BMA comments on situation facing junior doctors

A spokesperson for the BMA has commented on the current state of the UK employment market for junior doctors, saying that, while there are difficulties facing these medics, there are signs of improvement.

The first issue that the representative commented on was the working time directive, a piece of legislation he said was essential as many junior doctors were working between 90 and 100 hours per week.

Evidence has shown that the risk of errors is increased during long periods of work without rest, especially overnight.

"The limit for junior doctors now is 58 hours a week, whereas it's 48 for all other members of staff," the spokesperson explained. "It is going to come down to 48 hours for juniors in 2009."

He also commented on the level of competition that currently exists for jobs, which is created by a high number of applications coming in for a limited number of training posts.

One of the reasons for the high number of applicants is the fact that overseas doctors are coming to the UK to work, the spokesperson said. He added, however, that legislation has recently been passed to address this issue.

"The government has now changed the immigration rules to make it much harder for doctors from outside Europe to get junior doctor posts. This will have some impact on levels of competition," he explained.

Source material: Comments from a spokesperson for the BMA.


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