BMA raises concerns over doctor recruitment for 2008

The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised concerns that junior doctor recruitment problems which plagued 2007 could be repeated again this year.

Ram Moorthy, chairman of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee, highlighted that after last year’s catastrophe, junior doctors wanted to ensure their application is processed fairly.

However he went on to suggest that due to even higher levels of competition for places this year, inadequate planning could turn the process into a “lottery”.

“Trusts need to get their recruitment practices in order and start preparing now to ensure that there is no unfairness and no negative impact on patient care,” Mr Moorthy indicated.

The BMA has urged trusts to allocate sufficient consultant time to guarantee proper shortlisting and selection.

It will also be monitoring the recruitment process and ensuring that the high volume of applications does not impinge on fair selection practices.

This week sees the first time doctors are able to apply for training posts in England that start in August 2008.

It has been predicted that there will three applicants for every post and in some popular areas and specialties doctors will be competing with 20 others for just one place.

Last month, Dr Peter Terry, leader of the BMA in Scotland, warned that failing to address the problems facing recruitment to medical training could wreak havoc on the future of patient care.