We understand that the national recruitment process may mean that trainees are offered jobs in regions they have not worked in before. For some individuals, they may also not know anyone currently working in that region, and may also not know what their training would look like should they accept a job offer.
Below, we have summarised what training is like in each UK Medical Oncology training deanery, to improve understanding and make it easier to find the information you need.
| Region/Deanery | Summary of Training | Name of TPD |
| Scotland – South East (Edinburgh) ACP Trainee Representative: Karim El-Shakankery | Training in the Southeast Scotland region entails four years based at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre. It is a tertiary centre treating all major tumour types, thereby providing exposure and training opportunities for all relevant cancers. The South-East Scotland Cancer Network encompasses the Scottish Borders, Fife, West Lothian, and Dumfries and Galloway. Although consultants provide cancer care to patients in all these regions, they tend to only visit these regions once weekly, and you may be expected to go with them depending on the training block and the consultants you are working with. A strong advantage of training here is that you will not be expected to move anywhere outwith Edinburgh. Attachments in Glasgow for intensive chemotherapy blocks are possible. Edinburgh has a large trials unit including Phase I, albeit not as large as centres in London, Glasgow and Manchester. Acute Oncology Experience is primarily achieved through on-call commitments in a busy Cancer Assessment Unit, which is on site. You may also gain exposure to Acute Oncology in peripheral hospitals such as St John’s Hospital or Victoria Hospital, Kirkaldy (Fife). Training is prioritised and the Medical Oncology consultants are supportive and accommodating. Alongside an educational supervisor, all trainees will also receive an academic mentor, to help foster career aspirations. ACF posts do not exist in Scotland, but there are numerous excellent opportunities for aspiring clinical academics. There are ample opportunities for research, leadership and teaching. Connected to the University of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh ECMC, there are ample opportunities to gain higher research degrees such as PhDs and MDs; see TRACC, ECAT and the CSO Academic Fellowships for examples. Most trainees (in both Medical Oncology and Clinical Oncology) go on to take up substantive consultant posts within the department, which is a testament to the working environment that the department fosters. | Colin Barrie (Scotland). Lesley Dawson (Local Lead for Training). |
| Scotland – South West ACP Trainee Representative: Alistair McLaren | Training in South-West Scotland is centred around the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in the West End of Glasgow. This is a specialist tertiary oncology and haematology centre that covers around 60% of the population of Scotland. Throughout training for Medical Oncology you will be based at the Beatson for all four years, with some clinics at peripheral sites for lung, urological, breast and lower GI cancers (Glasgow Royal Infirmary, New Victoria Hospital, Stobhill hospital, Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Monklands, Wishaw, Hairmyres, Crosshouse and Ayr hospitals). If based in Glasgow, maximum commute to these areas is no longer than an hour to an hour and a half with traffic, and would only occur at maximum twice a week. Given the size of the population covered, all tumour groups required in training including intensive therapies are covered in Glasgow and you do not need to move elsewhere. Training in clinical trials is a particular benefit to training in Glasgow, as there is a large ECMC early phase unit based at the Beatson with many opportunities to be involved in these. Usually from ST4 level you will be encouraged to have a clinical session a week in this unit to gain invaluable early phase experience. You will also be given the opportunity to train in running later phase trials throughout all your clinical attachments. For training in acute oncology, there is the possibility as a senior trainee of joining the acute oncology team at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, as well as on calls. Academic opportunities are also encouraged, and the majority of medical oncology trainees have presented work at international conferences, with the consultant body being particularly supportive of this. Every year there is a showcase to highlight the work being done by medical oncology trainees which is held offsite and well attended by the supportive consultant body. Trainees will be given the support and opportunity to take out of programme opportunities, including MD and PhD degrees through training programmes such as TRACC. Each trainee is given an academic mentor to work with in addition to their educational supervisor, and there are strong links between the Beatson and the School of Cancer Sciences at the University of Glasgow, as well as the CRUK Scotland Institute. Beyond work, the West of Scotland is a fantastic place to live (despite the rain), as Glasgow is a lively bustling city with a number of excellent restaurants and bars, as well as several theatres and live music venues. It has easy access to the rugged coastline and interesting islands of the West Coast of Scotland, as well as Loch Lomond and the Trossachs being within an easy drive or train journey. | Colin Barrie (Scotland). |
| Scotland – North ACP Trainee Representative: Karim El-Shakankery | Medical Oncology Training in Aberdeen is primarily based in the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, with remote/virtual clinics to other centres within the NHS Grampian health board, this includes the islands of Orkney and Shetland. Clinical training affords trainees the opportunity to excel in the various oncology tumour sites, work in clinical trials in various stages as sub-investigator as well as Associate Principal Investigator (if under the NIHR PI scheme). There is opportunity to gain excellent acute oncology competencies as well. Most trainees complete their intensive block at the Beatson in Glasgow, usually in the final year of training, and return to prepare for a consultant role in their preferred tumour sites. The team of Medical and Clinical Oncology consultants are very supportive and prioritise trainee development, including supporting time out-of-programme for research (MD/PhD), independent projects, teaching, journal clubs and exam preparation. | Colin Barrie (Scotland). |
| Scotland – East ACP Trainee Representative: Karim El-Shakankery | Medical Oncology training in the East of Scotland covers Tayside, Perth and North Fife. Most of the training is based at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, however there are opportunities to attend clinics at Perth Royal Infirmary for some tumour sites. As it is a small department you work closely with Clinical Oncology colleagues & get to know everyone in the team, which makes for a friendly and supportive training environment. One of the advantages of working here is the opportunity to be involved in medical education. The department has close links with the University of Dundee Medical School and there are medical students regularly rotating through the department. Trainees have the opportunity to deliver teaching or develop new resources for undergraduate medicine. The Stefani Unit is the local clinical trials unit based within the Oncology department in Ninewells, and as of Autumn 2025 there were 25 trials open to recruitment. Due to the smaller number of patients requiring intensive chemotherapy regimens, trainees will spend time in another department to cover their intensive chemotherapy regime competencies. This is usually for four months based either at the Beatson West of Scotland cancer centre in Glasgow, or trainees can stay in Dundee and complete this block in the haematology department. | Colin Barrie (Scotland). |
| Northern Ireland ACP Trainee Representative: Edwina Johnston | Medical Oncology training in Northern Ireland is based predominantly in the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre in Belfast. Trainees will spend one rotation (3-6 months) in the North West Cancer Centre in Altnagelvin Area Hospital during the 4-year training programme. Northern Ireland is a relaxed and friendly place to work and we are lucky to have supportive and approachable consultants. As a small group of trainees, we share an office with the Clinical Oncology registrars, which is ideal for on call support and learning from each other’s experience. During ST3/OCS you will gain significant Clinical Oncology experience through dedicated radiotherapy planning clinic attendance. Trainees benefit from significant 1:1 time with consultants as you work through different tumour sites. This is excellent for learning and completing portfolio competencies. Several rotations involve one clinic a week off site in a District General Hospital. Similarly, the renal and ovarian rotations include a dedicated AOS day each week, spent in an acute hospital, working with a consultant and AOS nursing team. Whilst we have a small clinical trials portfolio, you will attend Phase 1 clinic during the lower GI rotation and encounter trial patients in clinics. High dose SACT experience is offered during the sarcoma and germ cell rotations. Registrars attend monthly tumour site specific teaching and we attend and present at weekly grand rounds. Less-than-full-time training, out-of-programme opportunities, and academic or management/leadership opportunities are encouraged. Many trainees undertake clinical fellowships (locally or elsewhere) or the ADEPT (Achieve Develop Explore Programme for Trainees) Clinical Leadership Fellow Programme. We regularly have students from Queens University and registrars are strongly involved in medical student education. | Lynn Campbell |
| England – London – St Bartholomews ACP Trainee Representative: | Medical oncology training in North-East London solely takes place within Barts Heath NHS Trust, namely St Bartholomew’s Hospital, aside from some acute oncology experience and a couple of outreach clinics in surrounding centres. The consistency of training at one site allows a unique opportunity to glean the benefits of really understanding how a single centre works, embedding yourself as a trainee in service improvement and additional roles as you become more senior. Barts has several world leaders in their fields heading up departments, which means that clinical trial experience has improved tenfold. This has been consolidated in the introduction of a clinical trials attachment. Additional jobs of interest include inpatient germ cell cancer care and haem-onc, for high dose exposure. While there is no A&E at Barts, your AOS experience is achieved by the timetabled weeks on the Cancer Assessment Unit and organised blocks with the AOS team. New registrars are encouraged to undertake the ICR course where possible, and many registrars complete their PhDs at the nearby Bart’s Cancer Institute. | Kathryn Hawkesford, Shanthini Cruz |
| England – London – North Central (UCL/Royal Free/Mount Vernon) ACP Trainee Representative: | Medical oncology training in North Central London includes 6-month rotations at UCLH, the newly merged Royal Free (RFH) & North Middlesex Hospitals, and Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (Rickmansworth). During the Mount Vernon rotation (and occasionally while based at RFH/North Middlesex) you may travel to off-site clinics. Allocations to hospital sites and tumour groups are agreed in trainee-led meetings, giving you real flexibility to shape your own training journey and plan rotations around academic goals, research interests, and personal commitments. Across all sites there are excellent opportunities to become part of supportive teams and get involved in a large portfolio of leading clinical trials, including increasing exposure to phase 1 and advanced therapies. You’ll gain acute oncology experience through specialty-specific take shifts and ward-based on calls, with opportunities to be involved in AOS service design and other governance or service-development projects. Overall, there is really good support for pursuing research posts, flexible working, time out of programme, and supervised final year acting-up time. | |
| England – London – Imperial ACP Trainee Representative: Paolo D’Arenzio | Coming Soon – do you work in this region and would be willing to write a bio for us? If so, please get in touch! | |
| England – London – Royal Marsden ACP Trainee Representative: Paolo D’Arenzio | The Royal Marsden Hospital is a standalone tertiary cancer centre and was the world’s first hospital dedicated to cancer treatment and research. The consultant body includes a number of key opinion leaders on a global scale across tumour types. It runs the largest Medical Oncology training programme in the United Kingdom. Medical Oncology registrars spend approximately half of their training time in the Chelsea branch and the other in the Sutton branch. Registrars will have access to a consultant mentor for the duration of their training as well as Chelsea and Sutton-based Education Leads in addition to clinical and educational supervisors. Each unit has a large portfolio of late-phase clinical trials, including both commercial and academic studies, and works closely with our phase I Drug Development Unit. We also have strong relationships with both the Institute of Cancer Research and the Francis Crick Institute for translational studies. Acute Oncology training takes place via ward-based on-call as well as shifts within our Acute Assessment Centre, participating in the specialty-specific acute take. For senior registrars, the focus is on developing the skills needed to lead a multidisciplinary Acute Oncology team. Registrars are encouraged to undertake all or part of the MSc in Oncology, offered by our academic partner the Institute of Cancer Research, and many members of the consultant body feature as lecturers on the course. Tumour-specific teaching is offered on a regular basis by consultants, and the weekly journal club provides an opportunity to discuss the emerging evidence with seniors and peers. Academic clinical training posts are available (approximately one per year). Academic registrars will select an academic supervisor and collaborate on competitive grant applications aiming to fund a research degree. | |
| England – London – Guy’s/St George’s ACP Trainee Representative: Sophie Banerjee | The South London Medical Oncology training programme spans four years, delivered across two major teaching hospitals: St George’s Hospital, in Tooting, and Guy’s Hospital, near London Bridge. Trainees typically rotate between the two sites, spending two years at each, gaining a broad spectrum of experience across inpatient, outpatient, and research settings. The role at St George’s Hospital has a high amount of exposure to A&E admissions and clerking Acute Oncology patients. There is an expectation to review ward inpatients daily. A notable rotation here includes experience in high-dose chemotherapy within the lymphoma service. Trainees attend outpatient clinics and MDTs; there is limited involvement in clinical trials. Guy’s Hospital, as part of a comprehensive cancer centre, provides an in-depth experience in the outpatient management of solid tumours with more focus on clinical trials, including early-phase studies. Trainees attend MDTs and, whilst Guy’s does not have an A&E, trainees participate in Acute Oncology days and ward weeks are allocated on the rota, with emergency cases directed to the nearby St Thomas’ Hospital. Together, these two sites provide a complementary training experience in Medical Oncology, balancing acute care, specialist services, and translational research exposure. | |
| England – North-East ACP Trainee Representative: | Coming Soon – do you work in this region and would be willing to write a bio for us? If so, please get in touch! | |
| England – East Midlands ACP Trainee Representative: Helen Robbins | Coming Soon – do you work in this region and would be willing to write a bio for us? If so, please get in touch! | |
| England – East of England ACP Trainee Representative: Harriet Baker and Su-Lei Yin | East of England training is centered at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Every trainee also works for a minimum of 2-years in a regional hospitals but rotations are designed with regards to travel times. These hospitals include Southend, Peterborough, Kings Lynn, Stevenage/Mount Vernon and West Suffolk. For some of these hospitals there is only one Med Onc resident at a time with Clin Onc residents as well. Addenbrooke’s Hospital is a busy oncology centre; the on-calls and oncology ward cover shifts are busy and covered by all trainees on a rota but provide excellent Acute Oncology experience. The consultants are supportive and approachable, many of whom trained in the East of England deanery themselves. The hospital hosts a large number of Phase 1-3 clinical trials in oncology, representing an excellent learning opportunity for trainees. The on-site Cambridge CRUK Institute and the biomedical campus offer a variety of out of program research (OOPR) opportunities which can lead to PhDs. The curriculum covers all the main tumour sites – breast, lung, sarcoma, UGI, LGI, renal, prostate, germ cell, bladder, melanoma, gynaecology, CUP and HPB. Some of these can vary and be site dependent. | Dr Simon Pacey (East of England) |
| England – Kent, Surrey and Sussex ACP Trainee Representative: | Coming Soon – do you work in this region and would be willing to write a bio for us? If so, please get in touch! | |
| England – North-West – Manchester ACP Trainee Representative: Waleed Khalifa | In the North-Western deanery, Medical Oncology training takes place through rotations delivered across: Greater Manchester through The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Lancashire through Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Cumbria through University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS foundation trust. The Christie Hospital is the largest stand alone cancer centre in Europe and is a world leading cancer centre. There are two pathways to Medical Oncology training in the North Western Deanery: 1) Christie Hospital –trainees rotate every four months through different tumour groups, expected to provide service to outreach clinics and support Acute Oncology services across Greater Manchester. Christie Hospital-based ST3 trainees are usually allocated eight months of their training in Lancashire Teaching Hospital/University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay. This period enables trainees to gain exposure across multiple tumour groups, build Acute Oncology clinical experience, and work closely with Clinical Oncology colleagues, assisting with radiotherapy competencies required for the Oncology Common Stem. 2) Lancashire Teaching Hospitals/University Hospital of Morecambe Bay – comprising a small number of expansion posts created by the North Western Deanery, this pathway focuses on three years of training predominantly at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals/University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay. One year of their training is also allocated to Manchester’s Christie Hospital. Allocation of either the Christie Hospital based posts or Lancashire teaching Hospitals/University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay is dependent on national recruitment ranking. Highest ranking candidates are offered a choice of posts at the time of formal training number acceptance. Educational opportunities: Structured mandatory educational courses – Biological basis of cancer course, Biological basis of Cancer statistics course (both must be completed in the 1st/2nd year of training)Once monthly journal club for registrars at the Christie Hospital, once weekly journal club for registrars and consultants based at Lancashire Teaching Hospital/University Hospital of Morecambe BayOnce monthly afternoon tumour specific teaching for trainees at the Christie HospitalMonthly regional teaching (combined clinical/medical oncology SpRs from Mersey Deanery & Wales)Weekly four hour self-learning/development daysDelivery of education/teaching to other healthcare professionals Research Opportunities: The Christie Hospital is located across The Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC) which is linked to Manchester University. The Christie operates closely with the CRUK Manchester Institute. Trainees have opportunities to take on translational and laboratory based research as MD or PhD during their training at the North Western Deanery. Trainees will also encounter opportunities throughout training to get involved in research projects in a variety of tumour groups. For candidates interested in pursuing a career as clinical scientists, the North Western deanery is also involved in the recruitment of NIHR Academic Clinical Fellows & Academic Clinical Lecturers. Lancashire teaching hospital has the Lancashire Clinical research facility which has secured NIHR funding. The centre is in collaboration between Lancashire teaching hospitals, Lancashire Care and Lancaster University. Translational and laboratory-based research is undertaken through close working with researchers from the University of Lancaster and University of Central Lancashire. Trainees gain exposure to various clinical trials through clinics at the Christie Hospital, Lancashire Teaching Hospital and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay | Dr Laura Cove-Smith & Dr Laura Horsley |
| England – North West – Mersey ACP Trainee Representative: Walid Khalifa | Coming Soon – do you work in this region and would be willing to write a bio for us? If so, please get in touch! | |
| England – South West – Severn ACP Trainee Representative: Ella Daniels | The Severn deanery currently comprises of Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre (HBOC), Royal United Hospital (Bath), Musgrove Park Hospital (Taunton) and Cheltenham General Hospital. You can potentially live in Bristol or the surrounding areas for the duration of training with a max 1-1.5 hour commute. In BHOC you do non-resident night shifts, otherwise on-calls are just weekends. You will usually do a minimum of 12 months in BHOC (unless ACF, who spend most of their training there), to get experience in intensive therapies (sarcoma and germ cell). Most centres have satellite clinics (Cheltenham+Hereford, Bristol+Weston/Southmead, Taunton+Yeovil), which you may be expected to attend, depending on tumour site rotation. The South-West is a great place to live, with easy access to London and Devon/Cornwall for beautiful beaches. There is a big emphasis on supported training and wellbeing, with time for professional development and non-clinical activities. There are opportunities to get involved with trial activity, but there is no phase I unit and fewer clinical trials than bigger centres elsewhere. | Dr Lara Gibbs |
| England – South West – Peninsula ACP Trainee Representative: Ella Daniels | Coming Soon – do you work in this region and would be willing to write a bio for us? If so, please get in touch! | Dr Lara Gibbs |
| England – Thames Valley A | Coming Soon – do you work in this region and would be willing to write a bio for us? If so, please get in touch! | |
| England – Wessex ACP Trainee Representative: | Coming Soon – do you work in this region and would be willing to write a bio for us? If so, please get in touch! | |
| England – West Midlands ACP Trainee Representative: Helen Robbins | The West Midlands oncology rotation comprises University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB; comprising Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham [QEHB] and Heartlands Hospital [BHH]), University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW), and Worcester Royal Hospital. Trainees generally spend at least a year in a hospital (split into two six months rotations), providing consistency of mentorship. UHB provides specialist treatment across cancer sites, including sarcoma, germ cell tumours, melanoma and hepatobiliary cancers. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham is one of the largest hospitals in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. Trainees gain a full breadth of experience, including with novel and advanced therapies. UHB has close academic links to the University of Birmingham. UHB has an active clinical trials portfolio, and highly successful academic clinical training pathway for oncology. University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire is a large tertiary referral hospital, again serving a diverse population. Training is based within a busy and modern cancer centre. UHCW hosts an active clinical trial portfolio with close links to the University of Warwick, providing excellent opportunities for research and academic development. Out of programme opportunities for West Midlands trainees include funded PhDs and clinical trials fellowships, with a supportive environment for trainees to pursue alternative opportunities in teaching, leadership and management. In addition, a large number of current trainees are pursuing an MSc in genomic medicine. West Midlands Medical Oncology is fully supportive of less than full time (LTFT) training. | Dr Simon Grumett |
| England – Yorkshire and Humber – Leeds/Hull ACP Trainee Representative: Richard Heywood | Trainees in Leeds/Hull will spend their ST3 Oncology Combined Stem year at either Leeds Cancer Centre (4-5 trainees; St James’ Hospital, Leeds) or the Queen’s Centre (1-2 trainees; Castle Hill Hospital, Hull). During ST3, trainees will rotate through specialties that have exposure to systemic therapy and radiotherapy. From ST4-ST6, trainees alternate time in Leeds (including six months doing an “intensive” blocks in sarcoma, germ cell cancer and melanoma), and the smaller DGHs (Bradford, Huddersfield, York). The Leeds Cancer Centre has an active clinical trials unit and close links with the University of Leeds. Trainees will be involved in site-specific clinical trials. There are academic clinical fellow posts in Oncology- these are usually appointed at ST1, leading to out of programme research e.g. PhD. There are also opportunities for trainees on non-academic pathways to pursue research and other out-of-programme activities, such as Leadership fellowships and Chief Registrar posts. | Dr Jane Hook |
| England – Yorkshire and Humber – Sheffield ACP Trainee Representative: Richard Heywood | Coming Soon – do you work in this region and would be willing to write a bio for us? If so, please get in touch! | |
| Wales – North Wales ACP Trainee Representative: Joni Howells | Training in North Wales takes place across the three main hospital sites in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board situated in Bangor, Rhyl and Wrexham. You will also spend six months at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool, undertaking the intensive therapies block. On-call commitments are generally undertaken in Bangor. All three sites are district general hospitals with day units for SACT delivery and Acute Oncology provision for the wider hospital teams. Bangor and Rhyl have oncology inpatient units, triage and assessment facilities on site. Training in North Wales gives excellent general oncology experience in a supportive environment. There are close ties with local universities with opportunities for education and further study. North Wales is a lovely part of the world with Eryri National Park right on the doorstep and beautiful coastline to admire. A perfect place to be if you enjoy the outdoors in your spare time! | |
| Wales – South Wales ACP Trainee Representative: Joni Howells | Medical Oncology training in South Wales is divided across two cancer centres; trainees spend time evenly split between Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff and South-West Wales Cancer Centre, located at Singleton Hospital in Swansea. These centres offer a supportive environment, with friendly registrar rooms and approachable consultant colleagues. While most of the training occurs at these primary centres, trainees may also attend peripheral clinics at local hospitals during certain rotations. Many trainees choose to live in Cardiff due to the on-call requirements: in Cardiff, trainees must be within a 30-minute drive of Velindre Cancer Centre, and within an hour’s drive of Singleton Hospital for non-resident on-calls. Velindre Cancer Centre is a stand-alone cancer centre that has a small but active early-phase trial unit and a highly regarded immunotherapy toxicity service. There is a separate training program for North Wales trainees. South Wales is a wonderful place to live, with stunning beaches, close proximity to Bannau Brycheiniog, a vibrant sporting culture and varied international performances at the Millenium centre and Principality Stadium offering plenty of distractions from work. |