Doctors leaving UK, 1,600 doctors have requested in just three days to work in Canada and New Zealand

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. “