Following the introduction of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act (a new law prioritising UK Medical Graduates for training places), we are particularly keen to understand the views of doctors, including Resident, Foundation, SAS, and Locally Employed Doctors, and are therefore inviting more doctors to join the existing UK-REACH cohort. We welcome people from all communities and ethnicities to take part in the study.

>> To take part in the study, register or sign in on the UK-REACH website www.uk-reach.org/referral/dean/.

If you are new to the cohort you will be asked to create an account and then consent to take part. If you are already a member of our cohort you can sign in using your existing log-in details and complete the questionnaire.

If you have already completed the 2027 (wave 7) questionnaire then please disregard this email. If you would be interested in finding out more about the study, it will be open to new participants until November 2026.

The study is a continuation of the UK-REACH cohort study [United Kingdom Research study into Ethnicity And COVID-19 outcomes in Healthcare workers - uk-reach.org. It is co-led by the University of Leicester and UCL with several other UK universities and is been funded by NIHR. We welcome people from all communities to take part.

 Participants who complete the I-CARE questionnaire will (optionally) be entered into a prize draw in which randomly selected respondents will win £250, £50, or £5 in Amazon vouchers. To be entered into the prize draw you will need to complete this questionnaire and confirm that you wish to be entered into the draw.

We recommend using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox when accessing the UK-REACH website. Internet Explorer may prevent the website from working as intended.

If you are already a current participant of the original UK-REACH cohort study, you do not need to register again. You will receive an invitation to complete the questionnaire directly from the UK-REACH team but can sign up to do it now by logging into the uk-reach website.

Why am I being invited to take part?

We are inviting additional doctors into the cohort as we want to capture the views and experiences of more staff who may be directly or indirectly affected by recent legislative changes. We are also especially keen to hear from people from ethnic minorities to understand why the experiences of some groups differ from those of others, to help us identify ways to improve retention of healthcare workers from all staff groups.

The Deaneries are sending you this invitation on behalf of the UK-REACH research team. Neither the Deaneries nor your employer will be told whether or not you take part in this study.

If you have not lived and worked in the UK within the last year then you will not be eligible to join the cohort at this time.

What is the aim of the study?

The UK-REACH study originally aimed to find out how ethnicity related to the physical and mental health of healthcare workers during the pandemic. The I-CARE study builds on the UK-REACH study, and aims to improve our understanding of the personal and work-related factors that are related to healthcare workers’ intentions to change or leave their jobs, and sickness absence, with a particular focus in 2026 on awareness and perceived impacts of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act. We wish to understand how these factors might differ between healthcare workers from minoritised groups vs other groups (with a particular focus on ethnicity and migration status), and to explore potential reasons for this.

If I take part, what will I be asked to do?

Clicking the link above will take you directly to the registration process. First you will be asked to register with a username and password. You will then be asked to read a participant information sheet and, if you are happy to take part in the study, sign an online consent form. After providing consent you will be asked to complete an online questionnaire. You will be asked questions about your work, your home life, and your health and wellbeing. The questionnaire should take around 25 minutes to complete and can be done in parts if you wish.

How will my information be kept safe? Will you share it with anyone?

All the information you give the I-CARE research team will be kept securely. Personal details such as your name and contact details will be kept separately from any other information you provide. No information will be shared with the Deaneries.

Taking part in the study is entirely your choice. Your employer and Deanery will not be told if you take part in the study or not.

To find out more about how we would use and store your information, please read the participant information sheet on the UK-REACH website.

How do I get involved?

Visit the UK-REACH website to sign up. You can also find out more about the study on the website. The UK-REACH team can also be contacted via email [uk-reach@leicester.ac.uk], or telephone [07425 611865].

Thank you for taking the time to read this invitation.