Download - Medical Schools Council – What is widening participation? Clare Owen, Medical Schools Council.

Medical Schools Council – www.medschools.ac.uk

What is widening participation?

Clare Owen, Medical Schools Council


Diagnosing the problem

• Widening participation – identifying and removing barriers to success?

• For healthcare – finding talent wherever it is?

• There will be different challenges for different professions

• Data collection is crucial to identify the problems


Diagnosing the problem - medicine

‘medicine lags behind other professions both in the focus and in the priority it

accords to these issues. It has a long way to go when it comes to making access

fairer, diversifying its workforce and raising social mobility.’

Fair Access to the Professions, 2012 Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission









Disability•5.9% of the general population received the disabled students allowance (DSA)•4.8% of students studying medicine, dental or veterinary science receive DSA




Diagnosing the problem - medicine• 7% of the UK population is privately educated

yet 31% of F1s identified themselves as being privately educated

• 80% of medicine applicants came from around only 20% of schools or colleges

• 50% of state schools have not had a single applicant for medicine in the last 3 years





Conclusions•From the data collected it appeared that social mobility or socio-economic background was the key issue we needed to address.

•Ethnicity is also an issue.


Launched 10 December 2014


Three pieces of research commissioned


Supplementary materialFour pieces of supplementary advice and guidance were also launched


Structure of the report

Five Chapters:•Evidence Base•Widening Participation •The Role of the Doctor•Selection Methods•Implementation


Evidence Base

Main Focus:•Presenting the current demographics of medical students across a number of different characteristics.•Makes suggestions for improving data collection


Widening Participation

Main Focus:•Analysis of the interventions that can help to widen participation including:

• Outreach • Providing better information to applicants• Work experience• Alternative entry routes• Contextualised admissions• Supporting students


The Role of the Doctor

Main Focus:•Setting out the values, skills and attributes needed to be a doctor•Supported by a common statement for applicants that medical schools should also use in selection•VBR


Selection Methods

Main Focus:•Presenting the current evidence as to what are the most effective selection methods.•Making suggestions for further research and policy development


MSCSA work

• MMI working group established• Engaging with qualification reform• Research into contextual data in the

process of being commissioned• Research into selection methods -

invitation to tender being finalised• Establishing methods for monitoring and

data collection on WP


Questions