Online Fellowship FAQs

Each of the individuals involved in a nomination will be required to submit a supporting statement via a specific form. To access the forms you are required to log in to the Online Fellowship system.

Once you have logged on, regardless of your role in the nomination, you will have an ‘inbox’ and a ‘Nomination dashboard’. The inbox view shows a summary of your nomination activity to date. The ‘Nomination dashboard’ shows a summary of the status of the forms of the various individuals involved. Submitted forms can also be viewed here (dependent on the user), and is where the nominator will be able to submit their nomination.

Users all access the system in the same way – by logging in to the website via ‘My RCGP’. The ‘My RCGP’ log in screen can be accessed by clicking on the ‘My RCGP’ button in the top right corner of the homepage or by clicking on the Online Fellowship icon on the right side of the screen. Alternatively, you may navigate to the log in screen through a hyperlink included in an invite/notification email that you have received.

Instructions are as follows:

1. Either select ‘My RCGP’ button located in the top right corner of the homepage or click on the Online Fellowship icon on the right side of the screen (Alternatively click on the hyperlink included in the invite/notification email you have received)
2. You will be redirected to a log in screen requesting your username and password – enter your username (your email address) and the password you should have previously set up for yourself.
3. Click ‘Login’
4. (Select the Online Fellowship icon if accessed via ‘My RCGP’ button)
5. You will be redirected to a screen prompting you to select your role in the nomination process – either as the nominator, candidate or seconder.

Candidates and nominators will then be presented with a screen with the option to either start a new application or to navigate to their inbox. If you have received a notification email informing you that you have been invited to be a candidate or nominator, you should navigate to your inbox where you will be able to either accept or decline the invitation. If you are returning to an application, you should select to access your inbox.

Seconders will only be able to select to navigate to their inbox. will then be presented with a screen with the option to either start a new application or to navigate to their inbox. If you have received a notification email informing you that you have been invited to be a candidate or nominator, you should navigate to your inbox where you will be able to either accept or decline the invitation. If you are returning to an application, you should select to access your inbox. will only be able to select to navigate to their inbox.

If you don’t have an email registered with the RCGP, you will not be able to access the system. If you are a member and have a record set up with us but simply do not have an email registered, you should contact our Membership Services team who will be able to update this information for you. If your email is incorrect or you have a new email address which you haven’t told us about, you can register the correct/new email address by updating your details via the ‘Update Your Profile’ function in the ‘My RCGP’ area by logging in with your registered email address.

If you are not a College member (as a seconder may be in unusual circumstances), you should register as a non-member via the ‘My RCGP’ area where you will be requested to register an email address and to set up a password for yourself. You should then be able to access the system in the same way as members, as described above.

Yes, like the paper-based system, a candidate can instigate an application by inviting a nominator to lead on it. Alternatively, a nominator can initiate the process by inviting a candidate to take part.

Once logged in, candidates and nominators can start a new nomination by selecting the option ‘Start a new application’. You will then be redirected to the relevant user form where you will be required to invite a nominator or candidate (depending on the user).

In both the candidate’s form and the nominator’s form, there is an ‘invitations’ box located above the personal details fields. By clicking on the ‘invite nominator/invite candidate’ button in the candidate form and nominator form respectively, the user will be prompted to enter at least one of the following for their intended recipient – their email address, membership number or GMC number. They should then select to ‘find nominator’/’find candidate’ and then to ‘send invitation’.

A notification email is then sent to the recipient informing them of the candidate/nominator’s invitation to participate in a nomination, with a hyperlink which redirects to the Online Fellowship system (after the user has first been requested to log in). So as to respond to the invite, the recipient should then select to navigate to their inbox (after having selected the role appropriate to them). They should then see that they have received an invitation underneath the heading ‘Invitations received’ and the option to either ‘accept’ or ‘decline’ the invitation.

Once an invitation has been accepted or declined by the recipient, the candidate/nominator will receive a notification email to inform them of their response. You will also be able to view responses to invitations in your inbox, under the heading ‘Invitations sent’.

You invite seconders in the same way that you invite a candidate.

In the nominator form there is an ‘invitations’ box located above the personal details fields. There will be two buttons relevant to the seconders - an ‘invite seconder 1’ and ‘invite seconder 2’ button.

By clicking on either of these buttons, you will be prompted to enter at least one of the following for your intended recipient – their email address, membership number or GMC number. You should then select to find the seconder and then to ‘Send invitation’.

You should repeat the process for the other seconder. If searching for a seconder by their email address, please be sure to enter the email address that they have registered with the RCGP. This may require you to check with the individual first, but will ensure that you avoid unnecessary delays to the process. Invites sent to unregistered email addresses will not be immediately accessible to the individual as they will not be able to log in to the website to respond and will be required to update their registered email address in order to do so. It is not possible to retract and resend an invite once it has been sent.

Notification emails will be sent to the recipients informing them of the nominator’s invitation for them to participate in a nomination, with a hyperlink which redirects to the Online Fellowship system (after the user has first been requested to log in).

The recipient should then select to navigate to their inbox (after having selected the ‘I am a seconder’ role). They should then see that they have received an invitation underneath the heading ‘Invitations received’ and the option to either ‘accept’ or ‘decline’ the invitation.

Once the invitation has been accepted or declined by the recipient, you will receive a notification email to inform you of the recipient’s response. Your invitation will also show as having been ‘accepted’ or ‘declined’ in your inbox.

You will be required to log in to the ‘My RCGP’ area and access the Online Fellowship system to respond to an invite. The ‘My RCGP’ log in screen can be accessed by clicking on the ‘My RCGP’ button in the top right corner of the homepage or by clicking on the Online Fellowship icon on the right side of the screen. Alternatively, you may navigate to the log in screen through a hyperlink included in the invite/notification email that you have received.

Instructions are as follows:

1. Either select ‘My RCGP’ button located in the top right corner of the homepage or click on the Online Fellowship icon on the right side of the screen. (Alternatively click on the hyperlink included in the invite/notification email you have received).
2. You will be redirected to a log in screen requesting your username and password – enter your username (your email address) and the password you should have previously set up for yourself.
3. Click ‘Login’.
4. (Select the Online Fellowship icon if accessed via ‘My RCGP’ button.)
5. You will be redirected to a screen prompting you to select your role in the nomination process – either as the nominator, candidate or seconder.
6. Navigate to your inbox. You should then see an invitation underneath the heading ‘Invitations received’ and the option to either ‘accept’ or ‘decline’ the invitation.

The error message will have shown due to there being a discrepancy between the entered information and what is stored on our database for that recipient.

The user should contact the intended recipient and ask them to verify their personal details via the ‘Update Your Profile’ function in the ‘My RCGP’ area. They will be able to update any incorrect information stored there.

Alternatively, the intended recipient can contact our Membership Services team who can update this information. membership services can be contacted by email: membership@rcgp.org.uk or telephone: 0203 188 7766.

Once you have selected to ‘accept’ an invitation, you will be able to complete your form in the following way:

1. Select the ‘View’ button alongside the nomination details shown under the heading ‘Applications in progress’ (in the ‘My Inbox’ view).
2. You will then be redirected to the ‘Nomination dashboard’ where you will be able to select the ‘View’ button alongside your own details.
3. The appropriate user form should then open.
4. If returning at a later date to complete your form, you should navigate to your inbox and follow steps 1-3 above.

If the recipient of an invitation decides to decline, you will receive a notification email informing you of this. Your invitation will also show as having been ‘declined’ in your inbox.

You will be able to invite another recipient in the same way using the ‘invitations’ box on your form. A hyperlink is also included in the notification email which redirects to the Online Fellowship system (after the user has first been requested to log in) to allow them to quickly access the system.

It is possible for participants to save their forms and return to them at a later date. When returning to an application, the user should select ‘Go to my inbox’ after logging in – they will then be redirected to a screen where they will be able to select the ‘View’ button alongside the nomination details shown under the heading ‘Applications in progress’.

The nominator and seconders will be able to view all of the other participant’s forms as and when they are submitted to the other participants, including the seconders being able to view each other’s forms (but only once submitted). This is so as to try and encourage the avoidance of duplication in the participants’ statements and to enable them to build upon the information provided by other members of the nominating team.

Candidates will be able to view the nominator’s form once this has been submitted by the nominator, but will not be able to see the seconders’ forms until the application has been approved by the Fellowship and Awards Committee of Council and they have subsequently received notification of their successful nomination. They will then be able to log in to the system as they have done previously, and view the seconders forms via the ‘Nomination dashboard’. (The seconders’ identity and forms are kept anonymous until this point so as to retain an element of surprise for the candidate in who has supported their nomination.)

As a form is submitted by each of the participants, the system will generate an email to notify the other participants of this. The candidate will only be notified that a seconder has submitted their form and will not be told their identity.

As a form is submitted by each of the participants, the system will generate an email to notify them of this. The notification email will include a hyperlink which redirects to the Online Fellowship system (after the user has first been requested to log in) to allow them to quickly access and view the submitted form. (The candidate will only be notified that a seconder has submitted their form however, and will not be told their identity or be able to access the form via the hyperlink – this is because the seconders’ identity and forms should be kept anonymous until later on in the process so as to retain an element of surprise for the candidate in who has supported their nomination.)

The system prepopulates certain personal details fields in each of the participant forms, using the information stored on our database.  It is not possible to overwrite a prepopulated field, as the system cannot update the database to save any changes there.

There are a number of fields in the personal details sections which may not be prepopulated so the user will be required to populate these fields themselves. If you notice that a prepopulated field is not accurate, please update this information (or encourage the relevant participant to do so) via the ‘Update Your Profile’ function under the personal details section, available through ‘My RCGP’. Alternatively, our Membership Services team will be able to update this information. They can be contacted on either membership@rcgp.org.uk or 0203 188 7766.

Insert the words ‘not applicable’ or ‘NA’.

It is recommended that the candidate first submits their form as their statement should cover their key career achievements, which will aid the nominator and seconders in their preparation of their supporting statements. They may wish to structure their statement around the six potential achievement categories as detailed in the accompanying Guidance notes.

The nominator should then prepare their statement setting out their reasons for recommending the candidate – again, they may wish to use the six potential achievement categories as a way of structuring their statement. The seconders should then submit their forms – it is recommended that a seconder should view all of the previously submitted forms, so as to try and encourage the avoidance of duplication in the participants’ statements and to enable them to build upon the information provided by other members of the nominating team.

Once all four forms have been submitted, the nominator will receive an email generated by the system notifying them that they are now able to submit the nomination to the candidate’s faculty.

To do this, the nominator should navigate to the ‘Nomination dashboard’ via their inbox where they will see text informing them that they can submit the nomination.

They will then be required to verify whether one of the nominating team has attested to the candidate’s clinical work (which is necessary if the candidate is in active clinical practice) by selecting either a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ tick box.

If the nominator selects ‘yes’ they can then select ‘Submit nomination’. If they select ‘no’, further text will appear explaining that the candidate’s appraiser should be approached by the nominator to provide an additional supporting statement attesting to the candidate’s clinical standards. The nominator will need to insert the appraiser’s name, GMC number and supporting statement in the appropriate boxes shown beneath this text.

They will then be able to select to ‘Submit nomination’. (They will also be able to either download or print the completed forms using the relevant buttons shown on the ‘Nomination dashboard’)

The candidate’s faculty office will be sent a notification email generated by the system to inform them that a nomination has been submitted.

Once the nomination has been submitted, the nominator will be unable to make any further changes to the forms. The nomination will then be reviewed by the candidate’s Faculty Fellowship Committee (FFC), and the FFCs recommendation passed on to the Fellowship Unit for the Fellowship and Awards Committee of Council’s approval. Once this has been confirmed, the Fellowship Unit will contact the candidate and nominator with news of the outcome of the nomination via an automatically generated email.

All recommended candidate’s names will next be required to be ratified at Council. Approved candidates are then formally elected as Fellows at an RCGP general meeting (either the Spring or Annual general meeting). Details of the appropriate Council and election date are included in the email sent to the candidate and nominator.

The email will also include a request for the submission of a citation for use in the presentation of certificates at the general meeting. Candidates will be prompted to access the Online Fellowship system (after logging in) via a hyperlink included in the email. They should then navigate to their inbox and then to the ‘Nomination dashboard’ (by clicking ‘View’ alongside their application), where they will see a box requesting the provision of a citation.

Instructions as to how the candidate can make the payment will also be included in this email.