Fears over FY jobs shortage

24 September 2010

SOME medical graduates may not get a place on the 2011 Foundation Programme due to a wave of extra overseas applications.

An unprecedented 1606 extra applications have been sent in to the UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) largely from non-UK medical schools, but also from UK candidates who graduated more than a year ago.

The extra number is almost three times last year’s surplus of just 577 applications from non-UK medical schools. Officials have warned there could be more eligible applicants than vacancies. But they also moved to reassure trainees by saying that not all overseas applicants will be eligible to work in the UK under EU immigration laws.

The majority of the extra applicants are from Pakistan and Sudan. The final total of applicants who are fully eligible to compete for a 2011 Foundation Programme place will be revealed in November.

Around 7600 UK medical students will sit their finals exams next year with as many as 300 expected to fail. There will be approximately 7600 FY1 jobs to be filled in August 2011.

The potential jobs shortage was discussed at a recent meeting of the Medical Programme Board which oversees specialty training in England. The organisation has called for additional foundation posts to be created. But the Department of Health have made no commitment to provide extra funding, saying the UKFPO has contingency plans to cover any problems with the Foundation Programme.

A UKFPO statement said: “The four UK health departments, the UKFPO, BMA and Medical Schools Council are working together to plan ways of managing and supporting those applicants who do not secure a place during the main recruitment round in December. The UKFPO will publish full details of this management plan on November 30.”

Katie Petty-Saphon, executive director of the Medical Schools Council, said: “Under the new immigration rules we are pretty sure the number of eligible overseas applications will come down dramatically.

“What this is likely to mean is that there will be increased uncertainty for final year students who will probably not know where they will be working until quite close to August 1. The UKFPO will have to wait for people to fail exams to know where the gaps will open up.”

BMA junior doctor’s committee chair Dr Shree Datta added: “Given the financial implications of training our medical students, it is simply unthinkable to leave them with nowhere to go upon graduation.”