Junior doctors could be jobless

More than 10,000 trainee doctors could find themselves without posts within weeks as medical campaigners warn of a new junior doctors crisis.

The deadline to fill 22,000 NHS training posts was extended until Oct 31, but with 33,000 applicants, there are renewed warnings that thousands could lose out.

Junior doctors who do not get a post under the Medical Training Application Service face taking non-training jobs, emigrating or leaving the NHS.

Ministers have created 1,000 extra training posts that will be allocated after Oct 31 to unsuccessful candidates who are especially qualified.

But critics have said that many doctors who have already been assigned training posts have found their salaries have been cut or that they are overqualified.

While on this is going on it looks like there will be a lot of broken promises as hospitals are trying renege on the government’s promise that junior doctors would not be left out of work in order to save money. It looks like Patricia Hewitt was wrong when she said that they wouldn’t be disadvantaged because they will and the country will be disadvantaged as a result of junior doctors heading abroad.

If the NHS really wants to save money they could start by saving £4 million by paying for their own taxi fairs, first class train tickets and aeroplane travel. The £4 million wouldn’t help a lot but it would be a start.