Ahead of the House of Commons debate and vote on the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill, Dr Maya Naravi, RCEM Vice President, said: “Getting medical training right is crucial for the future of the Emergency Care workforce, so we welcome the government’s intention to address rising competition ratios for medical training posts.
“This has been a significant concern among our membership in recent years, and we hope the bill helps to ensure doctors can progress fairly and sustainably.
“International Medical Graduates are a vital, important and valued part of the emergency medicine workforce, without whom emergency departments would have ceased to function. Any measures intended to bolster the domestic training pipeline must not come at their expense.
“Further, while the bill is mainly concerned with recruitment onto training programmes, its implications may extend beyond doctors in formal training.
“Emergency Medicine relies heavily on internationally trained, locally employed and SAS doctors, some of whom progress into training only after periods of working in roles outside of formal training, often across locum, rotational or non-continuous employment patterns.
“In the absence of clear information about changes to training capacity, prioritisation measures like those outlined in the bill risk having unintended effects on workforce morale, retention and service stability.
“A clear definition of ‘significant NHS service’ will be essential for fair and proportionate implementation. Any definition that relies on narrow or continuous employment patterns risks excluding experienced doctors who are already making a substantial contribution to patient care.
“It is also important that implementation does not create a two-tier workforce, in which certain groups of doctors feel less valued or see reduced opportunity for progression based on training background or route of entry. That could undermine inclusion, morale and team cohesion within Emergency Departments.
“Finally, we are concerned that this bill will contribute to the atmosphere of increasing division and racism that many of our members, both from the UK and overseas, report. Awareness of this potential consequence is also important.
“For these reasons, the impact of the bill should be closely and transparently monitored, with outcomes reviewed by specialty and grade, and with safeguards in place to ensure that measures aimed at addressing training competition do not unintentionally undermine workforce sustainability or patient care.”