A new law in the United Kingdom that gives priority to doctors trained in the NHS has led to a sharp increase in the number of homegrown doctors accepting specialty training positions, according to a recent analysis by the Nuffield Trust, a research organization. The policy, introduced in March by former health secretary Wes Streeting, aims to favor doctors who completed their training in the UK over those who trained abroad. This change comes amid ongoing concerns about competition for limited training spots and the need to bolster the domestic medical workforce. Between 2015 and 2025, the number of specialty training applications in the NHS rose more than five times, from around 16,500 to nearly 85,000 annually. A large share of these applicants were doctors trained overseas. In 2025, 28% of those accepting specialty training places were from a "non-priority" group, which mainly included overseas-trained doctors. After the new law took effect, this number dropped dramatically to just 1.8%. The proportion of overseas-trained doctors accepting NHS specialty training places has now fallen from over one in four to fewer than one in 50. In 2025, 6,734 of the 9,351 doctors who accepted specialty training places were from the "priority" group—primarily those trained in the UK. By 2026, this number had risen sharply, with 9,122 out of 9,286 acceptances coming from UK-trained doctors. Lucina Rolewicz, a fellow at the Nuffield Trust, noted that the policy has significantly boosted the number of UK-trained doctors entering specialty training. However, she expressed concerns about the long-term impact on the NHS, warning that the shift could lead to staffing shortages in specialties that traditionally relied on overseas-trained doctors. The Nuffield Trust highlighted that specialties such as general practice, psychiatry, and obstetrics could face shortages in the future due to the new rules. The "priority group" includes doctors trained in the UK and those from countries with which the UK has long-standing medical training agreements, such as Ireland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The Department of Health and the British Medical Association (BMA) have been contacted for their response to the findings.