National Training Number

The Gold Guide states that all trainees appointed to a run-through specialty training programme will be awarded a National Training Number (NTN) by the Postgraduate Deanery.

The allocation of a training number has three main purposes:

• “educational planning and management:to enable Postgraduate Deans to keep track of the location and progress of trainees who have been selected into run-through specialty training programmes;”
• “to act as a "passport" for trainees: as long as the NTN is held a trainee has, subject to acceptable progress and performance, a guarantee of a continued place in a training programme for the specialty or group of designated specialties to which the NTN relates, for the duration of the programme;”
• “workforce information: to document, within each country and within specialties, how many doctors are in each run-through specialty training programme at any time and to provide indicative evidence as to when their training is likely to be completed.”

The NTN is unique to the trainee for the period the trainee holds the number in that specialty. Subject to progress, a trainee will hold an NTN until training is completed or the NTN is relinquished. Each NTN is an alpha­numeric code. It contains four elements:

• three letters which identify the Deanery, e.g. "WAL" (Wales Deanery)
• three digits for the specialty
• digits to identify the individual holder
• a single letter suffix which indicates whether the trainee is undertaking an Article 10 or Article 11 route.

The National Training Number will therefore be constructed as follows:

WAL/800/0001/(Appropriate single letter suffix)

WAL = Deanery prefix

800 = GP Specialty code

0001 = Individual number

Registration with the RCGP and for the e-Portfolio will use the GMC number as the unique identifier, however trainees will also be required to supply their NTN to corroborate their identity, alongside their email address, data of birth, etc.

Your NTN is allocated at the start of your training in ST1. To obtain or retain your NTN you are required to annually complete the Form R.