Linked Applicants Policy
The Peninsula Foundation School is committed to maintaining links between applicants from the national linked application process to School through to matching to programme, where requested and subject to certain criteria.
All applicants will be matched to a 2-year fixed programme. In the Peninsula Foundation School linked applicants can decide whether and how they want to maintain their link. Where changes are needed to the post allocation to accommodate linking, the lower of the two individuals’ final Preferenced Informed Allocation (PIA) rank is fixed and the higher PIA ranked applicant will secure one of their lesser preferred programmes.
How linked applicants are matched to programmes.
1. As for all applicants, linked applicants need to be prepared to take a post based in any provider/location within the South West Peninsula (Exeter, Barnstaple, Torbay, Plymouth, and Truro).
2. Linked applications will normally mean that applicants will be in the same trust as their linked partner. However, some providers are close enough that linked partners could be in different localities and still meet the aims of linking.
3. Prior to matching to programme, linked applicants need to confirm whether they wish their link to be maintained through to the match to programme.
4. Linked applicants are required to complete and submit a Linked Application Preference Form online (one form by each applicant who wish to be linked). The submitted online forms of both applicants that wish to be linked MUST match in terms of preferences.
5. The match to programme will initially be run as if there are no linked applicants to consider.
6. The results of the match will then be reviewed to consider whether they already meet the preferences of each linked applicant pair (starting with the pair with the highest combined PIA rank). If the result matches with their preferences, the match to post will be left unaltered.
7. If the result does not meet the preferences of the linked applicants, the match for the lower PIA ranked partner will be fixed and the higher PIA ranked partner will be moved down their list of preferred programmes until the first suitable programme is identified. This will then be fixed.
8. While the process will confirm a 2 year programme for each person, linked applicants can apply separately breaking the link along with all other applicants in the school, for a swap of F2 programme (see Swaps policy). However, an F2 swaps cannot be guaranteed.
9. Applicants who have applied to the school as linked applicants will not be able to remain linked should they want to apply to swap rotations or jobs during the swaps process offered to F1 Doctors.
10. No special circumstances can be considered during this process and there is no appeals process.
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