Resident doctors
It should be possible to undertake the role as an in-programme or out-of-programme training opportunity dependent on local organisational needs and individual training preferences. Talk to your directors of medical education and your training programme director about the options available.
Recruitment is carried out locally by the recruiting organisation. You should discuss making an application with your educational supervisor and training programme and gain permission to apply before making
an application.
Please note that out-of-programme requests must be agreed with your HEE regional dean and training programme director / head of
school. Candidates seeking to undertake the role out of programme will need to notify the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB) with at least 3 months’ notice.
NHS organisations will express an interest to the RCP to indicate their intentions to recruit a chief registrar.
Contact the RCP via chiefregistrar@rcp.ac.uk for up-to-date information about specific organisations you are interested in.
Recruiting organisations will also advertise their posts locally and some may also choose to advertise their chief registrar posts on NHS Jobs, as well as RCP college tutors and directors of medical education (DMEs) being able to advise on vacancies.
You can also contact your DME to see whether your trust has a chief registrar. You could work with your trust or health board to create the
chief registrar post. The RCP can help with this process.
No, the 2025–26 Chief Registrar Programme is now open to resident doctors ST4+ or equivalent, including those who do not hold a national training number.
The RCP can provide you with a business case and evidence of impact from an independent evaluation to take to senior clinical leaders within the organisation to encourage recruitment.
The cost of the RCP Chief Registrar Programme is £4,219 (VAT exempt). Recruiting organisations are expected to cover the cost of the post and the place on the RCP Chief Registrar Programme as well as the travel and accommodation related to the development programme. Recruiting organisations are advised that reimbursement arrangements should be agreed locally.
We will deliver the programme through a combination of face-to-face and online learning.
Locations for these modules will be confirmed once we have an idea of where our chief registrars will be based. Updates will follow.
Chief registrars will receive a certificate of completion from the RCP and are in a good position to apply for associate fellowship of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management.
There are also opportunities for chief registrars to get involved with wider RCP work.
Recruiting organisations
Yes, senior resident doctors from any physician specialty can be recruited as an RCP chief registrar.
The RCP Chief Registrar Programme is not currently open to GPs due to the shorter training time.
Places on the RCP development programme are funded by recruiting organisations, demonstrating commitment to the development and support of the appointed chief registrar.
The number of chief registrars is determined by the recruiting organisation, based on local needs and funding availability.
While the RCP does not limit the number of posts, recruiting organisations should be aware that one of the benefits of the role is its clear visibility as a ‘bridge’ to senior clinical leaders and managers. Consideration should therefore be given to potential dilution of the impact of the role when deciding on the number to recruit.
The chief registrar role should have an organisation-wide remit; if too many are recruited, the scope of each chief registrar’s role may be unduly restricted.
The cost will vary per recruiting organisation depending on whether the role is done in programme or out of programme, whether any backfill is required, the training grade of the candidate and the potential cost of travel and any accommodation expenses.
The cost of the place on the RCP development programme should also be included in business cases. For this reason, it is not possible to provide a ‘typical’ cost.
RCP chief registrars should be recruited for a minimum 12-month period. Longer tenures may be appropriate if the organisation has not had a chief registrar before (to account for the longer time required for induction) or if the organisational environment is particularly challenging.
Chief registrar contracts may be extended towards the end of the post if desired by the recruiting organisation and resident doctor, subject to approval by relevant parties.
The minimum training grade for chief registrars is ST4 or equivalent. This is to ensure that appointed chief registrars have the necessary seniority and influence to lead challenging projects and deliver outcomes.
No, the 2025–26 Chief Registrar Programme is open to resident doctors at ST4+ or equivalent, including those who do not hold a national training number.
The decision to do the role in or out of programme is usually made by the recruiting organisation in discussion with the appointed resident doctor and TPD.
It may be the case that the recruiting organisation decides in advance that an in- or out-of-programme post is necessary – in this instance, the post should be advertised as such. Ideally options should remain flexible to maximise the pool of potential applicants.
The resident doctor’s CCT date may or may not be extended because of undertaking the chief registrar role. This decision is made at the discretion of the relevant specialist advisory committee (SAC), depending on individual preferences and training needs.
The RCP’s guidance is that contribution of the chief registrar role towards achievement of generic competencies should be acknowledged, and decisions regarding CCT extension should be made on a case-by-case basis.
Yes, chief registrars can be recruited externally. Recruitment processes in all cases should be open and competitive. The organisation that a chief registrar applies to must be approved by the GMC for training in the applicant’s specialty. Permission must be sought from the TPD in advance of an application.
Out-of-hours commitments will be affected by whether the role is set up as in programme or out of programme. Resident doctors completing the chief registrar role in programme should expect on-call commitments to remain the same.
For resident doctors completing the chief registrar role out of programme, on-call commitments should be decided locally.
Yes, the chief registrar role can be done less than full time. The 40–50% protected time commitment should be maintained, but the role can be structured flexibly to suit local needs and preferences of individual resident doctors.
Places are limited and will be on a first come, first served basis. You can register your interest, which will effectively reserve a position on the programme, but this won’t be finalised until all completed and signed application documents are received by the RCP. Without these signed documents the place on the programme will be given to another organisation.