Medical prioritisation in specialty training

The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act was introduced in 2026 in response to a significant rise in application numbers and increased competition for specialty training places. It gives certain groups of applicants priority in recruitment.

Medical prioritisation in specialty training

The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act was introduced in 2026 in response to a significant rise in application numbers and increased competition for specialty training places. It gives certain groups of applicants priority in recruitment.

How prioritisation works

Applicants who qualify for prioritisation are referred to as being ‘in the priority group’. They receive offers before those “not in the priority group”. Applicants not in the priority group can still receive offers for posts when no applicants in the priority group who can be offered those posts remain.

In 2026, prioritisation applied only when offers were made. From 2027, it will also apply at shortlisting, when applicants are selected for interview.

2026 recruitment: key figures

• Applicants in the priority group accounted for around half of all applicants and applications:
  • 19,908 priority group applicants out of 39,387 total applicants — 49% fewer than the total.
  • 37,076 applications from applicants in the priority group out of 78,735 total applications — 53% fewer than the total.
• Applicants in the priority group filled 96% of all core training year 1 (CT1) and specialty training year 1 (ST1) posts.
• Applicants not in the priority group were appointed to 10 of the 22 advertised CT1/ST1 training programmes.

Who qualifies for prioritisation?

To qualify for the priority group in specialty training, applicants must belong to at least one of the following groups:

• UK Medical Graduate
• Completed a relevant qualifying programme (e.g. Foundation Programme for CT1/ST1)
• Irish Medical Graduate
• A person with a primary medical qualification from an institution in Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland
• British citizen
• Commonwealth citizen who has the right of abode in the United Kingdom under section 2 of the Immigration Act 1971
• Irish citizen who does not require leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom under that Act
• a person who has leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom which was granted by virtue of residence scheme immigration rules within the meaning given by section 17 of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020
• A person with indefinite leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom

Understanding the recruitment data

The recruitment data shows how applicants in the priority group, and those not in the priority group progressed through recruitment for each advertised specialty programme.

The information has been taken directly from the Oriel recruitment system and reflects the position at 28 September 2026.

Why some applicants not in the priority group received offers

Some applicants not in the priority group received offers while applicants in the priority group with sufficiently high rankings remained on the reserve list. This happened because those applicants in the priority group had not selected the available locations in their preferences. Applicants can only receive an offer for a training programme they have selected as a preference.