Junior Doctors Unemployment in August

[PurpleFairyLights]

Name changed but long term poster. Have a child that is in this situation with 100k of student debt.

https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2025-05-07/bma-we-could-potentially-see-thousands-of-unemployed-doctors

Unbelievable this was allowed. Most countries protect their medical graduates.

Exactly and I have heard there are employment agencies abroad that send in cvs as soon as job advertised so by the time our DC have finished a 12 hour shift the job vacancy has closed due to excessive amount of applications.

Absolutely shocking - what a waste of taxpayers’ money & an enormous waste of homegrown talent. Very unfair on U.K. doctors to make them compete with international doctors for training posts. Presumably many international doctors might be willing to apply for jobs that they are overqualified for in order to gain access to the U.K., thereby making it very difficult for U.K. doctors to compete on an equal footing.

It is a monumental cock-up to train too many doctors for the number of training posts available & yet I read that a new medical school is opening in Portsmouth! Is there any joined up thought process going on in the Dept.of Health?

It is ridiculous we don't prioritise our own over people from other countries

We seem to be the only country that does this and i don't get why are they cheaper? It's certainly not more efficient

This is an absolutely crazy situation.

I simply cannot understand why the decision was made in 2019 to abolish the policy of giving priority to applications from UK trained doctors. What possible advantage was there to be gained from that? Given the huge investment made in educating doctors why on earth would we not be seeking to recoup that investment? It is utterly baffling. What on earth was the government hoping to achieve?

It may well have done but it has only just filtered down to our department since April this year

I think you are right. I read it was something Boris Johnson agreed to in 2019.

Surely you need to check that doctors that are UK citizens all have jobs before you grant highly skilled visas for foreign doctors?

AHP here. There’s a huge shortage of ALL clinical staff, plus not enough being trained. However, every NHS trust is millions in debt because of trying to firefight the costs of repeated short term action. It’s down to budget cuts year after year after year.
The jobs don’t exist because the money to pay for them doesn’t exist. The work then continues to pile up on the few remaining staff, who are desperate for more colleagues, and disheartened at the constant lack of common sense.
Our new buildings off site from the hospital have been sold off to pay debts. We’re now crowded back into old buildings which were previously condemned for use. The new buildings have now been bulldozed for flats.

There worse on the horizon regarding staff levels 😭😭😭
You couldn’t make it up!

You would think that would be common sense wouldn’t you?

The vacancies should be filled with UK graduates first and also they need to increase staff numbers and again give UK graduates priority.

A UK trained doctor has virtually no chance of practicing as a doctor in the US unless dual citizenship because their medical graduates are protected.

If any of you are unfortunate enough to be in a reform arran - they might be the one time they could be useful.

im sure they would love to get stuck into why home graduates are not protected.

nearly every other country allocates to their own graduates/citizens first.

I spoke about this on the Starmer thread but was shot down. It is a disgrace. We need to put our doctors first.

I was talking to someone whose DC in same situation and they have gone from loyal Labour supporter to saying they were going to vote Reform in next election. I waa shocked.

FFS what were they complaining about?

It's not just resident doctors.
My university flatmate is a fully trained colorectal surgeon- completed his training last year. He's doing a fellowship for a year but there are no consultant jobs within 150 miles of where he, his wife (also a consultant hospital doctor) and small kids live. He'll be unemployed come August. Not even any locums.
So she's quit her job and they're off to Ireland, where they've both been offered consultant posts.
A colorectal surgeon, in a region where they are utterly failing in treatment targets for colorectal cancer.

Make it make sense.

One swift initiative required to reduce immigration and employ UK trained doctors. Win win I'd have thought.

It does tickle me, however, that the saviour of the NHS, the Labour Party, hasn't put it right already. Sadly the country's bankrupt.

Blair's PFI schemes caused much harm along with tax credits, etc. Brown sold the Gold, the Financial crisis and then Covid and the unnecessary closure of the country to save the NHS and the slow lock out, largely due to the braying left wing unions. Notwithstanding Furlough which was neither helpful socially nor necessary.

Unfortunately the doctors have lost shedloads of support due to the failure to reopen services swiftly.

to be fair this is exactly the sort of thing that people have been raising as a massive reason to tighten up immigration to this country. It’s not all just thick racists - some of us have seen this coming for a while. I have very close family who have been and will be impacted by this.

Yes this is what we are like to and what we are being told in meetings, I am ahp too

Disgraceful.
Its almost like its been engineered this way. What a way to treat your youth and future. I don't blame the Doc for moving to Australia. I'd do the same in his shoes.

Yes probably two years now of no recruitment of nurses/physios/occupational therapists/speech and language therapists as well, as the trusts try to save millions of pounds. AHPs have been given £5-7k a year while at uni from the government to train and now graduating with no jobs on the horizon. And no jobs for UK doctor graduates either. This government has fucked up big time. And what a waste of money.

These doctors will be welcomed in Australia. We have so many immigrants that they are placing a burden on hospital services.

There are jobs here - especially in the regional areas.

It's the same in all levels. I finish training as a consultant in Nov. Looks like I'll be unemployed unless relocate everything miles from family to the north

Theres no funding like once was. My mate has a job made for them, was closed within 2h whilst they were on nights as thousands of applicants meant imposs to wade through

An f2/3 isn't a surgeon by definition

I had no idea - this is absolutely horrendous

It’s scandalous I’m so sorry for your DC.