BMA: 40% of resident Welsh doctors could be unemployed
Dr Oba Babs-Osibodu, chairman of the BMA's Welsh Resident Doctor Committee, said: "At a time when Wales needs more doctors, there are limited opportunities for resident doctors to develop their careers in the country where they trained.
"Doctors are now forced to seek ad hoc locum work, leave Wales, or leave the profession altogether.
"Poor workforce planning and chronic underfunding of the NHS has led to a national shortage of doctors in Wales."
The BMA warned earlier this year that the Welsh Government had not acted on recommendations to expand specialty training places, despite increasing numbers of medical graduates.
Nearly half of those facing unemployment are considering leaving medicine entirely, while 30 per cent are applying for jobs abroad.
Dr Babs-Osibodu said: "This is unsafe for patients, and we need to see urgent intervention from the Welsh Government, including legislation to provide safer staffing levels and an expansion in specialty training places."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Wes Streeting urged to 'use negotiation window wisely' or face fresh strikes by resident doctors
Resident doctors have given Wes Streeting a new 'window for negotiations' but say he must use it 'wisely' to avoid more strikes. British Medical Association representatives met with the health secretary on Tuesday, less than a week after ending a five-day walkout in a row over pay. The union is demanding a 29 per cent pay rise despite receiving above-inflation pay uplifts totalling 28.9 per cent over the past three years. Mr Streeting has insisted there is no more money available and says he will not be 'held to ransom' by the BMA. He has offered to improve resident doctors' working lives, including in areas such as training and exam fees, although was not enough to avert recent industrial action. A joint statement from Dr Ross Nieuwoudt and Dr Melissa Ryan, co-chairs of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said: 'We met yesterday with Mr Streeting to once again reiterate what is needed to bring this dispute to an end. 'We were very clear about the determination of resident doctors to return to a fair level of pay. 'Our conversation was informative and we feel that we have achieved a greater mutual understanding than in previous talks. 'We have agreed a window for negotiations, which we hope the Government will use wisely.' The statement added that medics are working to 'ensure strike action does not need to be repeated'. 'We want to work with the Department for Health and Social Care to deliver on non-pay items it previously agreed to, and to forge mutual respect following years when the previous incumbents seemingly cared little for doctors' pay or wellbeing,' it added. 'We are clear, though, that going forward there has to be movement on pay. 'We are working to ensure strike action does not need to be repeated and will give time to explore solutions. 'However, doctors and patients both deserve a resolution sooner rather than later.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The Secretary of State had a constructive conversation with the BMA resident doctors co-chairs yesterday and agreed to continue engagement through the summer with the aim of preventing further disruption to the NHS and patients. 'We have been clear that, following a 28.9 per cent pay rise for resident doctors, we cannot go further on pay this year, but there is shared ambition to explore and address some of the unique additional costs that resident doctors incur through their training and work.' It comes after early analysis by NHS England claimed less than a third of resident doctors joined strike action last week. The number of medics that took part in the walkout was down by 7.5 per cent (1,243) on the previous round of industrial action in July last year. However, the BMA rejected this, saying complex work schedules and doctors taking leave make this information 'almost impossible to know'. More health workers are warning of strikes over pay amid growing anger in the NHS about the system for setting wage increases. Unison today said its NHS members in England are far from happy with this year's 3.6 per cent pay rise and warned that many are prepared to take strike action to challenge it. Members of the Royal College of Nursing, Unite and GMB have also previously expressed their discontent, prompting fears of widespread walkouts going into winter. Unison announced that seven in 10 of its members who responded to a consultation on the 2025/26 NHS pay award said they would back walkouts if the union was to ballot for strike action. The union said the result should be a wake-up call for ministers, calling for urgent talks to address problems with the 'outdated' NHS salary structure and combine these with negotiations on next year's wage rise. The 3.6 per cent pay award barely matches inflation and has done nothing to lift staff morale, the Government was warned. Ministers were accused of 'hiding' behind the NHS pay review body, which unions have criticised. Unison said NHS workers were struggling to understand why the pay review body process has decided they are worth less than other public servants like teachers, police officers and doctors. Unison head of health Helga Pile said the 'groundswell of discontent will only grow' if ministers to do get to grips with the problem. She added: 'This result must act as a wake-up call for ministers. 'Health workers never want to strike but the outcome of the consultation shows the seriousness of the situation. 'Staff know plans to transform the NHS won't come to anything without them.'
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Resident doctors to restart talks over pay dispute
Dr Ross Nieuwoudt and Dr Melissa Ryan, co-chairs of the BMA's resident doctors committee, met Mr Streeting on Tuesday. In a joint statement, Dr Nieuwoudt and Dr Ryan shared: 'We met yesterday with Mr Streeting to once again reiterate what is needed to bring this dispute to an end. 'We were very clear about the determination of resident doctors to return to a fair level of pay. 'Our conversation was informative and we feel that we have achieved a greater mutual understanding than in previous talks. 'We have agreed a window for negotiations, which we hope the Government will use wisely.' The statement added that medics are working to 'ensure strike action does not need to be repeated'. 'We want to work with the Department for Health and Social Care to deliver on non-pay items it previously agreed to, and to forge mutual respect following years when the previous incumbents seemingly cared little for doctors' pay or wellbeing,' it said. 'We are clear, though, that going forward there has to be movement on pay. 'We also reminded Mr Streeting of the urgent need to provide enough jobs for doctors and bring an end to the current situation where thousands of resident doctors apply for far too few roles, leaving many unable to progress their careers and go on to be our future consultants, GPs and other specialist doctors. 'We are working to ensure strike action does not need to be repeated and will give time to explore solutions. However, doctors and patients both deserve a resolution sooner rather than later.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The Secretary of State had a constructive conversation with the BMA resident doctors co-chairs yesterday and agreed to continue engagement through the summer with the aim of preventing further disruption to the NHS and patients. 'We have been clear that, following a 28.9 per cent pay rise for resident doctors, we cannot go further on pay this year, but there is shared ambition to explore and address some of the unique additional costs that resident doctors incur through their training and work.' It comes after early analysis by NHS England claimed less than a third of resident doctors joined strike action last week. The number of medics that took part in the walkout was down by 7.5 per cent (1,243) on the previous round of industrial action in July last year. However, the BMA rejected this, saying complex work schedules and doctors taking leave make this information 'almost impossible to know'.
North Wales Live
8 hours ago
- North Wales Live
Welsh Government looking to raise minimum alcohol price in Wales despite mixed results
Welsh Government is considering raising the minimum alcohol price in Wales despite mixed reports on the effectiveness of the policy. Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) for alcohol in Wales came into force in March 2020. It was set at a rate of 50p per unit - a price point that impacted lower cost alcohol options like cheap high strength cider. Action was the taken in a bid to reduce problem alcohol consumption. Every year an estimated 699 people die as a direct consequence of their alcohol consumption in Wales. There are also an estimated 11,243 hospital admissions attributable to alcohol annually. These harms are heavily concentrated in the heaviest drinkers, with the 4.3% of drinkers drinking at harmful levels accounting for 30% of alcohol-attributable admissions, and 48% of alcohol-attributable deaths. But in Wales there has so far been limited evidence of significant changes in purchasing and consumption behaviour for the majority of the population. There is some indicative evidence that overall Welsh consumption was reduced, particularly from a retailers study. Evidence from a similar policy in Scotland has shown reduced consumption. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox When it came to problem drinkers the most marked change observed with some was a switch away from the previously cheap cider towards spirits, wine, and strong lagers, rather than any reduction in consumption. Others had cut back in other areas, like food and household bills. Statistics for key alcohol harm measures, notably those of alcohol related deaths and hospital admissions have (as yet) to show any decline in recent trends of increasing numbers of harms. This has though come during a challenging period - with the Covid pandemic and cost of living crisis. Despite so far seeing inconclusive results since minimum pricing came in the Welsh Government says an increase in the lowest unit price to 65p could reduce the number of harmful drinkers by nearly 5,000 people. Welsh Government said: "Modelling data suggests raising the MUP to 65p per unit could further reduce harmful alcohol consumption, as well as encourage more people to drink at moderate levels instead. It could also lower the number of hazardous drinkers by more than 6,300 and harmful drinkers by nearly 5,000, reducing hospital admissions and deaths attributed to alcohol. "Drinking large quantities of high-strength alcoholic drinks puts people at long-term risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease, liver disease and brain damage. Minimum pricing for alcohol is not designed to work in isolation and, combined with a wide range of health policies in the substance misuse sector, is targeted towards prevention, support and recovery and tackling availability." Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Sarah Murphy said: 'Since we brought minimum unit pricing into place there has been a pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis and high inflation. 'Despite all of these, research through independent evaluations has shown the policy, which is not a tax, has had a positive impact and has helped reduce levels of harmful drinking. We're consulting on raising the level as high inflation has made the 50p rate ineffective and reduced its value in real terms to 39p in 2020 prices. 'Due to this it is no longer significantly influencing the price of the cheapest alcohol and we need to review it."
