Cost Of Being A Junior Doctor Has Increased By 80%, BMA Research Shows, UK

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 03 Dec 2007 - 2:00 PDT

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The cost of being a junior doctor has increased by 80% over the last seven years, figures published by the BMA show. Over the same period, junior doctors' basic salaries have increased by little more than 20%, and supplements paid for antisocial hours have fallen.

Research by the BMA looked at the minimum essential costs borne by junior doctors as they progress through their training. This includes the compulsory membership of organisations such as the General Medical Council - the cost of which has more than doubled to £290 for second year junior doctors. It also includes the costs of sitting exams - essential if doctors are to progress in their training. The fee for receiving a certificate of completion of training (CCT) has trebled since 2000 to over £750.

Commenting on the figures, Mr Ram Moorthy, chairman of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee, says:

"In other professions, the employer pays for the benefits of a well trained workforce. In the NHS, junior doctors pay for it themselves. We've seen the cost of our training soar over the past seven years, but this hasn't been matched by an increase in our pay, or funding for study leave."

The figures do not take into account the costs incurred for the attendance of training courses, or the fact that some doctors have to pay exam fees more than once. The BMA is concerned that trainees may soon face additional fees for membership of new bodies overseeing training. It should also be noted that take-home pay has fallen for many junior doctors because of Working Time Directive limits on hours.

Surgical trainees have seen the largest rise in minimum costs over the past seven years - more than 95% to £8,138 for the duration of their training. The BMA has submitted the figures to the Doctors and Dentists Review Body, which makes recommendations on doctors' pay.

Notes:

Mean increase of costs to junior doctors across the four selected pathways 79.71%

Year - DDRB uplift to basic salary (percentage)

2001-02 - 3.9%
2002-03 - 3.6%
2003-04 - 3.225%
2004-05 - 2.7%
2005-06 - 3%
2006-07 - 2.2%
2007-08 - 1.5%

The compounded DDRB uplift across 2000-2007 21.92%

The pathways described here, for a general medical, surgical ENT, anaesthetic and paediatric trainee, highlight the significant increase in essential costs faced by junior doctors since 2000. We have only included those costs that could be deemed essential to training and progression - examination fees and membership of the key professional bodies. In comparison, last year's evidence provided data on all of the costs that juniors would likely face, rather than just the core costs. These further costs included membership of specialty and trainee associations, revision courses for examinations and training courses. Moreover, even among the essential costs, the use of mandatory examination failure rates by some Royal Colleges ensures that many junior doctors will be required to pay these fees more than once. Although it is hoped that this year's evidence robustly demonstrates the increase in essential costs that junior doctors now have to meet as part of their training, it should also be noted that the majority of junior doctors will face actual costs much higher than these.

This increase in essential costs should be seen in the context of declining total pay, as the average banding supplement for junior doctors has declined since 2000. Furthermore, while these pathways demonstrate an average increase in costs of nearly 80% since 2000, the basic pay of junior doctors has been uplifted by the DDRB by less than 22% across the same period.

None of these essential costs can be claimed as study leave expenses, so there is no need to offset these costs against an average study leave reimbursement figure. Tax deductions are applicable to many of the membership fees included in these pathways, and where this is the case, the figures and calculations used have been altered accordingly. Full details of those organisations which attract a tax deduction on membership can be found here.

http://www.bma.org.uk