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<p>The Royal College of Physicians’ report ‘Focus on physicians: census of consultant
physicians and higher specialty trainees 2017-18’ is a valuable source of information
for medical workforce planning in England. The NHS Long Term Plan and the subsequent
interim NHS People Plan set out the action we will take now and over the long term
to meet the challenges of supply, reform, culture and leadership. They were developed
on the basis of the advice and experience of stakeholders including the Royal College
of Physicians. Since the report was published in June 2018 action has been taken to
address some of the findings of the report.</p><p>The Government has already committed
to funding for universities to offer an extra 1,500 undergraduate medical school places
opening five new medical schools across England in the process. The interim NHS People
Plan sets out that we will review what further expansion in undergraduate medical
places will be needed, in light of future plans made locally by sustainability and
transformation partnerships and integrated care systems.</p><p>The NHS Long Term Plan
included the commitment to exploring the potential to expand the Medical Training
Initiative so that more medical trainees from developed and developing countries can
spend time working and learning in the National Health Service. The Plan also commits
to a national programme board, which will be established to address geographic and
specialty shortages in doctors, including developing new staffing models for rural
and coastal hospitals and planning for the distribution of the increased medical graduates
entering the NHS from 2022/23.</p>
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