As medlines.org written: Junior doctors leaving UK, 1,600 doctors have requested towork overseas in just three days.
More than 1,600 doctors have requested to work overseas in
just three days last week – 20 times more than the old average. As we
previously reported Junior Doctors Strike Petition in the UK 30 % Paycut!!! Numbers of NHS doctors
registering to work overseas could reach unprecedented record, and the moodamong junior doctors is very poor.
As the www.independent.co.uk work say “The Government’s
decision to impose a new contract on junior doctors may risk an exodus of young
medics, after figures revealed an unprecedented spike in NHS doctors
registering to work overseas.
Doctors seeking to work abroad must apply for Certificates
of Current Professional Status (CCPS) from their regulator, the General MedicalCouncil (GMC).
doctors immigrating
In just three days last week, the GMC received 1,644
requests for CCPS documents. Typically, it receives around 20 to 25 a day.
The extraordinary spike in demand began on 16 September, the
day after the Government confirmed it would seek to impose a new contract on
junior doctors, after their union, the British Medical Association (BMA),
refused to return to negotiations. Proposed reforms under the new contract
would see juniors lose out on pay premiums for working weekday evenings and on
Saturdays.
The Government and NHS Employers, an arms-length body, say
the new contract will reward doctors who take on more responsibility and work
the most unsocial hours, but have not ruled out cuts to some doctors’ take-home
pay.
Thousands of doctors are thought to have left the UK to work
overseas in recent years, with Australia, New Zealand and Canada among the most
popular destinations. There are no official figures showing how many leave each
year and though not all doctors who request a CCPS eventually leave the
country, application rates for the certificates are considered the best
indicator of interest in working abroad.
Numbers have remained steady since peaking at 5,163 in 2012.
Last year, 4,925 applied. Last week’s surge in interest has taken this year’s
figure so far to 4,500 – meaning 2015 will almost certainly break the previous
record.
The figures refer to all doctors, not just juniors, and the
GMC does not break down the figures by experience level. However, the timing
appears to indicate the surge is being driven by junior doctors demoralised by
the Government’s contract plans.
Last week, the BMA said doctors may take industrial action
to resist an imposed contract. A petition supporting strike calls has attracted
52,000 signatures.
While one leading overseas recruitment company suggested
some doctors were registering for CCPS documents to put pressure on the
Government, there is significant anecdotal evidence that many NHS medics are
actively pursuing opportunities overseas. “
