Academic Foundation Programme (AFP)
Recruitment to London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex Academic Foundation Programmes (AFP) is a locally managed recruitment process. The application period for Academic Foundation Programmes (AFP) comencing in August 2021 has now closed.
Due to COVID-19 and government recommendations relating to social distancing it was decided that there were to be no face-to-face interviews during the 2020 round of AFP recruitment. All interviews were facilitated remotely via an online platform. Please note that there may be the requirement for further changes to made to the recruitment process for upcoming recruitment rounds due to COVID-19 and government recommendations.
Infromation about the 2021 Academic Foundation Programmes (AFP) recruitment process will be publsihed to this page shortly. However If in the interim you have any queries, you may contact the recruitment team via the Applicant Support Portal.
The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) has published guidance for applicants to the 2021 Academic Foundation Programme (AFP) containing comprehensive details on this year’s application process plus a timeline showing key dates.
Applications to Academic Foundation Programme (AFP) and Foundation Programme (FP) 2021 will need to be submitted during the same application window. Applications for AFP will be made separately through Oriel to a maximum of two Academic Units of Application (AUoAs), and will comprise the standard application form, plus additional information required by AUoAs.
Successful AFP applicants will receive offers from AUoAs in advance of the allocation for Foundation Programme places. Successful AFP applicants who accept an offer cannot be included in the FP allocation. Unsuccessful AFP applicants, or those who decline all offers, will be included automatically in the FP allocation. The national application process is complete once all applicants have been allocated to a UoA, or when all available places have been filled (please see the UKFPO link - http://www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/ for more detailed information).
In order to meet the eligibility criteria for an Academic Foundation Programme for 2021 entry, you must either have qualified or are expecting to qualify from a UK medical school between 20th July 2021 – 2nd September 2021; or you must complete an online Eligibility application form and submit the required documentation by post to the UKFPO’s Eligibility Office 20th July 2020 – 2nd September 2020 Please see www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk for full details.
If you have a query please contact the team via our London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex post graduate medical and dental education (PGMDE) Support
Prospective applicants must complete a standard national application form and provide supplementary information. Applications must be submitted online between 19th October – 4th November 2020.
Applicants will be issued with an applicant ID number, which is a specific number assigned to each applicant when they enroll on the national online recruitment system. Please note that late applications will not be accepted under any circumstances. Applicants should plan to complete and submit their application in good time well ahead of the deadline to avoid any potential last-minute problems with internet connection or other technical issues. Late applications will not be accepted.
Stage 1 – Application forms will undergo a locally-managed long-listing and short-listing process. Applicants will be informed of their application status and successful applicants will be invited by 1pm (GMT) on 18th November 2020 to select their preferred interview slot via Oriel.
Stage 2 – 4 single-day interview episodes will take place in November 2020; December 2020 and January 2021. Applicants will sit the SJT during 1 of the 2 SJT test windows either on 7th – 19th December 2020 or 18th – 23rd January 2021.
Stage 3 - Applicants will be informed of their application status and offers made by
1pm (GMT) on 13th January 2021 via Oriel. Applicants will be provided with 48 hours to accept or decline an offer.
This document outlines the local process to be used by applicants applying to London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex Academic Unit of Application (AUoA). For generic information on the AFP 2021 application process, please go to the Academic section of the UKFPO website and download the FP/AFP 2020 Applicant’s Handbook. Full details are available at: http://www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/faqs
Applicants to London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex are managed via Oriel 2. Applicants may access the portal at the following address https://new.oriel.nhs.uk/Web.
The Oriel applicant portal is compatible with Internet Explorer 11, Safari 7+, Google Chrome 30+, Firefox 24+ and Edge. Applicants are advised to use one of these browsers when using the website and preferably the most up to date version of that browser. Please note that the system is not compatible with Internet Explorer 7 – 10.
If you find yourself getting stuck in a ‘loop’ or if there appears to be an error on the system, please try to access the site from a different web browser, for example, Google Chrome, or delete your cache or internet browser history. For technical queries, please contact the technical helpdesk via support@hicom.co.uk. Please do not open Oriel in multiple browsers as your changes might not be saved.
The academic application form is divided into eleven sections which are detailed in the table below. Each section may be accessed from tabs at the top of the screen within Oriel.
If you wish to apply for AFP 2021, you will need to apply to each AUoA separately (up to a maximum of two AUoAs). As you will have previously registered through the Oriel system, details included on the registration pages will be pre-populated in the application form. You will be required to provide additional information to support your AFP application(s) and to rank the academic programmes available in your order of preference.
Generic information on the FP/AFP recruitment process is accessible via the national UKFP 2021 Applicant’s Handbook is available at the following
North Central and North East London, North West London and South Thames Foundation Schools have joined together to form the London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex (London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex) Academic Unit of Application (UoA) for the purpose of recruiting applicants to Academic Foundation Programmes (AFP) commencing in August 2021.
The London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex AFP AUoA is affiliated to seven medical schools/universities which together offer a total of 127 Academic Foundation Programmes
| Medical School/University | Foundation School | No. of Programmes |
| Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) | STFS | 18 |
| Imperial College London (IMP) | NWLFS | 30 |
| King's College London (KCL) – Kings College Hospital | STFS | 7 |
| King's College London (KCL) - Guy’s and St. Thomas’ | STFS | 12 |
| Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) | NCELFS | 24 |
| St George’s University of London (SGUL) | STFS | 12 |
| University College London (UCL) | NCELFS | 21 |
| University of Surrey | STFS | 3 |
| Total: 127 |
Successful applicants are recruited to a specific 4-month academic F2 post e.g. academic GUM. This post sits within a generic 2-year foundation programme with 5 other clinical placements, balanced to enable acquisition of foundation competences. Applicants should note that clinical placements are subject to change dependent on service need and provisional until confirmed by the employing healthcare organisation.
Details of both the London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex AFP AUoA application process and the programmes available are given below and are also available at: https://www.lpmde.ac.uk/laserecruitment/medical-foundation-recruitment
If you have a query regarding any aspect of the process for applying for a London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex academic foundation programme please contact us through our London and Kent, Surrey and Sussex PGMDE Suppo