldham
o Rochdale Infirmary, Rochdale - Salford Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
o Salford Royal Hospital, Salford - Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
o Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester
- Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
o Tameside General Hospital, Ashton Under Lyne - The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
o The Christie Hospital, Manchester - University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust
o Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester - Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
o Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport
View North Western Foundation School's hospitals in a larger map
Linked Universities
University of Manchester
University of Lancaster
University of Manchester
University of Lancaster
Statistics
F1 Posts Available
511 F1 posts, 437 chose this unit of application as their first preference. (from the UKFPO's 2014 Applicant's Handbook)
36 Academic Foundation posts.
511 F1 posts, 437 chose this unit of application as their first preference. (from the UKFPO's 2014 Applicant's Handbook)
36 Academic Foundation posts.
Competition Ratio
88.1% in 2014 (from the UKFPO's 2015 Applicant's Handbook).
88.1% in 2014 (from the UKFPO's 2015 Applicant's Handbook).
Scores of Successful Applicants
North Western Foundation School does not appear to publish the scores of successful applicants from previous years.
NOTE: Remember that these numbers fluctuate from year to year, so looking at the statistics from just one year can be misleading.
North Western Foundation School does not appear to publish the scores of successful applicants from previous years.
NOTE: Remember that these numbers fluctuate from year to year, so looking at the statistics from just one year can be misleading.
The Application Process
Appointment to F2 Programmes
Successful applicants are appointed to a two-year programme, usually within the same trust for both years (although bear in mind that all F2 tracks at North Western have a GP placement in the community).
Successful applicants are appointed to a two-year programme, usually within the same trust for both years (although bear in mind that all F2 tracks at North Western have a GP placement in the community).
Linked Applications
Every foundation school honours linked applications so that linked applicants are allocated to the same foundation school. Others (often the larger schools) will honour them further, ensuring applicants are allocated programmes within a certain distance of each other.
North Western will honour linked applications to trust level. You can find full information on their policy for linked applicants here. The link will not be honoured if the applicants rank the twelve trusts in a different order, and if there are not sufficient vacancies to allow both trainees to be at the same trust. The system uses the lowest scoring applicant to allocate the pair. Trainees can choose to 'unlink' following allocation to school.
Every foundation school honours linked applications so that linked applicants are allocated to the same foundation school. Others (often the larger schools) will honour them further, ensuring applicants are allocated programmes within a certain distance of each other.
North Western will honour linked applications to trust level. You can find full information on their policy for linked applicants here. The link will not be honoured if the applicants rank the twelve trusts in a different order, and if there are not sufficient vacancies to allow both trainees to be at the same trust. The system uses the lowest scoring applicant to allocate the pair. Trainees can choose to 'unlink' following allocation to school.
The Programme
Posts Available
You can find a chart of the posts available to this year's applicants here. If you are successful in securing a place at North Western Foundation School, you will then be asked to rank the trusts, and then the programmes at the trust to which you have been allocated. This means that trainees cannot rank programmes at two separate trusts; however, trainees will not have to rank as many programmes under this system. The two year programmes are all organised into six 4-month rotations. At North West, all tracks include a 4-month GP placement during F2.
You can find a chart of the posts available to this year's applicants here. If you are successful in securing a place at North Western Foundation School, you will then be asked to rank the trusts, and then the programmes at the trust to which you have been allocated. This means that trainees cannot rank programmes at two separate trusts; however, trainees will not have to rank as many programmes under this system. The two year programmes are all organised into six 4-month rotations. At North West, all tracks include a 4-month GP placement during F2.
Training Options
Providing eligibility, Less Than Full Time (LTFT) training may be undertaken through slot-sharing, reduced hours in a full-time post, or in a supernumerary post.
Overseas training is not permitted during either F1 or F2.
Providing eligibility, Less Than Full Time (LTFT) training may be undertaken through slot-sharing, reduced hours in a full-time post, or in a supernumerary post.
Overseas training is not permitted during either F1 or F2.
Academic Foundation Posts
There are 36 posts available - 24 posts available in research, 8 in medical education, 4 in leadership & management. Academic programmes do not tend to be tied to a specialty: although the trainee has support from academic leads, they have freedom to choose the direction of their academic work. The format of the 4 month academic block differs between trusts: in some, it will be a dedicated research block without clinical commitment; in others, there is a significant clinical workload alongside academic work.
The academic programmes available at North West Foundation School can be found on their Academic Foundation Recruitment page, organised by employing trust. Here you can also find out whether the academic block is purely research or contains some clinical commitments. F1 and F2 years are divided into 3 x 4 month placements, and academic trainees remain at the same trust for both foundation years.
The academic programmes available at North West Foundation School can be found on their Academic Foundation Recruitment page, organised by employing trust. Here you can also find out whether the academic block is purely research or contains some clinical commitments. F1 and F2 years are divided into 3 x 4 month placements, and academic trainees remain at the same trust for both foundation years.
Medical Education Posts
There are 8 academic medical education posts at North West Foundation School.
Academic education trainees are encouraged to undertake academic work throughout the two foundation years, rather than purely during their 4 month academic block.
There are 8 academic medical education posts at North West Foundation School.
Academic education trainees are encouraged to undertake academic work throughout the two foundation years, rather than purely during their 4 month academic block.
GMC Quality Assurance and National Training Survey
The National Training Survey is conducted annually by the GMC. It aims to examine the quality of postgraduate education and training by collecting anonymous feedback from trainees about their posts.
This year, the GMC have launched an online version: the National Training Survey reporting tool. There is a lot of information available on this tool, but you could get started with "Foundation school by foundation scheme". This tool displays feedback from trainees about their rotations (e.g. anaesthetics, general surgery) at every foundation school. You can just browse the results, or by using the filter tool, you can make a couple of useful comparisons:
This year, the GMC have launched an online version: the National Training Survey reporting tool. There is a lot of information available on this tool, but you could get started with "Foundation school by foundation scheme". This tool displays feedback from trainees about their rotations (e.g. anaesthetics, general surgery) at every foundation school. You can just browse the results, or by using the filter tool, you can make a couple of useful comparisons:
- You can compare the same rotation at different foundation schools, e.g. general medicine at North Western vs. Staffordshire Foundation School.
- You can compare different rotations at the same foundation school, e.g. general medicine vs. general surgery at North Western Foundation School.
