Medical colleges criticise decision to end overseas NHS training placements

Medical royal colleges have criticised NHS England’s decision to end the Medical Training Initiative (MTI), a long-running programme that has enabled overseas doctors to undertake temporary training placements within the NHS before returning to their home countries.

The MTI, established in 2011, has provided around 400 to 500 overseas doctors each year with up to two years of supervised training in NHS hospitals. The scheme, often described as an “earn, learn and return” programme, has supported doctors from low and middle-income countries, including Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal, to gain specialist clinical experience before returning home to strengthen their local health services.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which administers the programme, said it was “obviously very disappointed” by the decision. It said the initiative had strengthened international medical collaboration, supported the NHS workforce and enhanced the UK’s reputation for medical education and global healthcare partnerships.

According to NHS England, the decision followed an independent review which concluded the programme was no longer meeting its original objective because some participants remained in the UK rather than returning to improve healthcare in their home countries. The review also identified evidence that some overseas doctors had experienced lower pay than UK colleagues undertaking comparable work. NHS England said the closure was unrelated to wider government policies on prioritising UK medical graduates for training places and that it is considering alternative approaches to supporting international medical training.

Doctors already participating in the scheme, along with those accepted before the programme was closed, will be able to complete their placements. However, no further recruitment is planned beyond those cohorts.

The decision comes at a time when internationally trained doctors continue to play a significant role in the NHS workforce. Figures published by the UK Parliament’s House of Commons Library show that around 42% of licensed doctors practising in the UK qualified overseas.

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