Hospitals barring private school pupils from work experience 'may be breaking the law', care minister tells LBC
Stephen Kinnock has told LBC that school pupils should be allowed to undertake medical work experience placements with the NHS 'whatever your background' following reports that private school pupils had been sidelined.
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The social care minister was responding to reports that official schemes at a various London hospitals, including St Bartholomew's and University College London Hospital (UCLH), are reportedly only open to local state schools.
King's College Hospital Trust, which includes King's College Hospital, gives 'priority to those not attending a private school', as does the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, according to the Mail on Sunday.
Speaking to LBC, Mr Kinnock suggested that these NHS trusts could be breaking the law.
He said that anyone of any background should be able to undertake work experience with the NHS if they are qualified to do so.
“I think if people are qualified to do a position, a particular job or to get a particular type of work experience, then they should be qualified to do that,” Mr Kinnock told LBC’s Tom Swarbrick.
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Mr Kinnock added: “As far as I know, there is nothing in our equalities legislation that would allow discrimination of that nature.
“I'm not across the detail of this particular story, but my instinctive reaction to you is to say if you are qualified to do a type of work or to get a certain type of work experience, then whatever your background, you should be able to do that".
It comes as thousands of children, including those on bursaries, are reportedly struggling to find work experience at major hospitals.
Gordon West, head of careers at Stowe, a prestigious independent school, has claimed that one of his pupils struggled to secure work experience with the NHS.
“This young woman is not from a wealthy background at all; she’s from one of the highest priority groups there are.
“Policies like [those of] King’s College don’t account for stories like hers. By excluding private school kids, they also shut out students on 100 per cent bursaries, many of whom come from families with very limited means.”
He added: “This is essentially indirect discrimination. The silence and rejections they face when seeking placements are very telling.”
The pupil in question is believed to be on a 100 percent bursary, which is given to children whose parents could not otherwise afford to send their kids to private schools.
“I’m really sorry, that’s actually the first I’ve heard of that story. I thought that I was briefed on absolutely every single aspect of what’s going on across our NHS today. But that is news to me,” Mr Kinnock said.
A King's College Hospital NHS Trust spokesman said it facilitated 396 work placements in 2024.
“The vast majority were for students from state schools,” the spokesman said.
A St Bartholomew's Hospital spokesman said that placements for private-school pupils could only be offered via a staff referral.
South London and Maudsley NHS Trust said it aims to “support applicants from local schools who meet the participation criteria”.
That includes “being from a lower income family”, adding that "priority will be given to those not attending a private school".
UCLH’s website states that it is unable to “accommodate” students outside of its partnerships with The Social Mobility Foundation and “selected local schools”.
But a spokesman said placements were possible "for friends and family of UCLH staff members".
NHS England has said it is up to individual trusts to allocate work experience placements.
