Disproportionate referrals of IMGs and ethnic minority doctors fall “significantly,” GMC says

Progress has been made in reducing the “collective shame” of disproportionate employer referrals of doctors from ethnic minority backgrounds or who qualified outside the UK, the doctors’ regulator says.

The General Medical Council says the proportion of employers with excess referrals in relation to a doctor’s ethnicity or place of qualification has now reduced by 48%—from 5.6% between 2016 and 2020 to 2.9% from 2020 to 2024.

The difference in employer referral rates between ethnic minority and white doctors has also fallen by 61%—from 0.28% (0.58% ethnic minority doctors v 0.3% white doctors) to 0.11% (0.26% v 0.15%).

For non-UK versus UK graduates, the difference in referral rates has dropped by 69%—from 0.42% (0.28% UK v 0.7% non-UK) to 0.13% (0.15% v 0.28%).

The regulator says it is now on track to hit its target of eliminating disproportionate employer fitness to practise referrals by the end of 2026, a goal it set in 2021.

Progress on eliminating discrimination in medical schools and training by 2031 has been much slower, however.

Speaking to The BMJ, GMC chief executive Charlie Massey said, “Inequality and discrimination are pernicious and we should be ashamed collectively about the level of disadvantage that doctors from particular backgrounds face in the NHS.”

He said, however, that the progress made so far is “pretty significant” and shows change is possible. “I don’t think any of us should be complacent. There’s still further distance to travel and we mustn’t let up now,” he said.

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Source: BMJ, 15 January 2026