Other Services

In addition to our four employment, education and engagement programmes for international candidates, we also offer bespoke solutions tailored to your Trust’s staffing needs.

This includes:

• Doctors Gateway Education and Engagement programme – to support you to develop your LEDs toward specialist registration and consultant status
• Sourcing-only – a traditional recruitment route to help your Trust identify high-quality candidates

Doctors Gateway Education and Engagement programme

Develop your Locally Employed Doctors (LEDs) to advance to the specialist registration and consultant status.

This programme provides education, development, and guidance to support the submission of a doctor’s portfolio to the relevant Royal College. It delivers the non-clinical Capabilities in Practice (CIPs), while your Trust remains responsible for supporting doctors in gaining the necessary clinical experience for submission. The programme can be tailored to any specialty, complementing the clinical development provided by your Trust.

Our team of specialist doctors offers personalised guidance to ensure your doctors successfully meet the Portfolio Pathway requirements. We will review each doctor’s existing portfolio and conduct a gap analysis to identify any areas for improvement.

Requirements

To participate, your doctors must:

• Be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) and hold a valid licence to practise.
• Preferably have, or be working towards, a specific specialist medical qualification, such as membership of the relevant Royal College, or comparable qualification.
• Be highly motivated and committed to undertaking the two-year programme to advance their medical career

We recommend doctors have a minimum of three years Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) experience in their specialty, gaining an additional two years WTE experience during the programme. Doctors must have at least five years of experience at the time of portfolio submission.

Outcomes and benefits

By the end of the programme, your doctor(s) will be fully prepared to submit their portfolio to the GMC to join the specialist register*. The GMC will then send the portfolio to the appropriate Royal College for evaluation.

For Trusts, this programme helps to:

• Retain highly skilled doctors by providing a structured pathway to specialist registration.
• Strengthen workforce planning, reducing reliance on locum doctors.
• Develop the future workforce, ensuring stability and continuity of care.
• Enhance Trust reputation as a leading employer for career development.
• Support clinical skill progression through a structured and supportive pathway.
• Encourage knowledge-sharing through a national NHS network.

*While we provide structured support, successful portfolio submission depends on individual capabilities, and outcomes cannot be guaranteed.

Schedule and delivery

• Flexible entry: A two-year rolling programme, allowing doctors to join at any time throughout the year.
• Comprehensive support: Access to 250 hours of education and structured guidance to assist doctors in preparing their portfolio submission.
• Convenient online learning: Delivered 100% online, with scheduled sessions every Wednesday afternoon, aligned with your doctor’s dedicated 1PA.
• Expert-led training: Led by our Director of Medical Education and a team of over 40 NHS specialist consultants from our unique Medical Advisory Group (MAG).
• Tailored progress tracking: Each doctor receives a personalised action plan, with annual progress reviews shared with you.

All our courses are facilitated by the NHS Professionals Academy, helping NHS Trusts, Integrated Care Systems, primary and social care providers, and charitable organisations grow knowledge, skills, and careers.

Visit NHS Professionals Academy

Sourcing-only recruitment

Flexible international doctor recruitment for your Trust

For Trusts looking to recruit international doctors without additional training or pastoral support, we offer a sourcing-only service.

Our bespoke candidate sourcing package enables you to handle onboarding while we provide:

• Specialist recruitment of highly qualified international doctors.
• Telephone support for candidates in their first weeks of employment, ensuring a smooth transition.

Get in touch

Email us at gatewaydoctors@nhsprofessionals.nhs.uk