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Support for PGDiTs with disabilities and long-term conditions

Overview

This page provides a curated list of support and resources for PGDiTs with disabilities and long-term conditions, including specialist organisations, peer networks, practical tools, and guidance on navigating training and clinical work.

This is not an exhaustive list. The NHS Practitioner Health Disability Support guide and the Disabled Doctors Network maintain more comprehensive directories and are good starting points if you cannot find what you are looking for on this page.

Contents

Reasonable Adjustments and Access to Work

Disability Rights UK provides clear, accessible guidance on the Equality Act 2010, your rights at work, and the duty for employers to make reasonable adjustments.

Access to Work is the government scheme that can fund adjustments, equipment, support workers and workplace travel costs for disabled employees and those with a long-term condition. You can find more information about reasonable adjustments and some indicative examples of appropriate adjustments on our Impacts of disabilities and long-term conditions on training and clinical working webpage. 

Access to Work also provide separate funding for Mental Health Support at work, delivered by Able Futures and Maximus. These services can fund up to nine months of personalised mental health support at work, alongside any equipment and adjustments needed.

Further information about Access to Work can be found on our Reasonable Adjustments and Practical Support page.

Specialist services and resources for PGDiTs

  • NHS Practitioner Health is a free, confidential service for doctors, dentists, and other regulated healthcare professionals. While the service is best known for mental health support, they also provide guidance on managing physical and long-term health conditions in the context of clinical work, and can advise on disclosure, fitness to practice, and onward referral. Their comprehensive Disability Support guide is especially useful.
  • Disabled Doctors Network is the leading UK peer network for doctors with disabilities and long-term conditions. The network provides peer support, advocacy, mentoring, and a sense of community. They run regular events, online forums, and have published resources on a wide range of topics including disclosure, applying for training posts, working with specific conditions, and navigating reasonable adjustments.
  • BMA disability advice offers guidance for doctors with disabilities, including on disclosure, reasonable adjustments, and managing long-term conditions in clinical practice.
  • The BMA's work on Disability Equity in Medicine aims to understand and improve the experiences of disabled PGDiTs and doctors more broadly. 
  • The GMC's Welcomed and Valued guidance provides advise on how medical schools and postgraduate educators can provide support for disabled learners. You may find this useful in understanding educator responsibilities.

Royal college and faculty support

Many royal colleges and faculties now offer support specifically for trainees with disabilities and long-term conditions, including guidance on reasonable adjustments to examinations, working with specific conditions in particular specialties, and peer mentoring. We'd encourage you to check your own college or faculty's website, as provision is always evolving.

Reasonable adjustments in examinations

Applications for reasonable adjustments in professional examinations are managed by the relevant royal college or examining body. An application for adjustments is often required separately to applying for the examination, though it may have the same deadline for submission.

Please refer to your examining body’s reasonable adjustment policy and process for specific guidance and applicable deadlines. This information can be found on their individual websites.

Condition-specific organisations

For condition-specific information, support, and community, the major UK charities for individual conditions are usually a good first port of call. Examples include:

If your condition is not listed above, the NHS website's A-Z of conditions signposts to relevant patient organisations and reliable information sources for almost every recognised condition.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Living with a disability or long-term condition can take an emotional toll, particularly alongside the demands of postgraduate training. Looking after your mental health is an important part of managing your condition and responsible clinical practice.

Less than full time (LTFT) training

PGDiTs with long-term conditions may benefit from training less than full time, which allows you to undertake training at a reduced percentage of full-time hours.

Information about LTFT training, eligibility and how to apply is available in the NHSE YH LTFT Standard Operating Procedure and Guidance.

Peer Support and Community

Connecting with other clinicians and PGDiTs who share your experience can be valuable. In addition to the Disabled Doctors Network, many trusts and royal colleges have disability networks and forums dedicated to PGDiTs. Check your employing trust’s intranet and your college’s website to identify what is available.

Whilst Doctors' Support Network is primarily focused on mental health, its community includes many clinicians with co-existing physical conditions.

The Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Losses is an international organisation providing advocacy and mentorship.

Finally, many social media communities exist, often using the hashtags #DisabledDoctor, #DisabledMedic, and #DocsWithDisabilities.

 

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