Training delivered by skilled medical and non-medical professionals

Our Foundation Programme is a two year programme commencing each August. We have approximately 78 new Foundation year 1 (F1) trainees each year and also have a number of 'standalone' Foundation year 2 (F2) posts.

Rotations cover acute and community placements across our Trust sites in Durham, Bishop Auckland and Darlington, with our GP partner practices and in mental health placements on Tees Esk Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) sites across the county.

The Foundation Programme has training as its basis - delivered by skilled, experienced and highly motivated medical and non-medical professionals. 

The training placements comply with the elements and principles of the Foundation Programme in close collaboration with the Northern Foundation School.

Medical Education

Medical Education is recognised as an integral element of training and development. We pride ourselves in providing innovative, enjoyable, high quality training for our trainees.

We have teams across the three main sites:

  • Prospect House (Durham) adjacent to the University Hospital of North Durham, is an education and learning facility, with library and education facilities and excellent clinical skills facilities
  • The Education Centre at Darlington Memorial Hospital with its library facilities and clinical skills facilities is central for all trainees completing a placement on the DMH site
  • Our Clinical Simulation Centre at Bishop Auckland Hospital provides all of our Foundation Doctors with training during their FY1 Shadowing Programme and at intervals throughout the year.

The essential components of hospital based medical education include:

  • A comprehensive shadowing and induction programme
  • High quality educational and clinical supervision
  • Clinical skills development
  • Structured teaching and continuing medical education.

For more information about the Foundation Programme at CDDFT please contact: cdda-tr.CDDFTFPTEAM@nhs.net. To find out how to apply to apply to the two year training programme and Standalone programme in the UK visit: UK Foundation Programme - UK Foundation Programme. For information about healthcare training opportunities in the North East and Cumbria visit: Welcome - NHS Find Your Place

Email: cdda-tr.CDDFTFPTEAM@nhs.net or call:

Access Foundation Induction

The Foundation Programme offers training opportunities within an acute care setting with support from the local General Practitioners and TEWV mental health Trust for psychiatry placements in F1 and F2.

The attachments in F1 provide structured, supported and comprehensive training opportunities in Medicine and Surgery specialties.

This training will be consolidated and strengthened during the ‘speciality’ attachments in F2, where areas of interest will provide in-depth opportunities for a continuum as far as patients' care pathways are concerned.

All trainees on the two year Foundation Programme will complete a community placement in either General Practice or Psychiatry within the County Durham area.