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Sturgeon announces junior doctor contract extension |
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Wednesday, 27 June 2007 |
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon has announced that junior doctors in Scottish training programmes who are without an offer of continued training from August 1 will have their contracts extended.
Contracts will be extended to October 31, said Sturgeon, who gave the
commitment that the terms being offered to junior doctors in Scotland
would be consistent with those in England.
Sturgeon added that she would review the situation again towards the
end of round two of the recruitment process in England, in order to
consider what further measures might be needed to support doctors in
Scottish training programmes who at that stage remain without an offer
of a training post.
Speaking for the first time to the Scottish Parliament's new Health and
Sport Committee, Sturgeon said: "While I firmly believe the principles
underpinning Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) are sound, there have
been serious issues raised about the implementation of the new system.
"Two key concerns have been raised. One relates to service delivery and
the other to the prospect of unemployed junior doctors.
"In Scotland we opted to recruit trainees in one round, as opposed to
two as in England. That means we have currently filled about 98 per
cent of all run through training posts, and about 65 per cent of the
shorter fixed term specialty training appointments. The process is not
yet complete, but this level of recruitment will already ensure
continuity of patient services across NHS Scotland from 1 August 2007.
"Where we have a situation of junior doctors without training posts, there are three points to make note of.
"Firstly, in a highly competitive profession such as medicine, not
every applicant will, or ever has been able to, secure a training post
in the specialty or location of their choice.
"Secondly, the absence of an offer of a training post will not always
translate into an unemployed doctor. That is because some applications
have come from doctors already employed in non-training posts who will
continue in those positions after 1 August.
"Third, of all Scottish applicants who have secured Specialist Training posts in Scotland, 80 per cent are Scottish graduates.
“However, latest estimates from NHS Education for Scotland suggest that
there are approximately 450 junior doctors currently in Scottish
training programmes that have yet to secure an offer of continued
training under MMC.
"There are still some 240 training posts still to be filled in
Scotland, so that figure is likely to reduce over the next few weeks
but I accept that there will be some junior doctors who, at the end of
the Scottish process, will be without posts and who would therefore -
in the absence of any intervention - be facing unemployment on 1 August.
“To ensure those doctors continuity of employment during round two of
the recruitment process in England - when they will have the
opportunity to apply for one of 2,700 posts available - I have decided
that their contracts will be extended until 31 October 2007, or until
they secure a training post, whichever is the earlier. This is
consistent with the position in England. It represents fairness for
our junior doctors.
"I will also review the situation again towards the end of round 2 in
England and, and in conjunction with NES, BMA Scotland and the Service,
consider what further measures might be needed to support doctors in
Scottish training programmes who at that stage remain without offer of
a training post.
"I am determined to do what is right for Scotland and will look to
adapt the selection and recruitment process so that in future it better
serves Scottish interests and ensures that we continue to attract the
best possible candidates for our NHS."
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 June 2007 )
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