Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether previous structured undergraduate clinical training in NHS hospitals will count towards the requirement in the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 that prioritised applicants for postgraduate medical training should have had significant experience of working in the NHS; and if so, to what extent.

The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 implements the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant National Health Service experience for specialty training places.

For specialty training places starting in 2026, immigration statuses are being used as a proxy to capture applicants who are most likely to have significant experience working in the health service in the UK.

From 2027, under the Act, immigration status will no longer automatically determine priority for specialty training. Instead, the act provides a power to specify in regulations any additional groups who will be prioritised by reference to criteria indicating significant experience as a doctor in the health service, or by reference to immigration status. The Department is working with NHS England, the devolved administrations, and other partners on how best to define and evidence significant NHS experience as part of the development of those regulations. We will set out next steps in due course.

The Act is not designed to, and does not, exclude any eligible applicants from applying for medical foundation or specialty training. Non-prioritised graduates can still apply, and they will be offered places if vacancies remain after prioritised applicants have received offers. For individuals who do not secure a foundation year one post this year, there are alternative routes to pursuing a medical career in the UK. These include obtaining full General Medical Council (GMC) registration through the established GMC pathways, such as completing an approved internship in the country where they trained and then entering the UK healthcare system through applying to a locally employed doctor role or another non-training post.

The Government has no plans to introduce transitional arrangements for the implementation of the Act.