Approximate read time: 30 minutes
The government’s 10 year health plan for England pledged to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant NHS experience for training roles due to increased competition for places. UK medical graduates must complete two years of foundation training and can then apply to specialise through further training.
The government proposed expediting the legislation needed for prioritisation as part of an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) in December 2025 to avert further resident doctor strikes. While the BMA membership rejected the offer, the government decided to proceed with the legislation on an accelerated timeframe so it could apply to summer 2026 places. The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill would therefore:
- for foundation placements, prioritise UK and Ireland medical graduates and graduates from priority list countries
- for offers for specialty training posts in 2026, prioritise UK and Ireland medical graduates; graduates from priority countries; those who completed foundation training or a relevant earlier stage of training in the UK; and those with certain immigration statuses
- for offers and interviews for specialty training posts from 2027 onwards, prioritise UK and Ireland medical graduates; graduates from priority countries; those who completed foundation training or a relevant earlier stage of training in the UK; and those with significant NHS experience, to be defined in regulations
Priority list countries are Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, due to international agreements which include recognition of professional qualifications and access to professions.
The government has published explanatory notes and an impact assessment alongside the bill. It passed through the Commons unamended, though members divided on three amendments at committee stage.
The House of Lords is scheduled to debate the bill at second reading on 4 February 2026.
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