Junior Doctors In England Research Articles

Steady undermining of the UK National Health Service underlies industrial action by doctors and other staff.

Erosion of standard of healthcare in the United Kingdom underlies the industrial action taken recently by staff in the publicly provided National Health Service. Underfunding and understaffing, largely as a consequence of neoliberal government "austerity" policies implemented following the 2007-08 banking crisis, together with lack of long-term planning and a drive towards outsourcing, have led to a deterioration in the quality of services. Reduction in bed numbers and neglect of community and social support have compounded problems by making it more difficult both to admit and to discharge patients in a timely fashion. Access to services has been compromised with negative consequences for the sick. Reduction of doctors' real wages together with stress at work, moral injury caused by feelings of not being able to do the best for patients, burnout from the Covid-19 pandemic and uncertainty about the future have led to the longest ever strike action by junior doctors in England.

Cost of Training Crisis: Anaesthetics.

The anaesthetic training programme in the United Kingdom (UK) spans over seven years and is overseen by the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCOA). Junior doctors in England are currently striking amid ongoing pay negotiations with the government, and almost all junior doctors are worried about the cost of living. This article provides an overview of the average financial cost of training for doctors in the anaesthetic training programme. The cost incurred by anaesthetic trainees illustrates the level of financial burden faced by trainees across multiple specialities. The cost includes: student loan repayment (with interest rates), compulsory membership fees (including the Royal College of Anaesthetists and General Medical Council), postgraduate examinations (Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetist exams are compulsory to complete training) and medical indemnity. The average trainee spends between 5.6% and 7.4% of their annual salary on non-reimbursable costs. This article delineates for aforementioned expenses and compares them with the training programs in Australia and New Zealand, given their status as frequent emigration destinations for UK doctors.

Health department helped draft HEE letters encouraging trusts to implement junior doctor contract, shows investigation

The Department of Health in England helped to draft letters sent by Health Education England to NHS trusts encouraging them to implement a new contract for junior doctors, a newspaper investigation has found. The Independent reported that it had seen internal emails showing that the health secretary for England, Jeremy Hunt, and his officials collaborated with HEE, an arm’s length body of the health department, to introduce the new contract.1 The new contract for junior doctors in England began phased implementation in October 2016, despite BMA members voting to oppose the deal.23 HEE is a non-departmental public body that, the Independent said, provides £3.65bn worth of funding …

A Historic Year for Radiologists in England: The Profession on Strike

The past year will go down in history as one of the most tumultuous for the medical profession in England. After a few years of contract negotiations between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the government Department of Health, a breakdown in relations, largely unprecedented and unseen by the current working generation of doctors, reached melting point. In April 2016, for the first time in the near 70-year history of the National Health Service (NHS), junior doctors in England went on 2 days of all-out strike. This represented the fifth strike among junior doctors since January in the same year, but until April, strike action had always excluded coverage of emergency care services.

How should doctors be employed?

After last week’s question about whether GPs should retain their gatekeeper role (doi:10.1136/bmj.i5272), this week we ask whether all GPs should become NHS employees in the same way hospital doctors are. With the bitter dispute between junior doctors in England and the government now entering a “cold war” (doi:10.1136/bmj.i5213), opting for direct NHS employment may seem like recklessness. In our latest Head to Head debate Azeem Majeed is more positive about the proposition (doi:10.1136/bmj.i5064). Over a quarter of GPs in England are already salaried, but most of …

Junior doctors say what BMA should do now to stop the new contract.

The BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee announced last Saturday that it was planning other action to resist a new contract for junior doctors in England, after it suspended three rounds of strikes.1 So far details of the actions have not been released. Junior doctors express their views on what should happen next

Junior doctors say what the BMA should do now to stop the new contract

The BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee announced last Saturday that it was planning other action to resist a new contract for junior doctors in England, after it suspended three rounds of strikes http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/BMA_considers_plans_after_suspending_junior_doctor_strikes. So far details of the actions have not been released. Junior doctors express their views on what should happen next

BMA invites health secretary to symposium on seven day services.

The BMA has invited the health secretary for England, Jeremy Hunt, to take part in a symposium on seven day NHS services as it starts work to oppose the imposition of a new contract for junior doctors in England. In a statement the association said that the meeting on the quality and consistency of healthcare delivered across the week was planned for November. It said that it would include health professionals, royal colleges, patients’ organisations, and professional associations. The …

BMA considers plans after suspending junior doctor strikes.

The BMA is considering its plans for further action after announcing that three rounds of planned strikes by junior doctors in England have been suspended. After a meeting of its Junior Doctors Committee on Saturday 24 September, the BMA announced that the planned series of five day strikes in October, November, and December would not go ahead.1 The association said that it was …

Contract imposition will be Pyrrhic victory for government, says Royal College of Surgeons

Imposing a contract on junior doctors in England will be a Pyrrhic victory for the government, given the damage the plans have done to morale, the Royal College of Surgeons of England has said. In an open letter to its trainee members, sent on Friday 16 September, the college’s council and its president, Clare Marx, said that it was unclear what the proposed new contract for junior doctors aimed to achieve. “Although patients could benefit …

Seven day plans do not rely on spreading workforce more thinly, Hunt says

The government’s plans for a seven day NHS do not rely on stretching the existing medical workforce more thinly, the secretary of state for health, Jeremy Hunt, has said. Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday 5 September Hunt commented on a number of matters that were concerning junior doctors in England.1 His comments came after the BMA announced that it had decided to suspend planned industrial action by junior doctors in England next week, after discussions with NHS England.2 Hunt welcomed the association’s decision to suspend the strike but highlighted concerns over future five day strikes planned for October, November, and December. He said that the planned action was …

BMA sets further strike dates, as royal colleges condemn action

Junior doctors in England will stage four rounds of industrial action from September until December, the BMA has announced. The news came as the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said that the planned action was not proportionate to junior doctors’ concerns and would cause “real problems” for patients. The BMA said that junior doctors would stage a series of actions comprising full withdrawal of labour between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm for five consecutive weekdays: during 12-16 September; 5-7 October and 10-11 October; 14-18 November, and 5-9 December. The BMA originally announced just one week of strikes, …

Junior doctors call for further strikes from September

The BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee is calling for escalated industrial action from September to resolve issues over the proposed new contract that the committee says the government has not dealt with. In a letter sent to members on Thursday 11 August, Ellen McCourt, the committee’s chair, said that the committee had decided to reject the proposed new contract for junior doctors in England in full and to call for formal renegotiations https://twitter.com/McCourtEllen/status/763815538460065792. “In response to the government’s silence, the JDC [executive] has today made a formal request for a special meeting of BMA Council to authorise a rolling …

NHS bodies should work to improve relations between junior doctors and government, Keogh says

NHS organisations should improve junior doctors’ working and training conditions to try to repair relations between the profession and the government, NHS England’s national medical director has said. Speaking at an evidence session of the parliamentary health committee on 19 July, Bruce Keogh told MPs that he wanted to help change the bad feeling between the two parties. Relations have been strained because of the recent industrial dispute over a new contract for junior doctors in England, which led to a full strike by BMA junior doctor members in April.1 The new contract, which will be imposed …

Senior doctors need to do more to boost juniors’ morale

After the announcement that a new contract for junior doctors in England will be introduced despite their opposition, many believe that the support of senior doctors will be crucial to help improve morale. <b>Abi Rimmer</b> reports

BMA will consult members on next steps for junior contract

The BMA has said that it will consult its members before deciding its next steps, after the government announced that it would impose a new contract on junior doctors in England, despite their rejecting it. On Wednesday 6 July England’s health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said that a new contract …

Proposed junior contract is a good deal, Malawana tells ARM

The chair of the BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee has said that the proposed new contract for junior doctors in England was a good deal. Speaking at the BMA’s annual representatives meeting in Belfast on Thursday 23 June, Johann Malawana said that he recognised that juniors had different views on the contract but that he thought it was a good deal. Junior doctors and final …

ARM to debate whether new junior contract disadvantages women

Doctors from across the profession are set to discuss whether the proposed new contract for junior doctors in England will disadvantage women, particularly those who train part time or have children. Delegates at the BMA’s annual representative meeting (ARM) in Belfast will discuss the issues on Thursday 23 June. The motion is one of several that focus on issues related to the new contract. It says, “This meeting is appalled that changes in the junior doctor contract will disadvantage women, particularly those who are training part time, or who are carers or lone parents.” Doctors previously raised concerns that the new contract discriminated against women when the government published an equality analysis …

Junior contract will ensure fair weekend pay for part time trainees, says BMA

The proposed new contract for junior doctors in England is being changed to ensure that trainees who work less than full time (LTFT) receive a fair level of pay for working at the weekend, the BMA has said. The chair of the BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee, Johann Malawana, said that the Department of Health and NHS Employers had confirmed on Thursday 2 June that changes would be made to the proposed contract in regard to LTFT trainees. Writing on Facebook on Saturday 4 June, Malawana said, “On Thursday the DH/NHSE side were able to confirm a few modifications as to the intent with LTFT trainees. Particularly in regard to pro rating the weekend supplement for LTFT.” A BMA spokesperson confirmed that the government had agreed to respond to concerns that the association had raised over LTFT pay. “The …

Consultant trainers could face increased workload under junior contract

Consultants who supervise trainees could see an increase in their workload under the proposed new contract for junior doctors in England, doctors have warned. Under the proposed new terms and conditions for junior doctors, educational supervisors, who oversee the education of trainees, will be required to agree a personalised work schedule with their trainees and regularly discuss their progress.1 In changes to the way that junior doctors’ hours are monitored, educational supervisors will also be required to process exception reports submitted by trainees who have worked too many hours, and discuss what action is required. Nirmal Kumar, director of medical education at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, said that the …