Combined programme posts

Who are the local training programmes? 

The organisations responsible for appointments to local training programmes are deaneries, Health Education and Improvement Wales and Health Education England local teams - from here all referred to as ‘deaneries’. 

What is the process? 

You will need to be appointed to an approved training programme post with a National Training Number (NTN), following which you complete your training according to the current CCT curriculum, all in approved posts with an NTN.  The combination of your previous clinical radiology experience and your UK training must cover all the requirements of the current CCT curriculum. Once appointed to an approved training programme, training is managed following the same processes as a CCT trainee, and the assessment milestones that a CCT trainee must meet from the point of entry (including the FRCR exam) are required to be completed.  

You must have full General Medical Council (GMC) registration with a licence to practise to take up a CP post - see clinical radiology and clinical oncology practises. 

Contact a local training programme to establish whether there are any openings for the CP – but only if you already have GMC registration. GMC registration will take some time to achieve through the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) or FRCR and local programmes cannot keep posts open indefinitely.  We do not sponsor doctors for GMC registration for CP posts.  

If you have GMC registration, you can find a list of local organisations which run training programmes here COPMED/deaneries. 

When successfully completed, the CP allows specialist registration through a CESR. Some doctors who complete the CP may be awarded a CCT. If their ARCP Outcome 6 was prior to 1 January 2021 a CCT can only be awarded to those who have completed a minimum of four years in approved posts in the UK.  Those with an ARCP Outcome 6 from 1 January 2021 can be awarded a CCT with no minimum requirement.  Otherwise, those who complete the CP will be awarded a CESR as has always been the case. Both are the same for the purpose of entering the UK specialist register. 

 A CESR is considered equivalent to the CCT for the purpose of GMC registration and practice in the UK. Once you are appointed to a CP post with an NTN, you and the deanery must advise us as soon as possible so that you can be enrolled as a trainee and your appointment to the CP at a level above ST1 can be confirmed.  

The deanery must then advise the GMC that you have been appointed to the CP. Your training proceeds according to the current CCT curriculum; at your first ARCP it should be confirmed that the initial appointment level was appropriate and that your end of training date remains as originally planned.  Changes to the initial appointment will be factored into your training.