The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) is stopping national recruitment because the number of F2 stand-alone programmes has fallen significantly in recent years, so a UK-wide process is no longer sustainable.
There may still be F2 stand-alone posts in some areas in 2027. What happens to them is up to each nation's statutory education body, in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and the UKFPO will share more information as it becomes available.
What an F2 stand-alone programme is
An F2 stand-alone programme is a one-year, fixed-term Foundation year 2 post that becomes vacant outside the national 2-year Foundation Programme application. That happens when a 2-year programme is left empty after allocation, or when an F1 doesn't go on to take up their F2 year.
It's for doctors with 1 or 2 years of postgraduate experience, or who've finished an internship or F1 equivalent, who want more experience before GP or specialty training. You need to be eligible for full GMC registration. Finishing the year gets you the Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion (FPCC), which shows you're ready for core, specialty or GP training.
This is a summary of what the UKFPO has published, not careers advice. Each nation is deciding its own approach to F2 stand-alone posts, so what happens where you want to work may differ.
Sources: UKFPO: F2 Stand-alone recruitment for 2027 and beyond, UKFPO: F2 Stand-alone programmes and UKFPO: Careers advice and returning to practice
