• The General Medical Council (GMC) has published its Workforce report, which highlights that UK healthcare is more reliant than ever on overseas doctors.
• In 2019, for the first time, more non-UK graduates joined the medical register than British-trained doctors.
• However, the report finds that retention of all doctors remains a challenge as workload pressures and workplace cultures that don’t always offer enough support are among the factors that cause significant numbers of doctors – from the UK as well as overseas – to leave the medical register.
  
  

Responding to the GMC’s Workforce report, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:

“This report shows how vital overseas-trained doctors are to the NHS and the role of international recruitment in helping the service to tackle the 100,000 vacancies across trusts.

“It is welcome that we have seen a significant increase in the number of international medical graduates joining the medical register and seeking a career within the NHS. A future immigration system post-Brexit must protect the ability of health and care services to recruit from overseas.

It is welcome that we have seen a significant increase in the number of international medical graduates joining the medical register and seeking a career within the NHS.

Miriam Deakin    Co-Director of Development and Engagement

“But we know that a longer-term approach to meeting our workforce needs for the future must encourage higher numbers of locally trained staff over the next five to ten years. We need to do more to attract young people into NHS careers as well as doing more to make sure the NHS is seen as a great place to work.

“There are some immediate challenges we need to address. In the short-term that includes the impact of the current pension tax issue. We need an urgent and retrospective solution to ensure that staff are not discouraged from working full-time or picking up essential additional shifts as the NHS enters the exceptionally busy winter period.”