FOUNDATION SCHOOL GUIDE
North West of England Foundation School hospitals
North West of England Foundation School covers Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and the Isle of Man. The map includes Noble’s Hospital alongside major teaching and district hospital sites.
UKFP 2026 PRIMARY-ALLOCATION RATIO
1.14 first-choice applicants per programme- Programmes
- 1,081
- First choices
- 1,230
- After pre-allocation
- 1.16
A ratio above 1.00 means there were more first-choice applicants than programmes. It is a historical demand measure, not an individual probability of allocation.
Compare all 18 Foundation Schools across 2024–2026Possible hospital locations
The table lists the hospital sites currently shown for North West of England. Availability can change between recruitment years, so confirm rotations in the live Oriel programme information before ranking.
| # | Hospital site | Town or area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Liverpool University Hospital | Liverpool |
| 2 | Manchester Royal Infirmary | Manchester |
| 3 | Salford Royal Hospital | Salford |
| 4 | Royal Preston Hospital | Preston |
| 5 | Blackpool Victoria Hospital | Blackpool |
| 6 | Countess of Chester Hospital | Chester |
| 7 | Royal Lancaster Infirmary | Lancaster |
| 8 | Leighton Hospital | Crewe |
| 9 | Arrowe Park Hospital | Wirral |
| 10 | Noble’s Hospital | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| 11 | Furness General Hospital | Barrow-in-Furness |
| 12 | Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital | Blackburn |
| 13 | Burnley General Teaching Hospital | Burnley |
| 14 | Royal Bolton Hospital | Bolton |
| 15 | Fairfield General Hospital | Bury |
| 16 | Royal Oldham Hospital | Oldham |
| 17 | Rochdale Infirmary | Rochdale |
| 18 | Wythenshawe Hospital | Manchester |
| 19 | North Manchester General Hospital | Manchester |
| 20 | Stepping Hill Hospital | Stockport |
| 21 | Macclesfield District General Hospital | Macclesfield |
| 22 | Chorley and South Ribble Hospital | Chorley |
| 23 | Aintree University Hospital | Liverpool |
| 24 | Whiston Hospital | Prescot |
| 25 | St Helens Hospital | St Helens |
| 26 | Southport and Formby District General Hospital | Southport |
| 27 | Ormskirk District General Hospital | Ormskirk |
| 28 | Royal Albert Edward Infirmary | Wigan |
| 29 | Warrington Hospital | Warrington |
| 30 | Halton Hospital | Runcorn |
SCHOOL-SPECIFIC ANALYSIS
What the mapped footprint shows
The largest repeated locality labels on the map are Manchester (3 sites), Liverpool (2 sites). In total, 30 sites are distributed across 27 named towns or localities.
North West of England recorded primary first-preference ratios of 1.35 in 2024, 1.35 in 2025 and 1.14 in 2026. The 2026 figure was lower than the 2024 figure. Across the three published cycles, the range was 1.14 to 1.35, illustrating why one year should not be treated as a forecast.
Questions to check for this school
- Which current programmes include the mapped sites, and in which training year?
- Are programmes divided into local groups that reduce travel across the full school footprint?
- Which locations would require a move, a car or travel outside normal public-transport hours?
- Have programme numbers or local allocation arrangements changed since the historic ratio was published?
How to use this information
This is an independent orientation resource. A mapped hospital is a possible location associated with the Foundation School, not a promise that a placement will be offered in every recruitment round. Use the official Foundation School and Oriel listings for final decisions.