Responding to the new competition ratios for doctors’ specialty training posts, which show that ratios have more than halved, Dr Callum Parr, chair of the resident doctors committee at the BMA, said:

"The competition ratio for training jobs has been skyrocketing for years, and seeing it easing is good news. There are doctors today who will be looking with a sigh of relief, as the bottlenecks that threatened to derail their whole career now look far less intimidating. This policy will have secured the work of many doctors in the NHS for years to come.

"It should not have needed strike action to achieve this, but this is a sign of what we can achieve when we organise: commonsense policy that works for patients and works for doctors.

"With that said, we cannot plan our workforce on emergency legislation and confrontation. This was an improvised solution to an avoidable problem, and to avoid seeing these problems in the future we will need to effectively plan jobs for doctors right up and down the career pipeline. We will continue to press Government to bring forward a genuinely forward-thinking workforce plan."

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.