The Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) urges the government to significantly expand the numbers of graduate training places to meet the country’s needs.
DAUK believes training opportunities should be available to all UK graduates and international medical graduates (IMGs) with at least two years’ experience practising in the NHS – and this Overseas NHS Workers Day we are calling on the government to invest in them for the good of the nation’s health.
The NHS is currently short of around 8,850 doctors. The UK has fewer doctors and nurses per person than most of its peer countries, with billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money being spent every year on agency staff.
Workforce planning
This is a massive failure of workforce planning.
Despite the clear need, hundreds of doctors coming through UK medical schools and IMGs already practising in the NHS are being denied opportunities because of underfunding by successive governments, which have failed to increase the numbers of specialty training places.
Dr Matt Kneale, DAUK committee member and former chair, said: “We recognise that there are real issues with specialty training places that need nuanced solutions that are both pragmatic and lawful.
“It’s difficult to justify leaving UK-trained doctors unemployed while training numbers remain static.
“These graduates could be contributing to the NHS workforce rather than being underutilised, especially given the public investment in their education.
“It’s also worth questioning the fairness of continuing to recruit IMGs through costly PLAB exams when many face limited prospects of NHS employment.
International medical graduates
“This risks setting unrealistic expectations and could leave some IMGs feeling misled about their opportunities.”
Dr Pushpo Hossain, DAUK’s IMG lead, said: “As an IMG myself, I had more than two-and-a-half years of NHS experience before applying for training jobs.
“If an IMG has worked in the NHS for two years, they should be able to apply for training posts under the same criteria as a UK graduate.
“This would strike a fair balance and recognise their experience within the NHS.”
Tax payers’ money is increasingly being spent pushing non-doctor roles, such as physician associates, despite concerns over their training, scope of practice, and patient safety.
Non-doctor roles
The expansion of non-doctor roles is another factor impacting resident doctors and IMGs and limiting their opportunities.
Patients want to see a doctor, and patient outcomes are significantly improved when they do.
Dr Ellen Welch, DAUK vice-chair, added: “We need to look at why doctors are out of work, while rotas are understaffed and waiting lists still stretch into the millions.
“We need our government to fund job opportunities for both UK and international graduate doctors instead of paying less qualified non-doctors to cover doctor roles.”
Please support our work by contributing to our crowd funder or by becoming a member.
