Sixteen Thousand Junior Doctors Chasing 2,300 Posts - BMA Responds, UK

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 14 Jul 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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Figures released by the Department of Health in England last thursday show that 85% of training posts advertised through the Medical Training Application Service were filled in the first round of recruitment. The figure for academic trainee posts was significantly lower, with 57% filled.

In a second round of applications, now underway, 2,300 training posts are available for the 16,000 candidates for posts in England who have not yet been appointed.

Commenting on the figures, Dr Jo Hilborne, chairman of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee, says:

"The bottom line is that 16,000 talented doctors are caught up in a desperate scramble for a handful of training opportunities. It remains alarmingly unclear what will happen at the end of the month when junior doctors' contracts end. The last Health Secretary gave a commitment that they would be able to continue their NHS employment - we expect the new one to explain exactly how he will make this a reality. If trusts do not have adequate plans in place for 1 August, wards may be understaffed and operations cancelled.

"The intention of the second round was that doctors would be able to compete for posts more fairly. Yet deadlines are coming and going very quickly, leaving people little or no time to apply. In many specialties and regions they now have very little choice. The BMA will vigorously support all its members who are still suffering because of the MTAS process."

There was a separate process within MTAS for recruiting to academic posts, which the BMA believes did not work. Professor Michael Rees, chairman of the BMA Medical Academic Staff Committee, says:

"It is telling that the small number of posts in teaching and research were less likely to be filled. They were poorly promoted and academic qualifications counted for very little. It is vital that future application processes recognise the importance of teaching and research to the NHS."

1. The figures are available at: http://www.mmc.nhs.uk/pages/fill_rates
2. For more information on MTAS go to : http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/content/HubMTAS

http://www.bma.org.uk

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