England’s medical training system is set for another round of changes after The BMJ reported that pilot schemes have been launched to end the “absurd” rotation system for newly qualified doctors. The move comes as the latest round-up of medical news also highlighted fresh concerns over NHS staffing, digital rollout issues, and the strain on services across the UK.
Training reform moves onto the agenda
The BMJ’s latest medical news coverage, published on August 6, 2026, listed the new pilot schemes among the day’s main stories, placing the issue of junior doctor training high on the health agenda. The plans are intended to address long-standing criticism of the current rotation model, which requires newly qualified doctors to move frequently between posts.
That same update also noted that medical colleges are developing a successor to the axed NHS training scheme for overseas doctors, suggesting wider change across the pipeline for medical staff in England. Together, the stories point to a period of transition for workforce policy and training structures in the NHS. The BMJ medical news page
Digital delivery and operational pressure remain in focus
Alongside training reform, the same news roundup said that four fifths of NHS trusts are still using pen and paper for record keeping, 25 years after the first digitisation push. It also reported that a BMJ analysis found a Palantir tool had not cut delayed discharges at NHS trusts, underlining the continued gap between digital ambition and frontline impact.
These developments arrive as NHS England has separately announced that around 100 NHS pharmacies in England will begin offering cholesterol check-ups this autumn, part of a wider effort to reduce heart disease and stroke deaths over the next decade. The announcement shows that prevention remains a major policy priority even as hospitals and trusts continue to grapple with operational backlogs. NHS England news
Other recent headlines underline the scale of the challenge
The BMJ’s recent news feed has also covered wider concerns including a network of mental health centres due to open across England, with experts asking who will staff them, and a report that eating disorders are less likely to be referred by GPs when patients are not underweight. Other items in the same stream included a warning over FDA claims linked to NHS England, a new mRNA flu jab approval, and a “fridge-free” tetanus-diphtheria vaccine showing promise in a first human trial. The BMJ latest news
For the NHS, the picture remains one of steady reform alongside persistent pressure. Training changes, workforce shortages, and unfinished digital transformation continue to shape the debate, while policy makers also look to prevention-led initiatives to ease demand on the service in the months ahead.
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