Dr Deiniol Jones has been elected as chair/ cadeirydd of the BMA’s Welsh council by its members in August. Dr Jones takes over from Dr Iona Collins, council chair since 2022.
Dr Jones said: “I have a great deal of experience representing the profession at the BMA, and it will be an honour and a privilege to lead our work here in Wales in this next chapter as chair.
“I’d like to thank Dr Iona Collins for her passionate leadership over the last few years; It has been a period of significant change for the BMA as we have won multiple national disputes and become a more effective trade union
“In this role I pledge to build on the success of recent years where we’ve campaigned for and secured fairer pay and conditions for all doctors. I will support elected representatives and members to advocate for themselves and the profession at their workplace and beyond and ensure the welfare of doctors, medical students and patients is at the centre of everything we do.
“I will be an ambassador, the voice for the profession, and speak truth to power. The NHS in Wales is in crisis: general practice is on the brink, clinical academia is fading, public health is not prioritised, pay and jobs are eroded, estates and equipment are falling apart, and politicians and NHS leaders have frequently mismanaged the situation. We can and must do better, and we can do that by collective action and growing our membership.”
Dr Jones is a public health doctor in Wales and has worked with the WHO (World Health Organisation), health boards, Welsh Government, think tanks and Public Health Wales. He has represented doctors at the BMA in various roles locally and nationally including Welsh council and the Welsh resident doctors committee where he helped to deliver significant restoration of pay and a establish a brand-new modern resident doctor contract with safer working conditions and better protection of training.
Dr Jones will serve a three-year term and will take up post the from 10 September, the council’s next meeting.
Notes to editors
The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.