It is a requirement for the trainee to have Membership with the Royal College of Psychiatrists and completion of Core Training in Psychiatry or equivalent competencies to be eligible to apply for higher training. It is a competitive specialty due to the low number of training numbers available and the trainee should consider planning to develop their portfolio at an early stage in their career to be competitive in the applications.
There are intakes in both February and August although they are not available on an annual basis and may only come up every couple of years. Application to higher specialty training would be through the Health Education England North West Deanery who are the responsible organisation for recruitment into psychiatry in England, Scotland and Wales. Please access their website for more information.