This body of work aims to use evidence-based, co-produced interventions to widen participation in medicine among young people from disadvantaged communities and non-medical families.
Across the UK, approximately 75% of medical school applicants have a parent in the highest occupational group. Moreover, 19.7–34.5% of applicants live in the most affluent postcode quintile, compared to just 1.8–5.7% from the least affluent areas.
Data from the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) reveals that 80% of test-takers come from higher socio-economic groups, and students from fee-paying schools are disproportionately represented among those accepted into medicine – independent of academic ability. Other evidence shows socio-economic disadvantage influences educational opportunity from an early stage, and by age 14-16, many academically able but disadvantaged students already see medical school as “culturally alien".
Government reports on social mobility and the Medical Schools Council have highlighted this inequity. Encouraging and facilitating applications from all sectors of society benefits not only fairness but also the workforce: doctors from lower socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to serve in deprived areas and pursue under-supplied specialties such as general practice. This imbalance cannot be corrected by admissions processes alone.
We will deliver this body of work via six work packages: evidence reviewing, national school survey, student and stakeholder focus groups, co-development workshops, intervention implementation, and evaluation.