Medical students at Scottish universities: EQIA

Equalities impact assessment (EIA) relating to plans to increase the number of Scots dom/EU medical students by 100 and decrease the number from the rest UK by the same, to retain an estimated 36 extra doctors per year within specialty training.


Equality Impact Assessment – Results

Title of Policy

Increasing the number of Scotland domiciled/EU students studying medicine at Scottish universities

Summary of aims and desired outcomes of Policy

The policy intention is to retain more doctors in NHS Scotland in the longer term.

Ministers have given guidance to the Scottish Funding Council (the SFC) with a view to increasing the number of Scotland domiciled/EU students by 100 and decreasing rest of UK (rUK) students by 100 (while keeping overall medical student headcount the same). The SFC can take this into account when allocating funding to universities.

The benefit of adopting this policy is that it improves the sustainability of the medical workforce in Scotland. Once we have increased Scotland/EU domiciles by 100 and decreased rUK domiciles by a corresponding amount we estimate that we will retain approximately 36 extra doctors per annum into year 1 of speciality training within current (and planned) medical student headcount.

Directorate: Division: Team

Health Workforce Division

Contact

Email: rachael.fairbairn@gov.scot

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