Dear friends and colleagues,
Please can you disseminate this consultation which relates to how to maximise the benefit from the expansion of undergraduate medical school places in the UK.
One of the key issues which requires comment from those directly impacted is ‘whether medical graduates should be required to work in the NHS for a specified period of time.’ The suggestion is that this may be up to 5 years with financial penalties for those who leave the NHS before this.
There are clearly a number of concerns regarding this, for example, the disregard of the key skills acquired during periods of working overseas out of training, the benefits of international collaborative working, the need for time to reflect on a future career path during early years of training, the impacts on staff morale, etc. These is also no evidence provided as to how this would benefit patients or how this would be measured.
Please see Stella Vig’s blog in the BMJ in March 2017: http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2017/03/29/stella-vig-will-making-new-doctors-work-in-the-nhs-for-five-years-improve-retention/
(Stella Vig has been the foundation programme director at Croydon University Hospital for 10 years and holds many roles, including those of core surgery and higher surgery training programme director, JCST chair for core surgery, and general surgery SAC member.)
Please see below for links to the consultation.
Please respond by the 2nd June 2017 at the latest.
Please also disseminate widely.
Many thanks,
Members of the Global Health Curriculum Group
Further Information:
http://www.aomrc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Global_Health_Capabilities_100816-2.pdf
https://consultations.dh.gov.uk/workforce/medical-education-expansion/
to look at whether doctors should be forced to work in the NHS for at least five years after completing their training in England. The consultation is looking at whether it may improve the retention of trainees and therefore improve workforce numbers.
