The state of medical education and practice in the UK 2014

This is our fourth annual report on the state of medical education and practice in the UK. It sets out what is happening in the medical profession and considers some of the key issues the profession faces. Despite growing demands and expectations, the medical profession in the UK is still very highly regarded,and the quality is such that both medical education and practice are held in high esteem across the world. In a report that inevitably concentrates on risks and challenges, it is important that this overall message is borne in mind. The medical workforce – doctors and medical students – has a central role in helping to meet these challenges. This report looks at the shape and size of that workforce across the UK, at the current state of medical education, and at how medical education needs to adapt to this rapidly changing environment to create even more adaptable doctors in the future. We also examine the risks of different doctors failing to meet our standards, and the challenges doctors tell us they are facing now and in the immediate future. We hope that regulators, patient groups, employers, doctors, workforce planners and policy makers will find the data and analysis in this year’s report useful"