NHS England publishes review on postgraduate medical training
On Friday 24 October 2025, NHS England published their latest report on the postgraduate medical training.
The chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty and the former national medical director at NHS England, Professor Stephen Powis led a national medical training review aimed at understanding current challenges and identifying areas for improvement in postgraduate medical education.
The review gathered over 8,000 responses from doctors at all career stages, including more than 6,000 resident doctors.
The report outlines the current state of training and presents recommendations, including four key priorities. While the report acknowledges the risks of major reform, it concludes that the gap between current provision and future needs is significant enough to warrant change.
The four key priorities are:
- Training must be flexible.
- The need to strengthen and recognise excellence across all career pathways, particularly the growing contributions of specialty, associate specialist and specialist (SAS) and locally employed doctors.
- Urgent action is needed to resolve training bottlenecks that are hindering progression and need to be addressed.
- It is essential to encourage inclusive team environments where doctors at every training stage feel respected and supported.
Professor Chris Whitty said of the report:
"Training is essential for good medical practice and patient care and all doctors are involved both in being trained and in training others from the start to the end of their career.
"This report sets out key areas where medical training is working well and where it isn’t working well and needs reform. It is now for us as the medical profession to weigh up the trade-offs and put forward solutions to improve medical training and ensure the profession is fit for the future.”
The next phase of the review will involve the medical royal colleges, postgraduate deans, the General Medical Council, NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, as well as patient groups working together with doctors from all stages of training to design a package of reform.
