Responding to the Government's announcement of 350 additional medical school places, Chinelo Nnadi and Shivani Ganesh, co-chairs of the BMA medical students committee said:

​​"While on paper 350 more medical student places is good news, more places alone won't be enough to ensure that we have more doctors in the future. To maintain the quality of teaching, increased numbers of medical students will need increased numbers of academics and educators, which are currently declining, and universities need funding for facilities.

​“The Government also needs to invest in the NHS and continue to guarantee that all medical students will have jobs when they graduate. We will need to see improvements in the way new doctors are allocated their first role within the NHS. This year there are hundreds of graduating medics who still don’t know where their first placement as a doctor will be and may not find out until as little as three weeks before. When they do start, they'll face pay that's been falling in real terms since 2008 and further bottlenecks in accessing specialty training, leading many to consider whether staying in the NHS is worth it.”

Notes to editors

The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.

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