Appeals Policy
This document sets out the procedures that should be followed, if a trainee wishes to appeal against the Peninsula Foundation School.
Principles of the Appeals Policy
The process of appeal will be governed by the following guidelines:
- The appeals policy will be readily accessible and available to all.
- The process of appeal and the procedures followed will be open and transparent, and in accordance with law.
- Those considering appeals will do so in a fair, reasonable and indiscriminate way.
- Appeals will be heard and decided in a reasonable time.
- The confidentiality of the appellant will be maintained, subject to the requirement for appropriate investigations.
Circumstances which may warrant Appeal
A trainee will have the right to lodge an appeal against an outcome wherever he or she is able to demonstrate that the actions of the Foundation School have not followed procedure (meaning in this context, a decision by personnel in the Foundation School or Trust associated with the Foundation School. This could include Trust Foundation Programme Directors, supervisors and administrative staff associated with the programme). This could be (but is not exclusively) in the case of:
- Assessment
- Recruitment & Selection
- Inter Deanery Transfer
- Special Circumstances Applications
- Time Out of Foundation Programme requests
The trainee should establish whether they are appealing to the School against the application of the School’s procedures or should be appealing to the Trust against the application of the Trust’s procedures.
Lodging an Appeal
In the first instance, the trainee should always attempt to resolve their complaint by discussing the case with their Educational Supervisor and Foundation Training Programme Director, where appropriate.
Where this is not possible, or where the issue is not resolved to the satisfaction of the trainee, the case may then be presented in writing to Sarah Rawlinson, Head of Peninsula Foundation School, Health Education England, Plumer House, Tailyour Road, Plymouth, PL6 5DH. This must be done within 7 working days of being notified of the decision/result that is being appealed.
The trainee will be notified of the decision of the Head of Foundation School in writing. The trainee will be informed that if they are not satisfied with the decision made, they can request for a final appeal to be heard by the Foundation School Board Appeals Panel. This request must be made in writing to the Postgraduate Dean, Dr Martin Beaman, Health Education England, Plumer House, Tailyour Road, Plymouth, PL6 5DH, within 7 working days of being notified of the decision of the Head of Foundation School. The request must include a full statement of the grounds of appeal and any evidence to support the appeal.
Foundation School Board Appeals Panel
A Foundation School Board Appeals Panel will be convened, where possible within 15 working days of written request for appeal, which consists of the following members:
- Postgraduate Dean or representative (Chair);
- Foundation Training Programme Director (not previously involved in the case).
- Lay representative
The Panel members will consider the statement and evidence provided. The Panel will decide whether the appellant has demonstrated that procedures have not been followed and that this has had an adverse effect on their training.
The Chairman of the Panel will inform the applicant of the outcome of the appeal within 3 working days.
The decision of the Appeals Panel will be final, and the trainee will have no further right to appeal.
Withdrawal of Appeal
Should the trainee wish to withdraw an appeal, this may be done in writing at any stage of the process.