An industrial action ballot of first year doctors has been launched by the BMA, just days after the union said the majority of its senior doctor members are willing to strike over pay.
Faced with the barrage of disputes, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has urged doctors not to let the union “derail” their careers.
The ballot, open to BMA members who are foundation year 1 (FY1) doctors in England from 8 September until 6 October, demands the government “act to fix the unemployment crisis affecting resident doctors.”1
In July a BMA survey of 4401 resident doctors with a response rate of around 5.7% found that a third of respondents had no planned substantive employment or regular locum work from August.2
BMA Resident Doctors Committee co-chairs Ross Nieuwoudt and Melissa Ryan have called the unemployment figures a scandal, saying, “Thousands of doctors have been left in career limbo while patients desperately need them. We are urging all FY1 doctors to vote …
