Looking to the future
The NHS is changing and part of this change
will be how and where services are provided. In the
future increasely services will be provided in primary care
and community settings rather than in hospitals.
These changes have started to take place and
will gather in coming years.
These changes mean there will be an increasing need for
General Practioners and Public Health Physicians. We
anticipated that approximately 50% of training posts will be in
General Practice. This will mean that there will be fewer
training posts in other specialities with the biggest reductions
expected in the surgical specialties.
It is very important when you are considering your career
choices that you take account of these changes. To meet the
future demand for General Practice at least 50% of trainees should
be considering a career in General Practice where as at present
only 30% are. The same is true for Psychiatry where only half
the number of trainees are considering a career in
Psychiatry compared to the number of Psychiatry training
opportunities. The opposite is true for Surgery where
there are already twice as many trainees considering a career in
Surgery compared to the number of surgical training
opportunities. This means that competition for surgical
training places is high and a lot of trainees that apply are
unsuccessful.
You need to take theses factors into account when planning what
specialities to apply for and your future career direction.
For further information, visit Medical Education England
www.mee.nhs.uk