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Medicine: Postgraduate Education

Asked by Mr Gregory CampbellDemocratic Unionist PartyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 9 March 2026UIN 116709

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what changes have been introduced to postgraduate medical education as a result of the review published in October 2025.

Answered by Karin Smyth

Phase 1 of the Medical Training Review identified key challenges and areas for improvement across postgraduate medical training, alongside what currently works well. Bottlenecks in postgraduate medical training were identified as a continuing concern for resident doctors and medical graduates. The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026, which became an Act of Parliament on 5 March 2026, seeks to address these bottlenecks and prioritises United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training and UK graduates and other doctors with significant experience working in the National Health Service for specialty training.

Phase 2 of the Medical Training Review is already underway and will involve working with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK to design a package of reform.

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