Responding to the GMC's The state of medical education and practice in the UK: Workplace experiences 2026 report, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has said that while technology and artificial intelligence (AI) can help improve efficiency, investment in the medical workforce and training remains essential to improving patient care.
Professor Mumtaz Patel, RCP president, said:
‘This report highlights the reality facing many doctors across the NHS. While it is encouraging that clinicians are finding ways to use technology and AI to spend more time with patients, innovation alone cannot overcome the workforce and system pressures that continue to affect patient care.
‘According to the GMC, more than four in ten (41%) doctors say they struggle to provide the standard of care they would like at least weekly, largely because of workload, staffing shortages and administrative burden. Improving patient care ultimately requires investment not only in digital systems, but in the people who deliver care. Doctors need the time, support and working conditions that allow them to develop their skills and provide the high-quality care patients deserve.
‘This report reinforces the urgent need for workforce reform. Technology can support better care, but it cannot compensate for chronic staffing shortages or training pressures. The much-anticipated NHS England 10 Year Workforce Plan must be developed through meaningful engagement with clinicians and royal colleges if it is to succeed.’
Dr Dan Furmedge, RCP senior censor and vice president for education and training, said:
‘The GMC has found that doctors in the early stages of their careers are experiencing challenges with progression and development: this should be a cause for concern for health leaders. Training is the foundation of a sustainable medical workforce, yet too often educational opportunities are squeezed by service pressures.
‘Our 2025 national next generation survey of more than 1,000 resident doctors found that only 26% felt ready for the next step in their career. 72% said staffing shortages and rota gaps were having a negative impact on their training and wellbeing, while 66% cited excessive workload and 59% poor IT systems. These findings paint a picture of the next generation of doctors trying to learn and develop in increasingly challenging environments.
‘Technology and AI can play an important role in supporting better care, but they must be introduced cautiously, safely and with appropriate governance. Earlier this year, the RCP found that 68% of physicians believed the NHS lacked the digital infrastructure needed to deploy AI effectively, while 70% identified poor integration between digital systems as the biggest barrier to implementation.
‘Doctors should not have to rely on AI tools to compensate for gaps in staffing, supervision, training capacity or poorly functioning systems. Any use of AI in the NHS must be underpinned by clear safeguards around patient safety, confidentiality, data protection and clinical accountability.
‘As the medical education and training review progresses, we must ensure that training is treated as a core function of the NHS, not something that can be sacrificed when services come under pressure. The future of patient care depends on getting medical training right.’
Dr Stephen Joseph, co-chair of the RCP Resident Doctor Committee, said:
‘Behind these figures is a simple reality: doctors want to provide excellent patient care, but too often the conditions they work in make that difficult. The GMC has found that 41% of doctors struggle every week to provide the standard of care they would like, while the RCP's next generation survey found that 72% say staffing shortages and rota gaps are harming both training quality and wellbeing. These are not isolated problems. They are symptoms of a system under sustained pressure.
‘Resident doctors consistently tell us that training opportunities are being squeezed by service demands. Only 26% feel ready for the next step in their career, and fewer than one in five (17%) believe current recruitment processes are fair. At the same time, many are working in understaffed teams while carrying increasingly heavy workloads.
‘Better technology can help, but it is not a substitute for investment in the workforce. If we want to retain staff and deliver safe, high-quality care, we must tackle rota gaps, protect training time and create working environments where doctors can develop the skills they need for the future.’