Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 30
30
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 118
UK medical school places require significant increase of 5,000 annually.
Recommendation
In the absence of an independent mechanism to assess the increase necessary, we agree with the recommendation of the Medical Schools Council and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges that the number of medical school places in the UK should be increased by 5,000 from c.9,500 per year to 14,500. This increase is a long-term solution to bolster the ranks of the NHS and increase overall headcount, but more immediate short-term actions, detailed elsewhere in this report, must also be taken to address the current crisis.
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepted the recommendation, noting it had already funded an additional 1,500 medical school places and temporarily lifted caps, and stated that a forthcoming Long Term Workforce Plan will set out actions to ensure sufficient staff, but it did not commit to the recommended increase of 5,000 places.
Paragraph Reference:
118
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
The government has also funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places each year for domestic students in England—a 25% increase over three years from 2018 to 2020. In addition, the Government temporarily lifted the cap on medical school places for students who completed A-Levels in 2020 and in 2021 and who had an offer from a university in England to study medicine, subject to their grades. As a result of the government’s action, we have seen record numbers of students accepting a place at a medical school. Since December 2021 there are now over 20,000 (3.1%) more professionally qualified clinical staff working in NHS trusts and Integrated Care Boards (ICB). Building on this work NHSE has been commissioned to deliver a Long Term Workforce Plan, that will set out the actions needed to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of staff, with the rights skills to meet the vision described in HEE’s strategic framework. Getting this plan right is crucial in order for the NHS to deliver the government’s ambitions and commitments in the NHS Long Term Plan, to meet population health needs, and to transform and deliver high quality services fit for the future. We know that workload is one of the key factors driving burnout amongst staff, and so this workforce plan builds on the work of the NHS People Plan 2020 to 2021, to grow the workforce to meet rising demand for healthcare services, to implement new ways of working that make the best possible use of the knowledge and skills of the workforce we have and to ensure the NHS is the best possible place to work for all staff, characterised by a compassionate and inclusive culture as described in the NHS People Promise.