Information for trainees
Are you ready for your Annual Review of Progression?
The school is preparing to commence the Annual Review of Progression (ARP) for active trainees between years 2 – 6 on the HSST. Trainees commencing in September 2026 will not be asked to participate.
The review period will run from Monday 2 November to Tuesday 1 December 2026 where we will require all trainees and their supervisors to let us know about their progress towards the programme requirements including:
- Academic award – DClinSci
- Progress against the HSS standards of proficiency on the e-portfolio OneFile.
- Progress towards or completion of the professional exams.
- FRCPath parts 1 and 2 for Life Scientists with the Royal College of Pathology.
- Independent Assessment of Professional Skills (IAPS) with the school for non-Life Scientists.
- Confirmation of expected end of funded 5th year (end date) where applicable and 12 month or equivalent 6th year unfunded window (completion date), which is the date all aspects of the programme must be completed successfully in order to receive the Certificate of Completion for the HSST (CCHSST).
On Monday 2 November 2026, you and your supervisor will receive a link via email to a digital form to complete during the review window. This will allow us to assess your progress against your current timeline and determine if there are any trainees who may have issues with completing the programme on time or who require additional support or guidance.
The form will be in 2 parts:
1. Data and progression confirmation – mandatory
Confirmation of data held about you in relation to completion timelines, interruptions, extensions or other adjustments as well as your progress on the programme against the required activities.
This part of the form is mandatory and must be completed by all trainees and their workplace supervisors. Failure to complete it will mean the school may not be able to support any issues with progression or completion or award any adjustments if needed later on in the programme.
2. Raising a concern – by exception
This section should only be completed if there are current or prior issues that have impacted on you or your trainee’s ability to progress as planned over the last 12 months that you think the school should be aware of.
Issues that can be or have been resolved locally and do not impact on any required elements of the programme do not need to be reported.
The universities delivering the DClinSci will be invited separately to identify any concerns by exception.
Read more about how to raise a concern about progress
Outcomes and next steps
You will no longer receive an assessed outcome from this process as it has been redesigned to focus on your support needs. However, this is your opportunity to receive support for your training if you need it. Failure to notify us of problems when given the opportunity via ARP may impact on our ability to support your application in the event you require adjustments to your training such as extensions or interruptions in the future.
Read more about steps following on from the Annual Review of Progression
If you have identified barriers to your progress and we feel you need additional support, we may offer further guidance via email or get in touch to arrange a support meeting with one of the school’s HSST Training Programme Directors.
Out of sync trainees
Anyone who is not actively training, for example due to an interruption or parental leave, will have an opportunity at the next ARP, or can contact us separately, to let us know about any issues with their training.
Volunteer with NHS Health Careers
Help us to inspire the future generation of NHS professionals by sharing your perspective at NHS Health Careers events this November.
Find out more about these volunteering opportunities
Information for trainees and supervisors
Introduction to OneFile for HSST trainees and supervisors
Friday 6 November 2026 – 11am to 12pm
Join us for an introduction to OneFile, where we will show how to navigate the system, set up your submissions and give you some top tips and tricks to ensure you get the most out of the e-portfolio software during the HSST.
View further details and register for this webinar
Curriculum reviewers needed for a periodic review of the Pharmaceutical Sciences STP
This academic year the Pharmaceutical Sciences STP will undergo a periodic review to consider the changes required to the curriculum content. If you are involved in the delivery of the programme you can join the Curriculum Review Group as a Curriculum Reviewer. Your role will be to contribute scientific expertise to the development and maintenance of the curriculum.
Sharing Good Practice webinars
Neurodiversity-affirming practice in healthcare science
Wednesday 25 November 2026 – 12pm to 12:30pm
Shirin Davies, a Clinical Scientist, will deliver a session to increase understanding of neurodiversity in the NHS workplace and explore practical ways to support neurodivergent staff to thrive rather than simply cope.
Based on the Neurodiversity-Affirming Care and Support Toolkit from Neurodiverse Connection, the session will introduce the SPACE Framework and signpost attendees to resources that can help create more inclusive, effective and supportive workplaces.
Reflective practice through verbal dialogue: a case study from a Medical Physics STP
Wednesday 9 December 2026 – 10:30am to 11am
Deirbhile Sharkey, an STP trainee and Jonathan Cole, their STP Training Officer will describe how they co-developed a technique for reflective practice through verbal dialogue. They found that this was not only straightforward and time-efficient, but also beneficial for both learning and reflecting on work practices within the wider department.
OCSO Healthcare Science webinar – Research
The Office of the Chief Scientific Officer (OCSO) at NHS England would like to invite you to a healthcare science webinar series. The purpose of these webinars is to provide the latest information and engage with healthcare scientists on relevant topics.
The next webinar will focus on Research and will be on Wednesday 28 October 2026 from 12pm to 1pm.
If you would like to attend this webinar, please register your interest here. Following registration, the invite will be sent to you in a separate email.
The webinar is open to healthcare science professionals at all levels. You can also register for the CSO’s healthcare science bulletin here.
Register for the OCSO webinar on research
Contribute to our Sharing Good Practice webinar series
If you or your network have developed practice that you feel could be valuable to share with your peers, please express an interest in sharing your practice.
Express an interest in sharing your practice
Information for supervisors
HSST Train the Trainer webinar
Thursday 19 November 2026 – 10am to 3pm
If you are new to the HSST supervisor role, you are expected to attend a Train the Trainer webinar, which will introduce you to the programme and your responsibilities.
View further details and register for this webinar
Provide your feedback via the NHS England Educator Voice Survey
The Educator Voice Survey (EVS) has been developed as part of NHS England’s commitment to strengthening and supporting the educator workforce. The survey seeks to better understand the experiences of educators across healthcare learning environments, including the opportunities, challenges and support available to them in their role.
Provide your feedback via the Educator Voice Survey
Missed a previous edition of the HSST Monthly Memo?
You will find previous copies of the HSST Monthly Memo on our website.