NHS in England told to reduce reliance on medics from abroad

Hospitals and GP practices in England will be told to slash the number of overseas-trained doctors and nurses they recruit under government plans for the NHS that will be published tomorrow.

- Denis Campbell

Graduates of UK medical schools will be given priority as part of a drive to reduce the health service's dependence on medics from abroad.

NHS care providers will be told to cut the number of doctors from overseas they hire from 34% to below 10% to give homegrown medics a better chance of progressing their careers.

A large and growing number of UK-trained medical graduates have found themselves in career limbo after failing to secure a specialty training post - the first step on the ladder to becoming a GP or consultant.