South West Region Applicant Guide

Overview

Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) recruitment for the University of Bristol is managed by the NHSE South West Recruitment Office. Applications are welcomed for candidates who are looking for a unique opportunity to combine clinical training with academic research. These posts are designed to support aspiring clinical academics in specialty training to prepare an application for a Training Fellowship leading to a PhD (or equivalent), or if applicable a postdoctoral fellowship.

Please note NIHR are introducing important updates to the recruitment process for 2026. The updated guidance is detailed in this document and NIHR website.

• University of Bristol are taking part in the pilot to include Public Health candidates from a Background Other Than Medicine (BOTM).
• Update to shortlisting eligibility criteria for all candidates.
• Update to shortlisting eligibility criteria for candidates applying to the Disability Confidence Scheme. 
• Update to shortlist and invitation to interview process for University of Bristol candidates. 

 

Summary of Posts

Post	Research Theme	GMC Specialty 1	GMC Specialty 2	GMC Specialty 3	Oriel Vacancy ID	Contact
NIHR ACF Post 1	Response Mode	Cardio-thoracic Surgery	Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery		6083	Professor Gianni Angelini and Professor Michael Whitehouse
NIHR ACF Post 2	Response Mode	Emergency Medicine	Anaesthetics	Intensive Care Medicine	6091	Professor Tony Pickering and Professor Edd Carlton
NIHR ACF Post 3	Response Mode	Clinical Oncology	Urology		6097	Dr Sarah Hargreaves and Professor Jonathan Aning
NIHR ACF Post 4	Response Mode	Cardiology	Renal Medicine		6100	Dr Tom Johnson and Professor Pippa Bailey
NIHR ACF Post 5	Response Mode	General Surgery	Ophthalmology		6101	Professor Jane Blazeby and Dr Denzie Atan
NIHR ACF Post 6	Response Mode	Paediatrics	Respiratory Medicine		6103	Professor Richard Coward and Dr Anna Bibby
NIHR ACF Post 7	Response Mode	Gastroenterology	Neurology		6105	Dr Kush Abeysekera and Dr Claire Rice
NIHR ACF Post 8	Digital	Obstetrics and Gynaecology	Respiratory Medicine		6108	Dr Christy Burden and Dr Anna Bibby
NIHR ACF Post 9	Prevention and Public Health	Public Health Medicine			6109	Professor Ruth Kipping
NIHR ACF Post 10	Clinical Therapeutics & Pharmacology & Industry	Renal Medicine	Rheumatology		6110	Professor Pippa Bailey and Professor John Pauling
NIHR ACF Post 11	Multiple Long Term Conditions	General Practice	Palliative Medicine		6111	Dr Rachel Johnson and Dr Charlotte Chamberlain
NIHR ACF Post 12	Dementia	Neurology			6112	Dr Claire Rice
NIHR ACF Post 13	Mental Health	Child and Adolescent Psychiatry	General Adult Psychiatry	Psychiatry of Learning Disability	6114	Dr Helen Bould
NIHR ACF Post 14	Primary Care and Community Care	General Practice	Dermatology		6115	Professor Debbie Sharp, Dr Jessica Watson and Professor Matthew Ridd

Key Dates

Applications Open	Thursday 2 October 2025, 10:00 (UK time)
Applications Close	Thursday 30 October 2025, 16:00 (UK time)
Interviews	November–January 2026 (via MS Teams)
Initial Offers	Tuesday 20 January 2026
Hold Deadline	Tuesday 27 January 2026

 

View the national specialty training recruitment timetable here: National Recruitment Timelines

Please note: Each ACF post represents one job, even if multiple specialties are listed.

You may not apply to multiple specialties within the same vacancy.

The vacancies are correct at point of advertisement but may be subject to change; alterations to vacancies published will be notified to candidates that register an interest by starting an application via Oriel.

 

Application Rules & Limits

• A maximum of three ACF applications can be made nationally. This includes all regions, specialties and universities. New for 2026 Oriel, will not allow more than 3 ACF applications to be made. Please only submit your preferred 3 choices as a 4th application will be rejected automatically.
• As part of the selection process candidates are required to demonstrate competence at Foundation Level or equivalent. If you are using a CREST Form to demonstrate competence you now only need to submit one CREST document across the ACF Round and Round 1 applications, so the document you submit in an ACF application will be used for any applications made within Round 1 in the same recruitment year.
• No edits to applications are permitted after submission.

 

Completing Your Application

• Some sections of the application form may have character limits; prioritise relevant information.
• It is essential to refer to the advert text, hyperlinks and files tab on each vacancy for further details and contact information.
• Save and review your application thoroughly before submitting.
• Refer to the Academic and Clinical person specifications and NIHR shortlisting scoring framework when completing your application. See NIHR website for the scoring criteria.

 

Eligibility Criteria

• There are rules regarding eligibility to apply for specialty training in the United Kingdom.
• If you are submitting an application, you will need to make sure that you meet all the eligibility criteria by the closing date of applications unless an alternative date is specified in the advert or clinical and academic person specifications.
• These requirements are outlined in the ST1, ST2, ST3 or ST4 Person Specifications and the Academic Person Specification. Refer to Academic and Clinical person specifications when considering eligibility.
• ACF posts are open to individuals entering or currently in medical specialty training. Higher-level applicants may apply for lower-level ACFs but must start at the advertised level.

 

Foundation Competence

You are required to provide evidence of achievement of Foundation Competence when applying for CT1/ST1 level posts.

 

Current UK Foundation Programme

• Not required to provide any further evidence at the time of application but will be required to provide a Foundation Programme Certificate of Competence (FPCC) to the employer and the NHSE Local Office/Deanery on completion of training and prior to commencement in post.

 

Completed UK Foundation Programme (after February 2023)

• Required to upload an FPCC to the application form at the time of application submission.

 

Currently in a training post with NTN/DRN

• Applicants are considered to have had their Foundation competences assessed on entry to core training and therefore do not need to confirm this again. No further evidence needed.

 

Others (CREST)

• Applicants are required to complete and submit a Certificate of Readiness to Enter Specialty Training. Because of changes to the process, only the 2024 version of this form will be accepted. 

The post that has been assessed as delivering equivalence of Foundation competence must be wholly undertaken in the 3½ years prior to the post start date, to which the applicant is applying.

The 2024 CREST form was updated in September 2024 to include an applicant checklist. Either version of the 2024 CREST form (last updated 2023 or 2024) will be accepted for 2026 recruitment rounds. Older versions are not accepted.

Please click here for CREST resources

The CREST should also be used for Public Health applicants applying from a medical background.

You are only able to submit one CREST document per recruitment round. This document will be used across all applications in that round where you indicate that a CREST is required.

 

Important: If you are required to submit evidence of competence, for example a Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion (FPCC) or a Certificate of Readiness to Enter Specialty Training (CREST), with your application and do not do so then you will not be offered another opportunity to upload it and your application will not proceed to the next stage of the process.

All candidates: Please check benchmarking requirements and eligibility in person specification.

 

Core Competence

You are required to provide evidence of achievement of Core Competence when applying for training programmes with ST3/ ST4 entry levels.

 

Current UK Core Training Programme holding NTN

• For example: Current IMT2 applying for an ACF in Haematology at ST3 level. 

Applicants are not required to provide any further evidence at the point of application but, if appointed, will be required to achieve a Core Training Certificate or an ARCP outcome 6 prior to commencement.

Current UK Core Training Programme holding NTN in the specialty you are applying to

• For example: Current IMT1 applying for an ACF in Haematology at IMT2 level.

Applicants are not required to provide any further evidence at the point of application but, if appointed, will be expected to achieve competences and a successful ARCP outcome to progress in training.

 

Completed Core Training Programme

• Provide a Core Training Certificate or an ARCP outcome 6 at the time of application submission; similar to foundation competence, some specialties may have a time limit set on when an ARCP outcome remains valid before alternative evidence is required; check the relevant person specification for guidance.

 

Others

• Applicants currently not undertaking a UK Core Training Programme or who have completed a UK Core Training Programme previously but are unable to provide appropriate evidence are required to demonstrate equivalence.

Satisfactory evidence will vary by specialty. Please refer to the National Recruitment Office webpage and person specification for support on how to demonstrate competence / eligibility.

Should you require support, please seek advice from the lead recruiter.

 

Public Health - from a Background Other Than Medicine (BOTM)

• Candidates from a BOTM applying to the pilot are able to enter at ST2 or ST3 and must already hold a National Training Number (NTN).
• Applicants from a BOTM must select the option for ‘Another practitioner’ in the ‘Training history / Previous training details’ section on part 2 of the application form. 

 

All candidates: Please check benchmarking requirements and eligibility in person specification.

Important: It is important that you refer to the person specification for the entry level and specialty to which you are applying to in order to determine you are submitting the correct eligibility evidence.

Please click here to review the person specification for your specialty

 

Clinical Benchmarking

Applicants must meet clinical benchmarking before the ACF post start date by demonstrating appointability at the national clinical interview for the relevant GMC specialty and ST level.

• Benchmarking is mandatory if you’re successful at the ACF interview but don’t hold an NTN or DRN in the appropriate specialty/level.
• Only one attempt is allowed per ACF post.
• Failure to meet the appointability threshold will result in withdrawal of any offer, though you may reapply in future rounds.
• Applicants who already have an NTN/DRN in the specialty they are applying for do not need to participate in national recruitment as they have already been clinically benchmarked.
• Please note, it is the candidates responsibility to ensure they have submitted a clinical application for the particular specialty in order to benchmark if required.

 

• Round 1 (CT/ST1) applications open from 10am on Thursday 23 October 2025 until 4pm on Thursday 20 November 2025 and

• Round 2 (ST3/4) applications open from 10am on Thursday 20 November 2025 until 4pm on Thursday 11 December 2025.

 

Academic & Clinical Training Structure

This ACF provides 25% protected academic time, with the remaining 75% dedicated to clinical training. Academic time may be arranged as either day-release or block-release, depending on individual and programme needs.
For General Practice ACFs (if applicable), the structure may vary:

• ST1 (four-year post)
• ST2 (three-year post)
• ST3 (two-year post)

All include 12 months of protected academic time, regardless of total post duration. Please access the Primary Care recruitment webpage here for further information on Academic & Clinical training in General Practice. 

 

Longlisting & Shortlisting

All applications will be checked for evidence of the essential criteria outlined in the person specification.

• Applications that do not demonstrate the criteria will not continue through the process. Applicants will be notified of this decision via email.

 

Tip: Candidates are advised to check their junk mail inbox on a regular basis in case any messages regarding your application have been filtered into there.

 

• Where appropriate, Academic Clinical Fellowship applications will be subjected to the shortlisting process.
• Applications will be scored against a predefined NIHR shortlisting scoring framework by a panel of consultants from clinical and academic backgrounds involved in the recruitment process.
• Applicants are scored out of a maximum score of 28 (per shortlister), including questions on academic experience and potential.

Eligibility

• There have been changes to the shortlisting threshold.

• All applicants must score a minimum of 2 points in both the ‘Academic Experience’ and ‘Academic Potential’ questions to be eligible to be shortlisted.

 

• Where there is more than one shortlister scoring an application, the cut off will be a multiple of the number of shortlisters (i.e. 2 x the number of shortlisters).

 

• To be eligible under the disability confidence scheme, candidates are also required to achieve a total score of at least 11 points (39%) to be invited to interview.

 

• (i.e. where there are two shortlisters the cut off will be 22)

 

• The scoring framework and eligibility criteria have been supplied to candidates by the NIHR. Please visit NIHR website for full details.

 

Important (University of Bristol Applicants):

Changes to the shortlisting process

• For the 2026 recruitment cycle we have modified the shortlisting process.
• For posts with competing specialties, applications will be divided into specialty groups. Applications will be reviewed by clinicians from the parent specialty.
• When the shortlisting is complete, a ranked list of candidates will be produced, one for each specialty and the top ranking two candidates from each list will be invited to attend an interview irrespective of their shortlisting scores.

Interview Process

Platform: MS Teams
Duration: Up to 1 hour (including 10-minute preparation)
Format: Single 30-minute station

 

• The interview panel’s main aim is to find out whether you meet the requirements of the person specification for the post for which you are applying, and to make sure that only the best candidates are selected in this highly competitive process.
• Interview dates will be confirmed and published on our website in due course, unless published on the main advert. If no date is published this is subject to confirmation.
• Interview slots will be pre-allocated via email, or where possible, available to book.
• Interview invitations are sent via Oriel/email/SMS; book slot within 48 hours.

Tip: Opt into SMS messages and we will text you with important updates in the recruitment process. Remember to keep checking your junk/spam inboxes.

• Applicants will be provided with a email outlining additional information regarding the interview schedule and the additional documentation required when invited to attend the interviews.

 

Offers & Feedback

Offers made via Oriel starting Tuesday 20 January 2026.

Hold deadline: Tuesday 27 January 2026.

 

Tip: Once again it is worthwhile keeping an eye on Junk/Spam inboxes as the emails can end up in here.

• Feedback will be available after longlisting, shortlisting and interview.
• Please note there is no appeals process. Any issues must be raised with the recruitment team no later than 30 minutes after your interview is completed.

Please click here for supporting guidance

 

Fitness to Practice

• If applicable, email the completed Fitness to Practice form to England.confidential.sw@nhs.net by the application deadline.

Please click here for supporting documents

 

Deferred Start Dates:

• Permitted only on statutory grounds (e.g. parental leave, illness) in line with the Gold Guide and is subject to approval by NHSE Office / Deanery.

 

Less Than Full Time (LTFT) Training

• Review the Southwest LTFT Policy here.

Please click here for supporting documents

 

Reapplication to specialty

• Applicants must complete the "Support for Reapplication to a Specialty Training Programme" form if they have previously resigned or been removed from any specialty or core training programme, regardless of the specialty they are now applying to.

Please click here for supporting documents 

 

Reapplication to a Different Region

• The "Support for Reapplication of Specialty Training in a Different Region" form is only for current ACF trainees with an NTN or DRN who are reapplying in open competition and intend to change region.

Please click here for supporting documents

 

References

• You will need to provide details, including up to date email addresses, of three referees who have supervised your training over the past three years, including one academic referee. 
• If you have recently had a career break and cannot nominate referees from the past three years, then your referees must include your two most recent supervisors. 
• Referees will be contacted by email with details of their referee accounts, so it is important that the contact details provided are correct.
• References will only be requested once applicants have accepted a training offer.

 

Round 2 Recruitment

A second round will occur only if vacancies remain after Round 1.

Contact & Support

Candidate Support Line: 01454 252610
Email: England.ACFRecruitment.SW@nhs.net