Responding to the Nuffield Trust analysis showing that the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act has dramatically reduced the proportion of specialty training places secured by overseas doctors, Dr Tom Dolphin, chair of BMA council, said:  

“We should never have been in a position where we had doctors facing unemployment because there weren't enough training places for them, when we have so many millions of patients waiting for treatment. That being so, however, it was vital the Government move to prevent UK-trained doctors from being lost to the NHS for good due to the lack of training opportunities.  

"Clearly the Act has had a major effect this year in reducing the proportion of specialty places going to those not in the priority groups. It means fewer doctors who came up through the domestic training system will find themselves left without a chance of career progression. But that will remain cold comfort given the shambolic workforce planning that is still unaddressed.  

“Our international colleagues are valued members of our profession who need access to career and pay progression and protection from the medical gig economy, just as much as UK graduates do. The blame lies with NHS workforce planning, both for leaning so heavily on international doctors to fill gaps and for leaving the entire medical training system, from foundation years to consultants, with a lack of places for doctors.

"Prioritisation does nothing to create more of these places. We can't just push bottlenecks further along the career path, especially when the UK already has too few doctors compared with other equivalent nations. This just encourages hospitals to go further substituting in other professions to do the work only doctors should be doing. 

"The recent deal between resident doctors and Government to create more training places in England is a good start, but it should never have needed doctors to take industrial action to achieve. Now we will need to give close scrutiny to ensure the places actually emerge. And above all the upcoming workforce plan will need to take a whole-career approach to providing doctors with the places they need at all stages, so we never encounter this lamentable situation again."

Notes to editors