Better support for doctors new to UK practice

Every year, around 12,000 doctors start work in the UK. We believe each one of them – whether straight from medical school or coming from another country – would benefit from an induction programme to help them practise medicine safely.

While there are some excellent schemes run by employers, we are concerned that too many doctors start clinical practice with inadequate preparation for practising in the UK.

Analysis in our new report, The state of medical education and practice in the UK 2011, concludes that a consistent induction programme would help to make sure that all doctors new to UK understand the ethical and professional standards they will be expected to meet. It would also help familiarise them with how health systems across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland operate.

'Beginning work or practising in a new environment are both exciting but potentially overwhelming experiences,’ said Professor Sir Peter Rubin, Chair of the GMC.

'We believe that an induction programme for all doctors new to practise in the UK will provide them with a basic grounding in how our systems work and what they need to do to meet the standards we set.’

We plan to work with doctors' employers and professional organisations to develop an induction programme for all doctors new to practice. It will complement rather than replace existing induction schemes run by employers, which are vital for any doctor starting work here for the first time.

This is the first outcome of our new report on The state of medical education and practice in the UK 2011, which uses our data to analyse the challenges facing the medical profession.

Tell us what you think

If you have attended a helpful, or unhelpful, induction programme, or have a suggestion about what induction should cover, please email us at ebulletin@gmc-uk.org.

Where can I find out more?

We have produced a six page summary report (pdf) on the state of medical education and practice. You can also download the full The state of medical education and practice in the UK 2011 report.