First-year doctors have voted to support strike action over the GP unemployment crisis, Pulse reports.
First-year resident doctors (FY1s) voted for a mandate for industrial action as part of their own ongoing pay dispute.
GP registrars and other residents took part in industrial action earlier this year over their pay dispute, calling for the ‘restoration’ of their pay to what residents would have received before 2008.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said: “By putting these two disputes – pay and jobs – together, we are now giving Government a chance to create a plan that supports and develops the workforce of the next generation.”
Sessional GPs currently face widespread un- and underemployment; at the same time, competition amongst resident doctors for training places has skyrocketed. Competition for GP specialty training posts has reached a record high, with five doctors vying for every available place in England, NHS England reported last month.
An estimated 4,200 GPs were due to qualify and join the GP jobs market this summer, the Royal College of GPs reported in August, and 47% more GPs were due to complete clinical training (CCT) this year compared with 2019.
Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chair, said: “We must commend the resident doctors for their courage in taking this stand. By linking their ongoing pay dispute with the persistent GP unemployment crisis, they rightly highlight that the problems faced by our future and current workforce are inextricably connected.
“It is shocking that despite overwhelming evidence of this crisis, with widespread un- and underemployment among sessional GPs and thousands of newly qualified doctors struggling to find substantive roles, the Government still fails to act decisively.
“This vote must serve as a stark warning to politicians and patients alike about the profound strength of feeling across the medical profession. Urgent funding and removing the restrictive red tape from ARRS funding are essential steps to retain our skilled GPs and avoid catastrophic consequences for patient care.”