The British Medical Association (BMA) has welcomed new legislation aimed at addressing shortages in medical training posts, while warning that further reforms are needed to resolve wider issues affecting doctors’ career progression.
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act received Royal Assent on Thursday, introducing measures intended to prioritise UK medical graduates for NHS training places and reduce the number of newly qualified doctors unable to secure posts.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s UK resident doctors committee, said: “This Act marks an important step toward fixing the jobs crisis for doctors.
“The legislation recognises, at last, the scale of the bottlenecks that have left too many UK-trained doctors struggling to find posts despite years of public investment in their education and training.
“It is also positive for medical students, too many of whom have been offered only placeholder positions when starting their first year as a doctor, not knowing their location until the last minute. This legislation will at least reduce this regrettable practice.”
He added: “Prioritising UK medical graduates for NHS training places has the potential to reduce the number of doctors who are left without work. But it will require swift implementation.
“We will not accept delay in England as part of negotiating tactics from the Government; this legislation is too important for that. We need to see reductions in doctors unable to find work this year, or risk seeing them lost to the NHS forever.
“While there are some protections in this Act for internationally trained doctors already working the NHS, we must redouble our efforts to improve their working lives, which at present are all too often unstable and poorly rewarded.
“The contracts of locally employed doctors must be brought in to line with the protections of those on permanent contracts, assuring them of stability and career progression.”
Fletcher concluded: “It has been a hard road to get this legislation across the line, and it should never have needed our strike action to prompt it. Nevertheless, when the Government makes a correct move we are always willing to recognise it.”
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