‘Medical education is under attack on several fronts,’ warns Professor Michael Rees, chair of the British Medical Association’s (BMA’s) Medical Academics Committee.
In a BMA response to the Education and Skills Committee inquiry, published today, Rees says: ‘Teaching posts are being cut and university funding mechanisms mean medical schools are forced to focus on research rather than teaching.
‘As a result, more and more education takes place in the NHS, where financial problems make it an easy target for cuts.
‘This is all happening at a time when increasing numbers of students are entering medical school and the situation cannot continue like this.
‘If numbers of teaching posts continue to dwindle, the quality of medical education, as well as the viability of medical schools themselves, will be endangered.
‘This will have a consequent adverse effect on the future medical workforce and an impact on patient care.’
The BMA says the university funding structure, in particular the Research Assessment Exercise, has meant that medical schools have focused on research rather than teaching, which in turn has been shifted across to the NHS, where it is a ‘soft target’ for budget cuts.
In November the BMA warned that NHS Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) are taking money from budgets previously set aside for education and training in order to meet deficits.
Targets for the budget cuts include academic posts in medical schools, which could result in doctors being made redundant.
The BMA points out that over the past five years the number of medical students has increased by almost 10,000, while at the same time there has been a 25 per cent reduction in numbers of medical academics.
Emily Rigby, Chair of the BMA’s Medical Students Committee said: ‘These are worrying times for medical students.
‘The erosion of funding for medical education is putting good quality medical teaching at risk, debt levels have reached a high and the job market for junior doctors is increasingly uncertain.
‘Removing a cap on student fees will in one step, place a medical career out of the reach of many and make income as, if not more, important than talent and aptitude.
‘Becoming a doctor should be about your commitment to medicine and patient care, not the amount of money you are prepared to borrow.’
The BMA said it is ‘strongly opposed’ to any plans to lift the cap on student fees – currently set at £3,000.
Student debt is at an all time high, with the average final year student owing £21,755, this is more than the basic pay of their first job as a junior doctor.