Health Services: Training
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure that eligible UK medical graduates are able to progress from medical school into Foundation Programme training without delays.
Answered by Department of Health and Social Care
On the question of the number of eligible medical graduates who have been unable to commence Foundation Programme training, prior to this year every eligible applicant was allocated a place on the UK Foundation Programme, and this year, following the commencement of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026, 188 applicants remained on the reserve list as of 12 August 2026.
Applicants may withdraw from the process or be unable to take up a Foundation Programme place for personal reasons. However, the Department does not hold data on applicants’ reasons for withdrawal or non-acceptance.
On the other questions raised, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to the Rt Hon. the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath OBE on 25 August 2026 in response to Question HL2127.
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