Rise in medical trainee recruitment

Latest recruitment figures show that 89% of all medical training posts in Scotland are currently filled – the highest level for five years at this stage in recruitment.

Foundation training places – for the two years post-medical school – are currently 99% full. The speciality areas of clinical radiology, paediatrics and general surgery show 100% fill rates.

In core psychiatry, 41 of the 57 posts advertised have been filled – a rate of 72%. The Scottish Government is working with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, health boards and medical schools to ensure this rate continues to improve.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said:

“These latest recruitment rates for our medical trainee posts are very encouraging and reflect Scotland’s reputation as a country with a first-class medical education system and flexible training opportunities.

“We recognise that there are still on-going challenges when it comes to recruiting to certain medical specialities and geographical areas, and we are continuing to address these issues.

“The £20,000 Scottish Government bursary for GP Speciality Training posts continues to play a part in directing trainees into hard-to-fill locations across Scotland, with 71% of bursary-eligible posts filled so far.”

Medical Director of NHS Education for Scotland (NES), Professor Stewart Irvine, said:

“We welcome the continued improvement in fill rates for training posts across Scotland this year and, once again, many of our training programmes are completely filled following recruitment.

“This is a great tribute to the hard work of consultants and general practitioners across the whole of Scotland, who continue to ensure that doctors training here have a great experience and the best possible training.

“It is particularly encouraging that our core training programmes in surgery and internal medicine have been completely filled following the investment we have made in the redevelopment of these programmes.”