Junior doctors' contracts extended
From Mmc
Junior doctors' contracts extended
Last Modified: 27 Jun 2007
Source: PA News
Junior doctors in Scotland who fail to get a training post will have their contracts extended.
Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said they will be paid until October 31 so they can apply for posts in England if they fail to get a job when the Scottish round finishes on August 1.
She also gave an assurance that further measures will be considered to help those who still do not have a job when the recruitment process ends south of the border.
Ms Sturgeon said that by extending contracts, the terms being offered to junior doctors in Scotland will be consistent with those in England.
The secretary acknowledged concerns the controversial Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) system could jeopardise service delivery and leave many junior doctors without jobs.
But giving evidence to Holyrood's Health and Sport Committee, Ms Sturgeon said she believed in the principles of the MMC system.
"In Scotland we opted to recruit trainees in one round, as opposed to two as in England," she added. "That means we have currently filled about 98% of all run through training posts, and about 65% of the shorter fixed term speciality training appointments. The process is not yet complete, but this level of recruitment will already ensure continuity of patient services across NHS Scotland from August 1."
The secretary said not every applicant will be able to secure the job they want, but that the absence of an offer of a training post does not always mean a doctor is unemployed.
That is because some applications have come from doctors already employed in non-training posts who will continue in those positions after the deadline, she added.
She said an estimated 450 junior doctors currently in Scottish training programmes have yet to secure an offer of continued training, but that around 240 posts are still available. And paying those who still do not have a post after the Scottish jobs have been allocated will enable them to apply for the second round in England when 2,700 posts will be available, she claimed.
