If you had a serious accident and your life was suddenly in the hands of a young NHS doctor, you’d probably want to know they’d had the most extensive training possible. That is why the government has taken a cautious approach to rolling out the country’s first medical doctor degree apprenticeships: the stakes are high if they get it wrong.
Around £10 million of government funding has just been confirmed for the first 200 medical degree apprentices to train as doctors over the next two years, marking what ministers claim is a vital step in making careers in medicine more accessible.
After all, it currently takes up to 15 years of training to become a fully qualified specialist doctor, including five years at medical school at a cost of up to £50,000 a year in fees. NHS bursaries only cover up to £2,643 a year of that (£3,191 in London).
Little surprise then that only about 4 per cent of doctors come from working class backgrounds.
However there are suspicions within the NHS that cost cutting, rather than improving access, is the real motive behind the apprenticeship pilot.
