Junior Doctors Call For Fair Deal For All On Travel And Relocation Expenses

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Also Included In: Medical Students / Training
Article Date: 03 Dec 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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The BMA's Scottish Junior Doctors Committee has today (Wednesday 3 December) criticised the decision of NHS Scotland Employers not to provide travel and relocation expenses to all doctors in training grades. While the majority of junior doctors are now eligible to claim travel and relocation expenses, as they move around various work placements across Scotland following a recent agreement, those just starting out in their NHS careers are not.

Today, hundreds of Foundation Doctors - Scotland's most junior doctors - are changing jobs as part of their two year training programme. These jobs can have a wide geographical spread across Scotland and many doctors therefore need to relocate themselves and their families or face high travel costs at their own expense. Because they have been employed on short term contracts of four to six months for each rotation of their training, these doctors are not entitled to reclaim the costs of these expenses.

Combined with graduation debts that are twice those of an average student, these doctors face significant compulsory costs in order to continue their training. Adding to this already significant debt level could make medicine an increasingly unattractive career path, especially for those from lower socio-economic groups.

In addition, foundation year one (FY1) doctors are no longer entitled to free hospital accommodation in their first year after leaving medical school. This policy change will cost many juniors an estimated £4,800 p.a. and comes at a time when medical students already face average graduation debts of almost £16,000.

The BMA is calling for all junior doctors to receive travel and relocation expenses and for employment contracts to last for the duration of the two year foundation training programme, rather than each separate four or six month placement.

Junior doctors' leaders expressed disappointment that first and second year trainees are not eligible for the expenses and relocation deal.

Dr Alan Robertson, Chair of the BMA's Scottish Junior Doctors Committee, said:

"It is disappointing that the agreement creates two tiers of junior doctors where specialty trainees are entitled to claim for travel and relocation costs incurred during rotations between NHS sites across Scotland but first and second year junior doctors are not, particularly since first year doctors have also lost the right to free hospital accommodation. These two issues add to the already significant financial burden for newly qualified doctors."

Mr John Hallett, Chair of the BMA's Scottish Medical Students Committee, said:

"For some doctors, access to free hospital accommodation is essential. Junior doctors have no choice over where they are placed during their first year of training and, particularly in Scotland, this can mean travel to placements in diverse locations. For example, a junior doctor may begin their training in Aberdeen but be required to rotate to work in remote Highland or Island communities where access to short term rental accommodation is limited."

Dr Robertson added:

"All of Scotland's junior doctors deserve a fair deal and I call on NHS employers to reinstate free hospital accommodation for FHO1 doctors and extend travel and relocation expenses to cover all junior doctors. If they fail to do so, the Scottish Government must compensate doctors for these additional costs. It would also be more sensible for junior doctors to be employed on contracts that reflected the length of their training programmes, rather than placements within the programmes."

Notes

- Junior doctors are available for interview - contact the BMA Scotland's Public Affairs Office. Call 0131 247 3052 or email press.scotland@bma.org.uk

- Foundation Doctors complete a two year Foundation Programme following graduation from medical school before progressing on to specialty training. Throughout training, junior doctors undertake four - six month placements in different hospital departments (known as rotations).

- Junior doctors are employed on short-term contracts of four to six months to cover the individual placements of their educational programme, even though their training programme lasts for two years. The financial implications of these short term contracts are significant since they impact on, amongst other things, mortgage applications and rental agreements. The cost of renegotiating a rental agreement or for travelling to and from different hospital sites can be anything from £300 to as much as £1000 a month.

- The majority of Scotland's junior doctors are eligible to claim travel and relocation expenses as they move around various work placements across Scotland thanks to an agreement following more than a year of negotiations between the BMA's Scottish Junior Doctors Committee and NHSScotland employers. NHS Managers however, refused to provide assistance to the most junior trainees.

- Junior doctors are no longer entitled to free hospital accommodation in their first year after leaving medical school after the requirement for pre-registration doctors to be resident at a hospital was removed from the Medical Act.

BMA

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