Which UK region has the most NHS vacancies for international doctors and nurses?

The NHS Vacancy Statistics release names London as the region with the highest overall NHS vacancy rate — 7.7%, above the 6.7% national rate at 30 September 2025. Across the whole NHS England workforce there were 100,023 unfilled posts. The release does not publish a single verified per-city table, so this cluster gives structural and pathway context per place and links the full NHS regional tables for the underlying breakdown.

Does my GMC or NMC registration work in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

Yes. GMC registration (doctors) and NMC registration (nurses) are UK-wide — a single registration lets you work anywhere in the UK. What changes between nations is the employer and the job-application portal (NHS England, NHS Scotland, NHS Wales / GIG Cymru and HSC Northern Ireland each recruit separately), not the registration you need.

Where do internationally-qualified doctors sit PLAB 2 in the UK?

PLAB 2 — the practical OSCE stage of the GMC pathway — is sat at the GMC clinical assessment centre in Manchester. Every IMG doctor travels to Manchester at least once for this stage (GMC 2025–26 fee: £1,036), which is worth factoring into relocation timing and any visa you need.

Is GeraClinic an NHS recruiter or job board?

No. GeraClinic is a private telemedicine service — not the NHS, not an NHS recruiter, and not affiliated with the NHS. These pages are free relocation and registration-pathway information. Gera holds no vacancies, places no one, charges no fee, and does not actively recruit from countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List.

GeraClinic / NHS jobs by region

NHS jobs for international doctors & nurses — by UK region & city

Your GMC or NMC registration is UK-wide, so the real question is where in the UK to work. This guide gives honest relocation, NHS-employer and registration-pathway context for the main cities and the three devolved nations — anchored to the real NHS Vacancy Statistics release (100,023 unfilled posts, 6.7%, 30 September 2025).

Reference period: 30 September 2025· published 27 November 2025 · Open Government Licence v3.0 · England (national figures) · registration facts are UK-wide

Which UK region should an internationally-trained doctor or nurse work in?

Registration is UK-wide, so the choice is about place, not eligibility. At 30 September 2025 the NHS England workforce had 100,023 unfilled posts (6.7%); the NHS release names London as the highest-vacancy region at 7.7%. This guide gives relocation, employer and pathway context per UK city and nation.

Source:NHS Vacancy Statistics, England, April 2015 – September 2025, Experimental Statistics·as of 30 September 2025updated quarterly (last: 2 July 2026)

One registration, four nations

GMC registration (doctors) and NMC registration (nurses) are UK-wide: one registration lets you work anywhere in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The employer and the job-application portal differ by nation, but the registration you need does not.

UK doctor pathway — GMC / PLAB →·UK nurse registration — NMC pathway →

NHS vacancies

100,023

6.7% of posts

Highest region

London

7.7%

Nursing gap

25,504

6.0% vacant (FTE)

Medical gap

7,248

4.4% vacant (FTE)

By city (England)

Each city page covers the NHS region it sits in, the NHS employers that operate there (named, not counted), directional relocation context and the registration pathway — with the real national NHS data as the demand backdrop.

UK cities covered — NHS region and orientation
City	NHS region	Guide
London	NHS England — London region	/nhs-jobs-by-region/london
Manchester	NHS England — North West region	/nhs-jobs-by-region/manchester
Birmingham	NHS England — Midlands region	/nhs-jobs-by-region/birmingham
Leeds	NHS England — North East and Yorkshire region	/nhs-jobs-by-region/leeds
Liverpool	NHS England — North West region	/nhs-jobs-by-region/liverpool
Newcastle upon Tyne	NHS England — North East and Yorkshire region	/nhs-jobs-by-region/newcastle

By nation (devolved)

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own NHS / HSC systems and recruit separately — but the GMC and NMC registration you hold is UK-wide and applies in all of them.

Coming from a specific country?

These country routes explain the UK pathway from where you trained. They are free pathway information for individuals who independently choose to work in the UK.

By specialty

NHS jobs by region: FAQs

Which UK region has the most NHS vacancies for international doctors and nurses?: The NHS Vacancy Statistics release names London as the region with the highest overall NHS vacancy rate — 7.7%, above the 6.7% national rate at 30 September 2025. Across the whole NHS England workforce there were 100,023 unfilled posts. The release does not publish a single verified per-city table, so this cluster gives structural and pathway context per place and links the full NHS regional tables for the underlying breakdown.
Does my GMC or NMC registration work in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?: Yes. GMC registration (doctors) and NMC registration (nurses) are UK-wide — a single registration lets you work anywhere in the UK. What changes between nations is the employer and the job-application portal (NHS England, NHS Scotland, NHS Wales / GIG Cymru and HSC Northern Ireland each recruit separately), not the registration you need.
Where do internationally-qualified doctors sit PLAB 2 in the UK?: PLAB 2 — the practical OSCE stage of the GMC pathway — is sat at the GMC clinical assessment centre in Manchester. Every IMG doctor travels to Manchester at least once for this stage (GMC 2025–26 fee: £1,036), which is worth factoring into relocation timing and any visa you need.
Is GeraClinic an NHS recruiter or job board?: No. GeraClinic is a private telemedicine service — not the NHS, not an NHS recruiter, and not affiliated with the NHS. These pages are free relocation and registration-pathway information. Gera holds no vacancies, places no one, charges no fee, and does not actively recruit from countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List.

Start with the pathway, then choose the place

Registration is UK-wide and the NHS shortage is real (100,023 unfilled posts, 6.7%). Begin with the honest, free registration guides, then use the city and nation pages to pick where.

See the UK registration pathways NHS Staff Vacancy Index

Source & honesty

Every hard NHS figure on this page is the real published NHS Vacancy Statistics number for 30 September 2025; no per-city vacancy figure is invented. Where the NHS release does not publish a verified place-level number, this guide says so and links the full regional tables instead.

Contains public sector information published by NHS England and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS Vacancy Statistics, England, April 2015 – September 2025, Experimental Statistics (30 September 2025, published 27 November 2025).

Contains public sector information published by NHS England and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Underlying data: NHS Vacancy Statistics, England, Experimental Statistics (NHS England, published 27 November 2025).

GeraClinic is a private telemedicine service. It is not the NHS, is not an NHS recruiter and is not affiliated with the NHS. This page is free relocation and registration-pathway information for internationally-trained clinicians who independently choose to work in the UK. Gera does not place you, holds no vacancies, charges you no fee, and does not actively recruit from countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List (2023).