CCT criteria
The following criteria have been agreed with the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) for the award of the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in public health:
Required are:
General Medical Council (GMC) Registration
Full registration as a medical practitioner with the GMC of the United Kingdom throughout the whole period of training. (Not required of StRs from backgrounds other than medicine).
Foundation Programme (or equivalent)
Foundation year 1 (F1) and Foundation year 2 (F2) make up the two year Foundation Programme which all UK medical graduates are required to undertake before progressing to specialty training. These two years effectively replace the pre-registration house officer (PRHO) year and the first year of senior house officer (SHO) training. Foundation doctors are trained and assessed against Postgraduate Education and Training agreed with the GMC and PMETB. For non medical graduates the minimum entry requirement is a 2:1 in a relevant subject at first degree or relevant professional qualification and a minimum of three years experience in public health related work.
Specialty Training
A minimum of 48 months of satisfactorily completed supervised training in posts approved by the PMETB or other competent bodies in the European Economic Area (EEA) after completion of a suitable academic course in public health.
- All the training periods for specialty training are given as whole time equivalents, and training which is less than half time (calculated on a weekly basis) will not be counted.
- At least 24 months must be in training posts in the United Kingdom (UK).
- Up to 12 months may be undertaken in prospectively approved training post either in the EEA or outside the EEA.
- The training must include at least 3 months in health protection in a service location within the NHS (or equivalent in each country of the UK) or the Defence Medical Services (DMS). Some experience of out of hours on-call is required. A safe on-call assessment will be undertaken before progression to on-call out of hours work.
- The training must include at least 12 months in a service location within the NHS (or equivalent in each country of the UK) or the DMS in addition to the 3 months in health protection.
- The training must exclude periods of leave of absence in excess of 3 months whole time equivalent (wte) over the whole training period. If absences of lesser duration occur, appropriate efforts must be made to fill resulting gaps in the programme as assessed by the ARCP process. If this is not achieved the CCT date will be modified accordingly.
- Satisfactory completion of training must be attested by a completed final ARCP form.
- Training time counted for speciality training must not also have been counted as a part of the Foundation Programme (or equivalent).
- The training may include:
- Either 1 year research if not involving service public health.
- Or up to 2 years if it is health services research with service public health involvement.
- The training may include up to 3 months in an acting NHS consultant post, prospectively agreed by the relevant Training Programme Director(s) and deaneries. The trainee must be supported by a named Educational Supervisor, retaining their contract and NTN. The training may not include any time spent in locum consultant posts.
- The training may include up to 12 months in formal prospectively recognised Locum Appointment - Training posts (LAT) and specialty training fixed term appointments (FTTAs). Exceptionally, this time may be extended if approved by the Education/Faculty Advisers' Committee and postgraduate dean.
- For multidisciplinary trainees seeking registration with UKPHR, the training may include up to 24 months spent in supervised training posts in the field of Public Health in the UK or overseas before the trainee enters the Specialty Training programme, if this is recommended by the local Specialty Training Committee and approved by the Education Committee of the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) (so-called 'retrospective recognition' of training).
Membership of the Faculty of Public Health
The StRs must have been admitted to Membership of the FPH of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK in order to be recommended for the award of CCT.
Required documents
FPH recommends the award of CCT to the PMETB or the UKPHR when the final assessment form (RITA G/ARCP 6) has been received from the postgraduate dean, and Form 3 from the Faculty Adviser.
Form 3 is a confirmation by the Faculty Adviser that all of the CCT criteria have been met. Final year trainees should be fully familiar with the criteria to ensure that they have been met in every detail. While it is not necessary to be on a training programme at the time of recommendation, it is necessary to be in good standing on the GMC Medical Register and on the FPH Membership rolls.
FPH does not normally know that a final RITA/ARCP has been held or a Form G/ARCP 6 issued until it receives its copy from the dean. When the FPH Education and Training Department has received and reviewed all necessary documents, PMETB/UKPHR will be notified that the trainee has been recommended for the award of the CCT.
PMETB/UKPHR requires an application form and fee. This form is sent by the FPH Education and Training Department to trainees at the same time that notification goes to PMETB/UKPHR.
