ACF Rheumatology 2023 (Leeds)
One post in Rheumatology at ST1: Research theme Multimorbidity at Any Age
The University of Leeds, in partnership with Health Education England Yorkshire and the Humber and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, have developed an exciting pathway of academic clinical training opportunities.
Applications are now invited for an Academic Clinical Fellowship in Rheumatology at ST1 level in Leeds from August 2023.
This new post has been created as part of the Health Education England (HEE) programme of Integrated Academic Training and offers candidates a comprehensive experience of clinical academic medicine working alongside internationally renowned clinicians and researchers.
We are seeking highly motivated, enthusiastic individuals with the potential to excel in both their clinical and academic training and who have the ambition to be the next generation of academic clinicians.
This Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) programme in Rheumatology will be run by the University of Leeds, the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Health Education England Yorkshire and the Humber.
Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACFs) are 3 year fixed-term national training posts. They attract an NTN(A) and trainees undertake 75% clinical and 25% academic training over the term of the post. They are employed by the NHS Trust and have an honorary contract with the University at whose Medical School their academic research is supported.
ACF trainees also undertake a Research Training Programme provided by the University for which funding is provided by NIHR. They also are eligible for a £1,000 bursary per year to support research training activity (e.g to attend academic conferences).
ACF trainees would also normally complete and submit an external funding application for a research fellowship to enable them to complete a higher degree (PhD or research MD) following the completion of their ACF fixed-term post, which would be completed as Out-of-Programme-Research (OOPR).
All Academic Clinical Fellowships are run-through posts, regardless of specialty, with the exception of ‘Medical Education’ ACFs. A trainee entering ACF in a specialty during a Core Training period would therefore be guaranteed continued training to CCT in the eventual specialty, as long as they progress satisfactorily through both their academic and clinical training. Run-through status is withdrawn if ACFs do not complete the academic component.
The full Job Description for this post is available to download from the right of this page.
Please note: All applicants who do not already hold a National Training Number (NTN) or Deanery Reference Number (DRN) in the GMC specialty to which they are applying for will be required to undertake the national clinical recruitment process and attend an assessment/interview for that GMC specialty as appropriate.
NIHR have produced some Frequently Asked Questions for applicants. You are advised to read this document in full before submitting your application.
Further sources of information
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
- Yorkshire and the Humber Academic Training webpages
- University of Leeds
Details of the recruitment process are provided below.
To apply for this recruitment process, please visit the Oriel online recruitment system.
Contact the Specialty Recruitment Helpdesk
The recruitment process for this Academic Clinical Fellow post will follow the timeline below:*
Activity |
Date(s) |
| Applications Open | 10:00 on 7 October 2022 |
| Application Deadline | 16:00 on 2 November 2022 |
| Interview date |
6 December 2022 via MS Teams |
| Initial Offers Released | 19 January 2023 |
| Hold Deadline | 26 January 2023 |
*Please note that all dates are indicative and subject to change.
Applications will only be accepted through the Oriel online application system.
For guidance on creating an account, registering and submitting your application using the system please refer to the Oriel Applicant User Guide which can be downloaded from the Oriel Resource Bank.
Application Deadline
The deadline for submitting applications is 16:00 on 2 November 2022. After this time no applications will be accepted. There will be no exceptions to this deadline. You are advised to complete and submit your application ahead of the deadline to allow for any unforeseen problems.
Applicants for this post will be required to meet the relevant Clinical eligibility criteria for the appropriate specialty and level listed at:-
- Please note - (applicants applying for Surgical, Medical or Psychiatry specialties at ST3 or above may be required to consult the relevant Core Training person specification):-https://specialtytraining.hee.nhs.uk/Recruitment/Person-specifications
AND the Academic eligibility criteria listed at:
It is an applicant’s responsibility to demonstrate that they meet the eligibility criteria. All applications will be assessed against the eligibility criteria during longlisting. Any applications which do not meet the eligibility criteria will be longlisted out of the process and will not progress to the next stage.
Please note: Applicants who submit the competency form within the application window will only have 1 opportunity to resubmit incomplete or inaccurate competency documents. Applicants who fail to submit a competency document during the application window will only have 1 subsequent opportunity to submit the form. Please therefore ensure that you have thoroughly read the guidance and checked the document you are providing carefully before submitting.
For more information about eligibility please refer to the Applicant Handbook and the NIHR website.
Please note: By allowing applicants to progress to the interview stage, Health Education England working across Yorkshire and the Humber DOES NOT accept or confirm that applicants meet all eligibility requirements. This includes immigration status, evidence of achievement of core competencies or equivalent, and requisite length of time in training as per the national person specification. This list is not exhaustive, and is applicable to all eligibility criteria.
Applicants may still be withdrawn from the application process at any stage, including after the interviews have taken place, if the evidence pertaining to an eligibility criterion is found to be unsatisfactory by Health Education England working across Yorkshire and the Humber.
Shortlisting will take place following the completion of longlisting. Where possible we aim to give applicants at least one week's notice to attend an interview. However, unforseen delays in shortlisting mean this is not always possible.
Interview Dates and Venue
The interviews for this post will take place on 6 December 2022 via Microsoft Teams.
Please bring the following document:
- Photo identification (passport or driving licence)
Interview Format
The interviews will consist of a single panel interview.
All recruitment offices will be using Oriel to make offers to Academic Clinical Fellow training posts in 2023. Oriel can be accessed at https://www.oriel.nhs.uk/
Please refer to the Oriel Applicant User Guide which can be downloaded from the Oriel Resource Bank for further information about receiving and responding to offers.
Receiving and Responding to Offers
If you are offered a post you will have 48 hours from the time of your offer, including weekends and bank holidays, to decide whether to accept, reject or hold it. You must respond to the offer through the UK Offers System. No other form of response will be accepted.
IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO YOUR OFFER WITHIN 48 HOURS, THE OFFER WILL EXPIRE AND THE POST WILL BE OFFERED TO ANOTHER APPLICANT. YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY FURTHER OFFERS.
Any offer made through this recruitment process is an offer of an allocation to a training programme; it is not an offer of employment. Offers of employment can only be by an employing organisation following completion of satisfactory pre-employment checks.
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