Overseas-trained doctors ‘put off UK due to cost of living and low salaries’

Doctors are choosing not to come and work in the UK because they are put off by low salaries, the high cost of living and poor quality of life.

Research by the General Medical Council (GMC) shows that doctors who shun the UK are opting to move instead to the United States, Australia and Canada to earn more and have a better life.

Overall, 84% of doctors trained abroad surveyed by the GMC said that other countries were better than Britain at paying good salaries and only 5% felt the opposite was true.

The UK was also seen as being very poor for the cost of living and quality of life, attracting scores of minus 44 and minus 43.

Among doctors considering where to further their careers, the UK scored worse than competitor countries on 14 of the 15 issues the GMC asked them about.

It also recorded negative ratings for being an advanced healthcare system (minus 26), doctors being treated with respect by patients and the public (minus 20), quality of patient care (minus 17) and having enough appropriately qualified staff (minus 17).

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Source: The Guardian, 20 June 2025