To finally agree with a junior doctors strike

[Horsehow]

Junior doctors have decided to strike as they are being overlooked for jobs / training posts which are instead given to international applicants. I’ve always abhorred their money grabbing strikes in the past, but support this one 100%. UK doctors should be recruited where possible, and international graduates only turned to where we cannot find a suitable recruit in the UK.

What are GMC sanctions ?

I appreciate hearing both sides of the discussion as below but agree the personal insults are not required.

The letter was written yesterday so I would not have been party to this information so me calling Wes Streeting a liar was justified.

I think he is useless. He promised UKMG prioritisation months ago but did nothing to sort it out in time for the 2026 application cycle. Oriel opens in December so he now has around 6 weeks to sort it out.

Why do you think the doctors are furious? Did he think they would be easygoing about UKMG unemployment? They believe he has done nothing for 3 months to sort out UKMG unemployment.

Why did that document surface yesterday? It looks like he has panicked when Pandora's box opened and showed the general public that we have UKMG unemployment while employing IMGs and granting visas for workers that are not needed due to lack of doctors jobs in the NHS.

You cannot flood any type of system without it being noticed at some point.

The 2026 stats are expected soon. I suspect the upward trend will have continued and be even more shocking than the 2025 figures..

UCAT was devised when 70% of applicants had top grades to help differentiate between them, it was never intended to be a substitute for them. (Since Oxford and Cambridge (mostly) still take applicants with top grades it should not be surprising if they include it in their admissions processes.)

Consequently, we produce both great doctors and not great doctors.

@mumsneedwine Was there a post on another thread about IMGs and NHS being charged? Or am I mistaken?

@Marchesman but all Unis need AAA/AAA *. How are they accepting lower standards ? Oxbridge must deem UCAT worth the cost since they introduced it last year. I'm still unclear how standards have dropped. More students have been taken on, that does not mean standards have dropped, just that mire who have the grades can now be one doctors. And it's no longer a profession mostly open to the middle classes.

Not sure I understand ?

Love that I have some kind of vested monetary interest, would you care to explain @Sevillian or is it just yet another personal attack ?

Will look as may have been something I was sent.

Please can someone name these useless medical schools accepting lower standards. I am happy to take to next meeting and let them know. No one seems to have a list ?

Surely if a doctor that post could be seen to bring the profession into disrepute.

No it wasn’t justified indeed it was completely unjustified. You chose to throw mud at Wes Streeting: he has never, at any point, said that the UK prioritisation would come ahead of the 10 year plan. No lies whatsoever. You’re cross because you wanted this change effected for the benefit of your DS - but the DoH is looking at the big picture.

His letters are always made public. No change at all - standard.

If you are a doctor those sort of comments to @mumsneedwine could be seen to bring the profession into disrepute. Very unbecoming.

Talk is cheap and money buys houses.

That letter changes nothing. He has done nothing to prioritise UKMGs. The article is from 17th June promised priority for UKMGs. Why has he done nothing for 4 months when Oriel opens in 6 weeks for the 2026 application cycle?

A feeble letter on 23rd October when he promised UKMG prioritisation on 17th June. It is so obvious that he tried to get away with doing nothing about UKMG prioritisation but it blew up in his face yesterday.

www.doctors.net.uk/news/uk-medical-graduates-will-be-given-priority-for-nhs-jobs-streeting-says

DoH big picture? Huge UK doctor unemployment?

He is not a decent politician or a competent Health Secretary. The 10 year plan was promised in plenty of time before Oriel opens.

Of course I am furious that he has let the UKMGs down including my son. He has lost the doctors trust. He will regret that.

I hope he gets banished to the back benches. We need Peter Priestly as Health Secretary.

PurpleFairyLights the exact point is that nothing has blown up in his face. He holds all the cards.

I’m sure that with the extra year’s experience your DS will be fine for 2026.

He really does not. Reform will be breathing down his neck about IMG applications and visas.

I think the cap could have been set at three rather than five though.

But that wouldn’t leave much wriggle room going forward.

See the link below with regards to PLAB.

www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/join-our-registers/plab/recent-pass-rates-for-plab-1-and-plab-2

There has been a huge increase in the number of IMGs since 2020. I would expect a similar level of demand from IMGs in the next recruitment round despite talks of prioritisation of UKMGs. More IMGs than ever have done and passed both PLAB 1 & 2. I am not surprised that resident doctors are planning on striking again given all this uncertainty relating to their training. The number of IMGs taking PLAB2 have increased from over 3000 in 2020 to just under 20 000 IMGs in 2024.

Not sure what the situation is with the CREST forms. Presumably IMGs can still have them signed off overseas like last time? It's unfair to UKMGs and IMGs who are already working in the NHS if the recruitment cycle is still allowing this. Also this sort of signing off is open to fraud. It is better to have these signed off by people already working in the NHS.

The 10 Year Health Plan for England executive summary which was published in July had only this to say on the matter: "[we will] work across government to prioritise UK medical graduates for foundation and specialty training" i.e. over 10 years - since it is a 10 year plan.

Since then it has been patiently (at least at first) pointed out to you that according to GMC estimates it will take until nearly 2035 with the most optimist modelling to see any improvement in the proportion of UK graduates in the NHS workforce.

Yet you and Mumsneedwine have been dominating threads like this for months with comments such as ""Wes" is listening" and "priority for UKGs is coming".

At the risk of sounding like Mumsneedwine, I knew Peter Prinsley (I guess you mean him) very well, we were juniors in the same place. He was, and presumably is, a thoroughly decent chap, but he gave no hint of having magical powers.

Strikes won’t help waiting lists.

I hesitate to re enter this bear pit, because the last time I criticised you I was piled on by people accusing me and an entirely innocent poster (Sevillian) However I must say and perhaps you don't mean it, but your posts do come over as low level threatening.

There was this mornings ultimatum to Wes Streeting that 'He has until December.'
Now you are accusing Marchesman of bringing the profession into disrepute because he was mildly frustrated at a teacher who couldn't or wouldn't understand grade inflation. Were you thinking of the GMC? I think they have more to worry about than a doctor being short tempered with someone who isn't their patient.
And then 'He has lost the doctors trust, he will regret that'.

I'm afraid it's very unpleasant.

@Scotiasdarling Seville has been very rude, very patronising and accused me of many nasty things. Innocent they are not.

Just because you disagree does not make you right. Debate is a good thing. This thread has educated many people, who can make up their own minds as to their feelings on UKGs prioritisation. Because they disagree does not mean they have the readinv ability of a 9 year old, or like teaching calculus go fish.