|
An open appeal to our Royal College presidents: |
|
|
|
|
Page 1 of 3 A letter from the Fidelio Group was published in the British Medical Journal 22 June 2007
You can leave you comments on the BMJ website
During the current disagreement between the medical profession and Department of Health (DoH) over responsibility for medical training, there is an important role for a pressure group of independent senior doctors. Our role is to speak on behalf of colleagues, in particular our beleaguered juniors, whose views we have sampled in a series of online polls. Shortly after the terrible truth began to dawn on 8th June that the results of MTAS might be even worse than expected, we wrote to the Royal College presidents expressing our fears, and asking for help with a solution to the immediate crisis. Our letter is reproduced below. The presidents – except PRCSEng whose college is pursuing more active intervention – reassured us that, while they shared our concern for the victims of MTAS, the situation would improve by June 22nd; they explained that only candidates considered excellent were to be appointed to run- through grades during the six months of round 1, in order to leave posts for round 2. The presidents have submitted evidence of serious concerns about run-through to the Tooke review, and are optimistic if all parties work together that things will come right for the future. They did not wish however to see publication of their reply, being an inappropriate basis for the online debate we would like to encourage.
The final week of our rolling poll of 1523 applicants unfortunately continues to show only 58% with offers, of which 18% are FTSTAs. As we predicted in April and May, the single interview in competitive specialties appears to have caused a selective cull of the best, with 33% of unsuccessful (unlucky) candidates in our poll having a 1st class degree or distinction-in-finals, compared to 26% of the successful (lucky) ones. A majority of both lucky and unlucky candidates would like to see STs and FTSAs free to compete equally for ST3/4 next year – some of the ‘lucky’ because they otherwise face 7 years at the opposite end of the UK from their partner. Polls, we recognise, selectively sample the disadvantaged, and more accurate figures on outcomes will hopefully be published as promised by the DoH next week. Meanwhile Trusts, who were no longer to be trusted under MMC/MTAS with ‘elective’ medical appointments, have been instructed to act as emergency labour exchanges in placing the 30-40% or so of doctors whom the DoH recognise will otherwise be unemployed on 1st August.
Catastrophe? Conspiracy? 'Incompetency?' We hope, by publishing our letter, to promote a ‘bottom-up’ discussion of how to affect a ‘top-down’ process when the top is invisible; and of what optimum balance of dialogue and distance should exist between our leaders and those who have caused the current disaster. Wishful thinking is not enough.
|
