The challenges of expanding medical student numbers in the UK: A scoping review
Background: With one of the lowest numbers of doctors per capita in Europe, coupled with an ageing UK population, the NHS faces an unprecedented workforce crisis. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP) outlined how this will be addressed, headlining a proposed doubling of UK medical school places....
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-09-01
|
| Series: | Future Healthcare Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2514664525000578 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Background: With one of the lowest numbers of doctors per capita in Europe, coupled with an ageing UK population, the NHS faces an unprecedented workforce crisis. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP) outlined how this will be addressed, headlining a proposed doubling of UK medical school places. Methods: A scoping review utilising the Arksey and O’Malley model searched articles related to increasing UK medical student numbers. A total of 6,217 articles were identified, and 23 were selected for further analysis. Results: Funding was the most frequently raised concern, followed by educator shortage, limited stakeholder engagement, placement capacity shortage, and failure to support Widening Access agendas. Notably, seven articles were opinion pieces, with only two formal research papers. Conclusion: Key issues to implementing the current LTWP were identified, and further research to address these challenges and identify potential solutions is urgently required to support evidence-based decision making to influence future workforce plans. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2514-6645 |