Paediatrics ACF – East of England
Paediatrics ACF – East of England Academic Clinical Fellowship Advertisement Archive
This is the Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) advertisement used on Oriel for the 2026-27 recruitment round.
The information is presented to help you prepare for your future applications. Please be aware that advertisements, application methods, etc. can change and there is no guarantee that future ACF advertisements will remain the same.
| Oriel Advert | HEEOE - Paediatrics - ACFST1 |
| Vacancy ID | HEEOE/27-28/7197/002/1-R1A |
| Entry Levels | ST1 |
| Applications Opened | Thursday 1 October 2026, 10:00 |
| Applications Closed | Thursday 29 October 2026, 16:00 |
See also the ACF application form questions.
| Training Programme | Paediatrics |
| Post Type | Academic |
| Post Commencing | September 2027 |
| Duration (months) | 36 |
| Recruitment Lead | East of England |
| Recruiting For | East of England |
| Enquiries | https://heeoe.hee.nhs.uk/recruitment/academic-clinical-fellowships-east-england |
| Enquiries Email | england.recruitment.eoe@nhs.net |
Information
NHS England, East of England
Employer: Anglia Ruskin University/Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Post type: NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship
Specialty/Level: Paediatrics ST1
Expected start date: September 2027
Please be advised that this post is in direct competition with General Practice applicants and an appointment will only be made in 1 of these specialties.
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 achieve clinical benchmarking via the 2027 national clinical recruitment process and attend an assessment/interview for that GMC specialty as appropriate.
This post has been awarded under the research theme: Primary Care & Community Care. The appointee will be expected to develop a research programme in that theme area
Proposed Research:
This post has been awarded under the Primary Care and Community Care research theme and will be embedded within the ARU Primary Care Research Centre (PCRC). (https://www.aru.ac.uk/health-medicine-and-social-care/research/groups/primary-care-research-centre/inclusion-health-research-in-the-east-of-england)
The PCRC was established to address public health challenges and health inequalities, generating research that is directly relevant to primary and community care settings. Evidence-based practices are often derived from research conducted in secondary care, which does not accurately reflect the primary care environment in terms of population, timing, and available resources. The goal is producing sustainable, patient-centred research that directly applicable to primary care that improves health outcomes and reduces inequalities for underserved communities in Essex and beyond.
The Academic Clinical Fellow (ACF) will join an outstanding multidisciplinary team environment led by Professor Margaret Greenfields (https://www.aru.ac.uk/people/margaret-greenfields) and Professor Lee Smith (https://www.aru.ac.uk/people/lee-smith), whose work on inclusion health and population health spans clinical practice, public health and social policy.
The PCRC has established a growing national reputation for impactful research, supported by funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), NHS England and Integrated Care Boards. Researchers within the PCRC work extensively with community organisations, health and care commissioners, civil society organisations, and local and national government partners to ensure that research findings inform policy and practice.
ARU upholds the Concordat to Support Research Integrity (https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/what-we-do/policy-and-research/publications/concordat-support-research-integrity) and became a signatory to the revised Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers (https://researcherdevelopmentconcordat.ac.uk/) in 2022. Committed to Athena Swan since 2012, ARU achieved an institutional silver award (https://www.aru.ac.uk/-/media/Files/about-us/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/March-24---ARU.pdf) in 2024 for advancing gender equity, supported by our Athena Swan Silver Action Plan (2024–2029).
We prioritise building a strong community for our trainees, with the aim of providing support, both personally and developmentally, and a sense of belonging and have developed an IAT community to provide opportunities for trainees to meet, receive research insights and training, gain mentorship and career advice, as well as pastoral support.
For more information about this opportunity, please see the accompanying job description.
Outline the clinical and academic programme post:
The ACF will undertake a bespoke training programme, with 25% protected academic time scheduled flexibly to support individual needs and allow development of a high-quality research fellowship application.
Paediatric training in the UK offers a range of possibilities, so you can take your career in the direction that suits you. An innovative, capability-based curriculum underpins our standard run-through programme, and this will equip you with the skills needed to become a consultant paediatrician.
This new post has been created as part of a 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.
Full training in good clinical practice will be provided. As a core trainee (ST1-4) you will receive training in core curricular capabilities including in General Paediatrics and Neonatology. Your core training will encompass some time in a level 3 NICU (Cambridge, Norwich or Luton) and we would expect you to transition to the tier 2 rota at some point during or at the end of ST3.
This programme gives you as a trainee dedicated protected research time in addition to a normal clinical training programme. Over the first three years (usually ST1-ST3) you are given 25% per year (total of 9 months WTE) for research without clinical commitments and without lengthening your core training. This can be taken as 9 continuous months, broken up into shorter blocks, or fixed time each week over 3 years.
At the start of each ST1 intake, we hold an ‘Introduction and Welcome to the Deanery’ day for new trainees. This is held in September and is an opportunity for new trainees to meet the Head of School and Training Programme Directors. It covers some of the basics of how paediatric training works in the deanery, including topics such as study leave, e-portfolio, exams, working LTFT, and ARCPs. In addition, we hold a day for ‘common paediatric and neonatal skills’ to help new trainees gain some confidence. Trainees who have not had any previous paediatric experience have found these particularly useful.
We hold a number of study days over a year structured to the core curriculum for ST1-4 trainees. In this way, within the first four years of training we aim to provide a wide variety of topics to assist trainees with their knowledge of paediatrics and in obtaining the MRCPCH examinations.
Applicants must apply via our online recruitment system, Oriel
The application window opens on Thursday 01 October 2026 at 1000 hours and closes on Thursday 29 October 2026 at 1600 hours
You will not be able to submit your application after this time. Please ensure that you have completed all relevant sections of the application form as missing information will deem your application incomplete and it will not be considered.
Please visit the NHS England, East of England website for the further vacancy information and job description.
Host integrated academic training partnership details.
HEI: Anglia Ruskin University
NHS Organisation: Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
NHSE Local Office: NHS England, East of England
This ACF post is of 3-year duration and carries an academic training number – NTN(a) and will allow the successful candidate to spend 75% of their time in clinical training and 25% in research.
Applications from talented and enthusiastic doctors in training who seek a career combining research, teaching and the care of patients are invited for NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACFs). The Academic Clinical Fellowship forms a significant part of the NIHR Integrated Academic Training Programme. Fellows will develop skills allowing them to compete successfully for funding to study for a higher degree (MD/PhD). Only applicants who can demonstrate that they have outstanding potential for development as a clinical academic will be considered for this programme.
After this time candidates should have obtained funding for their higher degrees and start work towards these. On completion of the ACF the trainee will either continue their research if external funding has been obtained or enter their designated training programme as a full-time clinical trainee, provided that appropriate clinical competences have been obtained.
Applicants are expected to fulfil the academic person specification available and appropriate clinical person specification.
Applicants that do not already hold a National Training Number (NTN) or Deanery Reference Number (DRN) in the GMC specialty to which they are applying will also be required to undertake the national clinical recruitment process and attend an assessment/interview for that GMC specialty as appropriate. For further details please refer to the NIHR Academic Clinical fellowships (Medical) Guidance for Recruitment and Appointment 2027
The qualifications and professional registration requirements plus other eligibility criteria can be found in the person specification. The person specification for this specialty is available from the Specialty Training website which can be accessed from Oriel.
The Postgraduate Dean confirms that these placements and/or programmes will have the required educational and Dean’s approval at the time of entry into the programme.
Before you complete your online application, it is imperative that you download and read the linked documents which can be found in the documents section of the vacancy.
These documents contain specific and detailed information with regards to the application form and process, and the person specification. Please read them thoroughly to ensure that you fill out your application form correctly.
All applicants are required to have essential competences or equivalent depending on the level they are applying for. For more information on competences please refer to the resource bank (https://www.oriel.nhs.uk/Web/ResourceBank) on Oriel.
Please ensure you read and fully understand the contents of the Oriel Applicant User Guide which can be accessed on the recruitment system resource bank before submitting your application. Failure to do so may result in you missing vital information in relation to your application. In submitting an application, applicants confirm that they have read and understood the application guide. You will be unable to change your application once it has been submitted; if you have any questions please ensure you contact the recruitment team at england.recruitment.eoe@nhs.netprior to submitting your application.
Please upload all required evidence of competences to your online application form when completing the application form online. For those experiencing difficulties when uploading evidence, please ensure you contact the recruitment team at england.recruitment.eoe@nhs.net prior to submitting your application.
NHS England – East of England is committed to preventing discrimination and promoting equality. All our hospitals are working towards Equal Opportunities with flexible working practices. We aim to ensure that no employee or job applicant receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of their age, colour, race, nationality or ethnic origin, religion or similar belief, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, trade union membership (or non-membership) or political affiliation.