Recently the BMA’s UK Resident Doctors Committee communicated a new position regarding speciality training recruitment. We apologise that this has caused upset and distress to some of our members.  

Specialty training bottlenecks are an aspect of the workforce crisis that has debilitated the NHS and cannot continue. Your BMA has long advocated for better workforce planning including more specialty training posts, but successive Governments have either exacerbated the problems or only sought to address them with unfunded and vague commitments.  

An increasing number of resident doctors are facing the untenable position of unemployment, or the prospect of having to move to another country to reach their full potential. Several countries prioritise home graduates for training places, and given the current and rising competition ratios, it is inevitable that a return to some form of prioritisation will be, or is being, considered by organisations external to the BMA. We must consider our position to protect all members and ensure workforce planning including increasing specialty training posts is a key priority for the NHS and the Government. 

The BMA has longstanding policy, set at its Annual Representatives Meeting, which maintains that all doctors currently practising in the UK, regardless of nationality or place of primary medical qualification, should have access to training opportunities, prior to recruitment from abroad. We want to reassure IMG members and colleagues that association policy supporting UK-graduate doctors will not prevent IMGs currently practising in the UK from being able to access specialty training.  

The UK Resident Doctors Committee has understandably felt compelled to develop policy that tackles the very real crisis experienced by resident doctors seeking access to specialty training and the avoidance of unemployment. The position communicated recently is not a finalised position, but part of their policy development process. The committee will engage with resident doctors affected by specialty training bottlenecks, including both UK-graduates and IMGs in the UK. As chief officers, we will support them as they carefully consider this very difficult issue.  

Once again, we apologise for any distress or upset caused by previous communications and we are always happy to listen to your feedback. If you have a view or a concern, please email [email protected]. Your views are important and will help shape fair, inclusive and effective policy.