The NHS depends on overseas medics, but their commitment to the UK can no longer be assumed, the Chief Executive of the General Medical Council (GMC) has warned.
Charlie Massey said ‘active and conscious consideration’ must be given to improving induction and consistent support for internationally trained doctors, to reverse an upward trend of those leaving the UK.
The NHS’s reliance on international doctors continues to grow, with internationally qualified medics making up 42% of the medical register. In recent years, two-thirds of new joiners were trained overseas. However, there are signs this trend is shifting, with more doctors choosing not to come to, or to leave, the UK.
The GMC’s latest workforce report shows a 26% rise in non-UK qualified doctors leaving the country. Meanwhile, growth in internationally trained joiners has slowed sharply, from over 60% to over 20%, and now to around 2%.
Demand for the GMC’s PLAB test, which assesses whether internationally trained doctors have the required knowledge and skills to practise safely in the UK, has also fallen.
Mr Massey said that "in a more polarised global environment, questions of inclusion, belonging and fairness increasingly shape where internationally-qualified doctors choose to work and stay."
He urged NHS leaders to treat the needs of international doctors as central to workforce planning, given the system’s structural reliance on them.
He noted, in particular, that SAS (specialty, associate specialist and specialist) and LE (locally employed) doctors, who provide hands-on care outside formal training pathways to consultant or GP roles, report a lack of support.
Mr Massey said: "The NHS is reliant on internationally-qualified doctors, yet the pipeline and retention are showing increasing fragility. We must do more to actively support and advocate for these doctors throughout their careers, with fair, consistent access to learning, development, and progression, especially for those outside formal training pathways."
