AS junior doctors are preparing for strike action for three days next month, there is mounting fury at the Tory government’s attacks on the NHS.
These attacks by the government and its attempt to force a new working contract on young doctors, greatly endangering patient care, is driving many of them out of the health service.
New figures were released yesterday showing that 40% of doctors after completing their training are either leaving the UK to work abroad or leaving the profession entirely. Junior doctors are being driven out of the country or being driven out of the profession because of the Tory onslaught on their pay and conditions, the UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) figures show.
UKFPO published the figures yesterday which reveal that just 59% of medical graduates who completed their foundation year went on to work in hospitals or as GPs following the completion of the course in 2014, down from 71.4% in 2011.
The survey covered over 6,980 foundation doctors in 2014, representing 95% of all F2s completing foundation training. Half of GP training places remain vacant in some areas of the country and the total number of UK students applying for places at medical school has fallen for the second year running, dropping by 13.5% compared to two years ago.
BMA General Practitioners Committee deputy chair Dr Richard Vautrey said: ‘It is clear that young doctors are really unsure what the future holds for them with huge uncertainty being created by Government policy. Bright young sixth-formers will also be seeing this and with pay and pension cuts, together with unreasonable expectations on working hours it’s no surprise if they start to shun medicine and look at alternative careers.’
A decision for industrial action by junior doctors will mean a 24 hour strike from 8am on Tuesday 1 December, with emergency cover, followed by a full walk-out from 8am to 5pm on Tuesday 8 December, and another at the same time on Wednesday 16 December.
The ballot for this proposed action closes on 18 November.