What is widening participation in Medicine?
Widening participation (WP) is a government initiative offering opportunities to groups of people who are under-represented in higher education, for example: the first generation to consider higher education, from low socio-economic groups or those who attend schools with low progression into higher education.
In the UK, medicine and being a doctor has traditionally been seen as a career for the elite or privileged in society. Despite efforts to increase gender parity and ethnic diversity among UK doctors, the lack of people from lower socio-economic backgrounds entering the profession is still a reality. It’s important we encourage those with the potential to study medicine to regard it as a viable option, irrespective of their socio-economic circumstances. By supporting widening participation in medicine, we are also ensuring that the NHS is reflective and understanding of the needs of its patients in the future.
Information from the British Medical Association