The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) has paused its social media communications until next Tuesday, the day before its extended deadline for applications.
The UKFPO tweeted on Tuesday this week that it would not be posting on social media due to the period of national mourning following the Queen’s death and told applicants to refer to its website for any guidance and information.
It said: ‘Due to the period of national mourning, the UKFPO won’t be posting as usual on social media channels until 20 September.
‘Please refer to the UKFPO website for any guidance or information about the UKFP 2023 national application window which closes 20 September at 12:00 midday BST.’
The announcement was met with outrage from final-year medical students, with one saying the decision was ‘absolutely ridiculous’.
Following the outcry, the UKFPO said it would extend the deadline by a day.
It tweeted yesterday: ‘Due to the national Bank Holiday on 19 September, the UKFPO has decided to extend the application deadline to 21 September 2022 (12:00 midday BST). Applicants can email helpdesk@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk with any queries.’
The UKFPO also clarified that it is ‘open and taking queries throughout the application window and will be closed at the weekend as usual and for the bank holiday [on] 19 September 2022.’
DAUK medical student lead Anna Sigston said: ‘The UKFPO is failing to understand the stress final-year students are put under when applying for their first jobs as doctors.’
She added: ‘Amid a workforce shortage, can we really afford to lose future doctors to the application process and its inevitable problems? They have once again failed medical students.’
DAUK medical student representative Tash Binnie said: ‘As a final year medical student and mental health advocate currently going through the Foundation Programme application process, I am really worried about this decision by UKFPO on students’ well-being.’
Applying for your first job as a doctor is ‘one of the most stressful periods for final-year medical students’, she said, ‘and the absence of the UKFPO on social media is adding unnecessary stress to the process’.
Pulse approached the UKFPO for comment.
Meanwhile, NHS England also paused communications last week following the death of the Queen.
I may be getting too old-fashioned, but I am afraid I do not see what the problem is?
Tweets are not serious or official communications are they?
So what does it matter if an organisation stops sending out insignificant social messages about their ‘status’ for a few days? – will applicants seriously have a breakdown because they are not getting reminders every few minutes what the office staff gossip is, or who had what for lunch?
Twitter should NOT be used for official, sensitive, or individual communications to individual applicants in any case, because it is not reliable or secure/confidential.