F1 doctors balloted for industrial action over unemployment crisis

Doctors in their first year of employment are being balloted for industrial action over the unemployment crisis.

The BMA said that F1 doctors are currently being asked if they are willing to take industrial action to ‘pressure the Government into providing a plan to increase the number of training places’.

It comes after the union raised concerns around the unemployment crisis as half of doctors finishing foundation training said they had no job secured last month. 

The ballot opened yesterday and will close on 6 October.

BMA resident doctors committee (RDC) co-chairs Dr Ross Nieuwoudt and Dr Melissa Ryan said that thousands of doctors ‘have been left in career limbo’ while patients ‘desperately need them’.

In a statement, they said: ‘It is a scandal that in a country so sorely in need of more doctors we cannot find enough jobs for them.

‘The Government has so far only produced a plan to create 1,000 new specialty training posts over the next three years. However, this year saw more than 20,000 fewer posts than there were doctors applying for them.

‘While we continue to discuss with Government how to restore our diminished pay, and increase the value of doctors, we also have to make sure there are still jobs for our colleagues to go to.

‘The Government has the opportunity to set out a plan for both sufficient pay and jobs to restore the NHS workforce for the next generation. We are urging all first year doctors to vote yes to tell the Government to get moving on it.’

According to the results of a survey by the union, 52% of doctors said they have no ‘substantive employment or regular locum work’ secured for August, when they finish their foundation training and are due to enter specialty training. 

In the survey of more than 4,000 resident doctors, more than a third (34%) of those in their first foundation year also responded they did not have a job secured for next month. Overall, the survey found a third of all resident doctor respondents had no role secured for next month. 

Health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘I have even offered to negotiate further progress with the BMA’s resident doctor committee. Instead of securing better conditions for its members, the BMA walked away from those negotiations, choosing strikes over solutions.

‘Now they are holding a completely unnecessary and pointless ballot, to strike about an issue I am ready and willing to move on. This is Alice in Wonderful stuff.

‘Strike action threatens exactly what these doctors are fighting for, setting back their progress and costing the NHS money that could instead fund solutions to this problem.

‘I’m urging resident doctors: don’t let the BMA leadership derail your careers with needless industrial action. Your future is too important for that.’

Pulse has previously reported on specialty training post shortages as part of a wider investigation into the GP recruitment and unemployment crisis.