The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 (Royal Assent 5 March 2026) requires that graduates of UK medical schools — and of the Republic of Ireland, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein — are prioritised for places on the Foundation Programme and on specialty training. It is a direct response to the resident doctor jobs crisis: applications for specialty training rose from around 12,000 in 2019 to roughly 40,000 for 2026, leaving many UK-trained doctors unable to secure a post.
How it phases in. For the Foundation Programme, prioritisation applies at the point of allocation to a foundation school from the 2026 cycle. For specialty training it applies at the offer stage for 2026 posts and at both shortlisting and offer stages from 2027. A second tier covers UK-based international medical graduates who have completed core or foundation training and hold indefinite leave to remain, EU settled status or British nationality.
The Act followed the December 2025 resident doctors’ dispute and the subsequent government offer to the BMA. The BMA resident doctors committee welcomed it as “an important step toward fixing the jobs crisis for doctors” while cautioning that prioritisation alone does not fix the underlying shortage of training places.
Sources & verification
- The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 (Royal Assent 5 March 2026) prioritises UK medical graduates — and graduates of Ireland, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein — for Foundation Programme and specialty training places — source, verified 2026-06-09
- For specialty training, prioritisation applies at the offer stage for 2026 posts and at both shortlisting and offer stages from 2027; for the Foundation Programme it applies at allocation from the 2026 cycle — source, verified 2026-06-12
- A second tier of priority covers UK-based international medical graduates who have completed core or foundation training and hold indefinite leave to remain, EU settled status, or British nationality — source, verified 2026-06-12
Verified reference information — not professional, medical, legal or careers advice. Regulations change; always check the cited primary source before relying on it.