Medical Students

In recent months, DA UK’s medical student committee has responded to a variety of issues impacting medical students.

This has included the NHS Workforce plan which planned to rapidly expand the numbers of medical students. In June 2023 DA UK launched a survey of current medical students’ experience of placement. With over 100 respondents, a social media campaign shared quotes of students experiencing overcrowded wards and poor learning conditions as a result. This sparked conversation on social media and was reported in the mainstream media by The Independent with responses from the Director of Policy and Strategy at NHS Providers.

A large focus of DA UK medical students committee has been regarding the UKFPO. This organization handles the allocation of final-year medical students to the foundation programme. In recent years, the method of allocating students to jobs has changed to that of a random ballot system, including that of the specialized foundation programme for academic programmes, and increasingly more students are left on waitlists with no job allocated until the last minute. DA UK has released countless statements and written letters in support of those medical students affected by the UKFPO. The work to lobby for change is ongoing.

The DA UK medical student committee has also sent representatives to meetings in 2023 with the GMC to share wider concerns from students regarding the handling of cases.

DA UK supported the beginnings of the #LiveableNHSBursary campaign in 2021 which rose awareness of the financial difficulty medical students find themselves particularly in their later clinical years.

The campaign was covered in the national media, including BBC News, Sky News, The Independent and the BMJ. Nearly 4000 letters were sent to MPs with DA UK’s letter writing tool, and an MP briefing held which garnered public support from MPs including Debbie Abrahams MP, Tim Farron MP, Scott Benton MP, Chris Stephens MP, Kate Osamor MP, Cat Smith MP, Daisy Cooper MP.

The Medical Schools Council wrote letters to all student funding bodies in April 2023 in support of the campaign, recognising the work DA UK has done. DA UK has continued lobbying for better student funding, whilst also collaborating with organizations such as Inside Uni Medicine to inform future applicants about funding their studies.