The state of medical education and practice in the UK

27 Nov 2020

College President Professor Jackie Taylor has today (Friday 27th November) welcomed the publication of the General Medical Council’s annual “The state of medical education and practice in the UK” report.

This year’s report found that, despite the pressures caused by COVID-19, 89% of doctors experienced at least one positive change during the pandemic. But BME doctors were less likely to share the positive experiences reported by many of their white counterparts:

• Positive changes to teamworking between doctors were reported by 68% of white doctors, falling to 55% for BME doctors.
• Positive change in the sharing of knowledge and experience across the medical profession was reported by 61% of white doctors compared to 46% of BME doctors.
• Positive change in the speed at which workplace changes were made was reported by 57% of white doctors, compared to 38% of BME doctors.

Speaking after the report was published, Professor Taylor said:

“It’s reassuring to hear that most doctors across the UK have reported that there have been some positive impacts of work throughout the pandemic, such as a greater degree of teamwork and better sharing of knowledge and information. But this progress is crucially undermined by the fact that these positive experiences are not shared to the same degree by our BME colleagues. This is unfair and unsustainable.

“We must all do all we can to ensure that everyone in our workplace teams receives that supportive and compassionate leadership that we all require.”

A full copy of the report can be found on the General Medical Council’s website.

Categories: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Workforce