Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

NHSLatest NewsGlobal mobilityEthnicityOnboarding

NHS induction ‘inadequate’ for overseas doctors

by Rob Moss 28 Jun 2024
by Rob Moss 28 Jun 2024 Ian Miles-Flashpoint Pictures / Alamy Stock Photo
Ian Miles-Flashpoint Pictures / Alamy Stock Photo

More than half of overseas doctors said their induction to the NHS was inadequate or inappropriate, according to research which also found that many feel anxious about starting their clinical duties.

The Medical Protection Society (MPS), a global protection organisation for healthcare professionals, said that more needs to be done to improve NHS inductions for international medical graduates (IMGs), if the NHS and patients are to continue benefiting from their expertise.

In an MPS survey of 737 IMGs who started NHS roles in the past five years, 58% said their induction was not adequate or appropriate, and 48% felt anxious about starting clinical duties because of this.

Thirty-eight per cent said there was insufficient time shadowing other doctors, and 45% said their induction did not include training on cultural differences and acceptability in the UK. Nearly two-thirds (61%) said they felt fearful of legal issues arising.

Overseas doctors in the NHS

Health unions publish guidance on recruiting overseas staff

Some doctors from overseas paid less than the NHS rate

NAO finds ‘significant weaknesses’ in NHS workforce plan’s modelling

Last year’s General Medical Council (GMC) workforce report found that 52% of doctors who joined the workforce in 2022 were IMGs. It also estimated that by 2036 almost a third of doctors will be IMGs.

Professor Dame Jane Dacre, MPS president, said: “The NHS has long relied on their dedication and expertise and the need to attract and retain IMGs will continue.

“We expect much of these doctors when they first come to the UK – they must understand a new and complex health system, with different medicines, cultural norms, ways of communicating with patients, regulatory frameworks, and clinical procedures – often whilst adjusting to living in a new country.”

The survey come two years since Welcoming and Valuing IMGs induction guidance was developed by NHS England, the GMC, the British Medical Association (BMA) and the MPS.

The guidance sets the minimum that NHS Trusts should provide in IMG inductions – covering welcome and pastoral support, professional practice, IT systems, language and communication.

The survey also showed NHS inductions falling short on personal support for IMGs, with 51% of respondents saying they received no help with issues such as finding somewhere to live, opening a bank account, or registering with a GP. Two-fifths (41%) said they felt alone and isolated.

Dame Jane added: “Some NHS trusts run exemplary induction programmes for IMGs and are leading the way. We also welcome the unrelenting efforts of key organisations and individuals to bring about a standardised IMG induction framework and know the GMC’s Welcome to UK Practice workshops play an important role. But the fact remains that too many IMGs are still being let down by trust inductions. This cannot continue; those who come to serve the NHS deserve more.”

Professor Mala Rao, director of the Ethnicity and Health Unit at Imperial College London, who led the development of the induction guidance, said: “The survey is a timely reminder that comprehensive induction as set out in the guidance must become an essential aspect of overseas staff recruitment and retention in the NHS.”

Tista Chakravarty-Gannon, head of the GMC’s Welcome to UK Practice, said: “We have long called for more consistency in the quality of the inductions doctors new to UK practice receive; it is vital we equip them to succeed from the very start. The MPS survey sadly reinforces that a comprehensive induction process remains sporadic, and in some cases lacking.”

One IMG respondent to the survey said: “I was very anxious and worried as working clinically without induction and a very brief period of shadowing… I was just lost.”

Another said: “I learned about appraisals from trial and error, navigated the software on my own, and trained up my incoming colleagues as a means of paying it forward. My consultant was a mentor to me but was not expected to be, and as such, helped manage a lot of anxieties in the workplace. This was due to his goodwill rather than a system that supported me.”

A third respondent said they had their induction three months after starting their new NHS role.

Dr Sai Pillarisetti, chair of the postgraduate committee at the British International Doctors Association, said: “NHS Trusts should embrace induction and recognise it as an opportunity to nurture a sense of belonging and mutual understanding. The quality of induction offered has a direct impact on wellbeing and patient safety, and embedding learnings around cultural competence and UK best practices will help address any variations in communication and clinical practice.”

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

 

HR opportunities in healthcare on Personnel Today


Browse more HR opportunities in healthcare

Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. Rob specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
Tata Steel considers earlier Port Talbot closure due to strike
next post
BA staff and passengers take legal action over hostage situation

You may also like

RCN warns Darlington NHS trust over single-sex spaces

16 May 2025

NHS Scotland staff accept two-year 8.2% pay deal

16 May 2025

Healthcare workers prioritise mental health support in new...

12 May 2025

Nurses threaten strikes if pay demands not met

12 May 2025

Jobs on the line across NHS trusts in...

9 May 2025

NHS worker awarded £29k after Darth Vader comparison

8 May 2025

Resident doctors to ballot for strike action

2 May 2025

NHS Lothian review finds ‘toxic’ work environment

2 May 2025

Public sector staff could be in line for...

28 Apr 2025

Call for better mental health support for NHS...

17 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+