Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026

June 2026

In early 2026, the Government introduced the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026, which sought to respond to increasing competition for specialist training places by prioritising entry based on a defined set of factors, including graduation from a UK medical school and experience working within the NHS.

Read our previous statement on prioritisation legislation

Following this, the Government is considering how much NHS experience doctors should have in order to be prioritised for specialty training places.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has published a consensus statement reflecting the collective view reached across its member Colleges.

Read the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges statement [external PDF]

The RCGP also recently responded to a targeted stakeholder consultation from NHS England on this subject. The College supported the development of regulations to recognise sustained NHS contribution but did not recommend a specific numerical threshold, concluding that this should ultimately be informed by appropriate workforce modelling, implementation considerations and ongoing evaluation.

Summary of RCGP consultation response

The RCGP supports the development of regulations to recognise doctors who have made a sustained contribution to NHS services and demonstrated commitment to UK clinical practice. We recognise the important contribution that international medical graduates make to the NHS and agree that any changes should support workforce sustainability, retention and fair access to postgraduate medical training.

In our consultation response, the College recommended that any regulations should be:

• fair, transparent and evidence-informed;
• proportionate and operationally workable;
• designed to minimise unintended consequences for workforce supply, equality and recruitment; and
• subject to ongoing review and evaluation.

The College deliberately did not recommend a specific numerical threshold for what should constitute "significant NHS experience". We considered that the appropriate threshold should be determined through robust workforce modelling, taking into account workforce needs, competition ratios, and the potential impact on patient care.

The College also highlighted that implementation is as important as the duration itself. Any approach should clearly define qualifying NHS experience, be transparent and readily verifiable, minimise unintended inequities, and align postgraduate training policy with wider workforce planning and immigration arrangements to support long-term NHS retention.

The RCGP also suggested that policymakers consider whether a graduated or points-based approach might better recognise sustained NHS contribution than a single binary threshold, while acknowledging that different models have advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, the College considered that the available evidence should guide these decisions.