The number of doctors applying for foundation programme training places in Scotland has increased by 27% this year, which doctors’ leaders have said is down to the contract imposition in England.
The number of junior doctors who put Scotland as their first choice on their foundation programme applications increased from 696 in 2015 to 884 in 2016. It was 715 in 2014.
There are 790 foundation programme places available in Scotland, meaning that unlike previous years, the programme was oversubscribed in 2016.
In contrast, there were 300 foundation programme vacancies in England earlier this month.
Chair of BMA Scotland’s Junior Doctor Committee Dr Chris Sheridan said ‘Given the damaging uncertainty over their contract that junior doctors in England have been facing, it perhaps should come as no surprise that an increased number of graduating doctors have chosen to apply to Scotland as their first choice.’
‘The swift and repeated assurances from the Scottish Government that it will not seek to impose any new contract in Scotland were welcome to junior doctors in Scotland and may have been an important factor in the decision to apply to posts in Scotland for many people,’ he added.
This comes after Pulse has reported that English GPs are also moving north of the border because of rising indemnity fees.
