2026 No. 221 (C. 19)

NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE

The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 (Commencement) Regulations 2026

Made5th March 2026

The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 8(2) of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026¹

1 Citation¶

These Regulations may be cited as the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 (Commencement) Regulations 2026.

2 Commencement of Act¶

The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 comes into force on 6th March 2026.

Explanatory Note¶

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations bring into force all provisions of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 (“the Act”) on 6th March 2026.

The Act introduces a system of prioritisation for the allocation of medical training places in the United Kingdom, both for foundation training, a two-year work-based training programme for medical graduates, and for medical specialty training programmes, which follow foundation training and enable doctors to become a consultant or general practitioner.

In relation to deciding offers of places for both foundation and specialty training, the Act requires the prioritisation of graduates from UK and Republic of Ireland medical schools before offering places to any other eligible applicants, as well as prioritising international medical graduates who studied in Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, to reflect international agreements.

For specialty training, the Act also requires the prioritisation of those who complete foundation training, or a relevant earlier stage of training, and in 2026, the prioritisation of those with a certain immigration status. For specialty training posts starting in 2027 onwards, prioritisation will take place when deciding which applicants to interview, as well as when deciding offers of places.

An impact assessment has not been prepared for this instrument as an impact statement was published in relation to the provisions in the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill on 14th January 2026.

Footnotes

1
2026 c. 7.