The Government has introduced the Medical Training Prioritisation Bill, aimed at prioritising UK and Irish medical graduates for NHS foundation and specialty training posts.
The move comes amid ongoing industrial action by resident doctors over pay, training opportunities and career progression.
The legislation allows prioritisation at the offer stage for speciality posts starting in 2026 and, once regulations are in place, at both shortlisting and offer stages for 2027 starts.
It also includes consideration for doctors with significant NHS experience.
The Bill must pass through both Houses of Parliament and receive Royal Assent before coming into effect.
Goals of the proposed Bill
The Bill aims to reduce competition for training posts among UK graduates and ensure NHS investment in domestic training yields longer-term workforce benefits.
While prioritisation gives UK graduates preference, it could reduce opportunities for internationally trained doctors unless exemptions (like NHS experience) are applied.
By securing more posts for UK graduates, the Bill could improve early-career retention but will not increase the total number of doctors without additional training positions.
Regulations will define exactly how prioritisation works; the first specialty posts affected will start in August 2026, with full implementation for 2027 starts.
Response and ongoing industrial action
The BMA welcomed the legislation as a step towards addressing the shortage of training posts for UK graduates but emphasised that more posts are needed to solve the underlying workforce crisis.
“[This] is a step forward to fixing the jobs crisis for doctors with this new legislation,” said Dr Jack Fletcher, Chair of the UK RDC.
“There remains progress to be made on giving resident doctors in the UK confidence the Government can fully solve the absurd jobs crisis.”
The Bill follows a five‑day strike by resident doctors in December 2025, which highlighted competition for training posts and wider workforce pressures.
NHS data indicated that most planned care continued during the strike, though the dispute underscored ongoing concerns about pay and career progression.
Negotiations between the BMA and the Government are continuing, with further industrial action possible if a more comprehensive agreement on pay and training is not reached.