Question reference: S5W-17712
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 17 July 2018
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Current status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 August 2018
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage applicants to medical school from areas where there are deemed to be shortages of doctors.
Answer
A number of specific actions are being taken that will contribute towards a more secure and sustainable medical workforce more representative of the communities it serves. These measures have been developed not only to address the more immediate recruitment and retention challenges faced by NHS Scotland Boards, and specifically in primary care services, but in response to strategic requirements to widen access into medical education in Scotland, and respond to demands for enhancing the skills of our GPs within a multi-disciplinary team model.
We are investing £23 million in an undergraduate medical education package comprising the 50 widening access places, a pre-medical entry programme with 40 places, and 55 places for Scotland’s first Graduate Entry Medical programme.
The Scottish Government’s National Health and Social Care Workforce Plan also commits to creating additional undergraduate medical places, and 85 places have been awarded to three of Scotland’s University medical schools.
Regarding selection criterion, the Scottish Government is also collaborating with the Scottish Funding Council which has issued Health related outcomes to University medical schools. The medicine outcomes include a commitment to:
- Retain more graduates of Scottish medical schools in Scotland and working for NHS Scotland throughout their careers.
- Encouraging more of our young doctors to enter GP and other shortage specialities.
- Simplify and clarify the admissions process across all the medical schools in Scotland.
- Increase the number of Scottish domiciled applicants to medicine.
Reach is a national programme which is supported by the Scottish Government via the Scottish Funding Council and focuses on schools with below average progression of pupils into higher education, and pupils from the 40% most deprived communities in Scotland. It aims to increase the number of applications, offers and entrants from students from disadvantaged backgrounds into high demand and competitive areas of study such as medicine.