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Widening access to NHS careers
20 April 2026
Type
Written Ministerial Statement
Department
Department of Health and Social Care
At a Glance
Issue Summary
The statement addresses widening access to NHS careers [K by breaking down barriers and increasing opportunities for individuals from [4D [K from under-represented backgrounds.
Action Requested
The government will increase the proportion of medic [5D [K medical school students who received Free School Meals, target more medical [7D [K medical school places to areas with poorer health outcomes, provide local f [1D [K foundation training, fund access to medicine programmes, invest in nursing [K apprenticeships, and extend the Widening Access Demonstrators Programme. Th [2D [K These actions aim to improve diversity and reduce inequalities in NHS caree [5D [K careers.
Key Facts
- By 2035, increase by at least 50% the proportion of medic [5D [K medical school students who received Free School Meals.
- Currently, just [K 7% of accepted medical students come from backgrounds receiving Free School [6D [K School Meals.
- Fund 2,000 places on access to medicine programmes over th [2D [K three years (650 in 2026/27, 650 in 2027/28 and 700 in 2028/29).
- Invest [K £65 million for nursing apprenticeships over the next three years.
- Exten [5D [K Extend the Widening Access Demonstrators Programme across 14 Integrated Car [3D [K Care Boards with £15 million funding.
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Assessment & feedback
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