BMA leaders today (Friday, 12th September 2008) attacked the Government's "shameful" refusal to open talks over the axing of accommodation support to newly qualified junior doctors - a move that will leave many debt ridden medical graduates facing an estimated yearly rent charge of £4,800 from this September1.
The BMA wrote to Health Minister Ann Keen MP in July asking for a meeting to discuss the Government's decision to end the legal requirement for NHS trusts to provide free hospital accommodation to first year junior doctors.
This policy change has affected thousands of freshly qualified junior doctors who began work in August. Many have left university with an average debt of almost £21,000 and will be facing their first rent payments this month.
Despite the BMA outlining the financial ramifications of this decision, Ann Keen has written back to doctors' leaders and turned down a request for further talks2.
Mr Ian Noble, Chairman of the BMA's Medical Students Committee, said:
"This is a shameful and unacceptable snub that completely ignores the financial blow that it will deliver to thousands of medical graduates. This policy will add to the problems that many junior doctors will face in paying the bills for their large and unavoidable debts - that in some cases can be as high as £60,000.
"4,000 people have written to their MPs demanding Government action on this issue. The BMA estimates that 8 out of 10 trusts have begun charging for hospital accommodation that last year they provided for free. The evidence that this is a pressing and serious problem is clear."
Mr Ram Moorthy, Chairman of the BMA's Junior Doctor Committee, said:
"We will continue to keep up the pressure on the Government despite this regrettable response from Ann Keen. It is particularly disappointing that the Minister continues to use spurious arguments that have been rebutted and corrected several times before by the BMA.
"The BMA's campaign on this issue has already seen the Welsh Assembly guarantee free hospital accommodation for newly qualified junior doctors in 2008-2009. We would strongly urge all other UK administrations to follow Cardiff's excellent example.
"From next week, the BMA will launch a new inspection campaign in England aimed at making sure junior doctors are getting a decent standard of accommodation. If any of the living quarters are found to be unacceptable the BMA will challenge the trust responsible, through legal means if necessary, to bring the accommodation up to the required standard."
Notes
1. Hospitals have been supplying free accommodation in the first year of a doctor's medical career (Foundation Year One) for decades and the right to this vital support used to be supported in law by the Medical Act (1983). This accommodation support has also been used as an argument against larger increases to basic junior doctor salaries.
In 2006, the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB) said:
"…if in the future a decision were taken to withdraw the free accommodation, we would want to consider the consequences for those affected" (DDRB, 2006)
Despite this statement, the government amended the Medical Act (1983) last year without consulting the medical profession or the BMA about the implications the amendments would have. Consequently, the right to receive free accommodation whilst in the first year of medical training was lost. Neither the DDRB or the government offered any financial support to the approximately 7,000 doctors who could be affected by this decision. NHS Employers have also reneged on a commitment to negotiate further on the issue. The BMA estimates that on average this decision will leave newly qualified junior doctors £4,800 (p/a) worse off.
2. A copy of Health Minister Ann Keen's letter can be viewed on the BMA website.
Further information on the accommodation issue can be found on BMAtv, the BMA's YouTube channel:
uk.youtube/watch?v=ujYNBCe-HxQ
uk.youtube/watch?v=pJN3DMIsGnw
uk.youtube/watch?v=sKvA1hGIeVA&feature=related
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