BMA says increase in medical training posts needs to be ‘part of bigger plan’

A record expansion of medical training posts announced by the Scottish Government could see junior staff being used to “simply plug the gaps”, it was warned.

The British Medical Association (BMA) in Scotland said that while having more trained doctors is a “good thing”, it needs to be “part of a much bigger plan”.

The alert came after Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said an additional 152 places have been created for trainee doctors next year, a move ministers say will lead to a record expansion of the medical workforce.

It equates to a 2.5% increase in the workforce of 6,100 trainee doctors, who make up 42% of doctors employed by health boards.

The majority will take up new roles in August 2023, though some psychiatry training places will start in February.

Mr Yousaf said: “These additional training places highlight the Scottish Government’s continued commitment to ensure our health service is resilient and can continue delivering high quality care to those who need it.

“This record expansion will support a wide range of medical specialties, many of which are under increased pressure as a result of growing demand.”

Dr Chris Smith, chairman of the BMA’s Scottish Junior Doctors Committee, said having “more trained doctors in Scotland – who want to work and stay in Scotland’s NHS – is a good thing and we welcome the investment behind it”.

But he cautioned: “The relative scale of these increases compared to the challenges the workforce faces risks these junior doctors being used to simply plug gaps given the current stretched state of the workforce – rather than make a real difference to workforce shortages in both the short and long term.”

Further investment “must be part of a comprehensive and long-term workforce plan,” he added, warning that without increasing retention of the existing workforce “these new measures will provide a temporary solution at best”.

Dr Smith said: “This coming winter will only deepen the year-round crisis; doctors need support now so they are not forced to leave the NHS prematurely as a result of exhaustion, stress or feeling undervalued.

“Indeed, as Scotland’s junior workforce has expressed recently, morale is rock-bottom and we feel we are not valued as a workforce by employers or government, with unacceptable real-terms pay cuts that have led to junior doctors’ pay being eroded by 23.5% in real terms since 2008.

“So, yes, this investment to train more doctors is welcome – but it needs to be part of a much bigger plan, that includes urgently improving junior doctor pay and work-place morale.

“I look forward to working with the Scottish Government, and employers, to take things forward.”

Dr Emma Watson, medical director of NHS Education for Scotland, added: “We welcome this announcement of additional posts across a wide range of specialties. We believe Scotland offers the highest quality medical education.

“Our trainees are the NHS workforce of the future – enabling us to offer better quality care and outcomes for every citizen in Scotland.”