Read on Twitter
It's positive that @GOVUK has lifted the cap on medical school places, & that the offers will be honoured.
There must, however, also be a commitment that all UK med school graduates will be guaranteed a job & Foundation Programme place upon graduation.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/action-agreed-to-support-students-into-preferred-universities
There must, however, also be a commitment that all UK med school graduates will be guaranteed a job & Foundation Programme place upon graduation.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/action-agreed-to-support-students-into-preferred-universities
The Foundation Programme is already slightly oversubscribed every year, though all graduates are currently found a place via reserve lists. We need commitment to funding more FP spaces. The case for this is clear: we need more doctors, from a wider range of backgrounds.
. @TheKingsFund report that "the UK has a low number of doctors and nurses per head of population compared with other countries ... there is one doctor for every 356 people, compared with one for every 277 people on average across comparable countries." https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/health-care-workforce-england
2 years ago, @TheBMA published a report on medical rota gaps in England. The findings were staggering.
(More here: https://twitter.com/DrPeteCampbell/status/1024600780492484608)
(More here: https://twitter.com/DrPeteCampbell/status/1024600780492484608)
The @RCPLondon have also undertaken work around medical student numbers require to enable safe staffing, and come to the conclusion that they should be at least doubled: https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/news/double-or-quits-calculating-how-many-more-medical-students-we-need
@bodgoddard
@bodgoddard
The lifting of this cap must also be followed up with support and funding for universities in the coming months and years; they have been hit hard by #COVID19, and will require significant investment to make this work for trainers and for students. https://www.bma.org.uk/bma-media-centre/lifting-cap-on-medical-school-places-must-be-backed-with-long-term-support-and-funding-says-bma
A sudden influx into the medical workforce will need to be managed for many years to come. The creation of more training numbers will be essential, along with further work on flexibility, including access to LTFT, and the ability to step on and off training programmes.
Today's announcement therefore should act as a catalyst for proper workforce planning, funding for education and training, and a focus on patient safety and staff wellbeing. It needs to start with a commitment to FP places on graduation.
