The association has commended the Government for moving in the right direction after more than 350 jobs today [10 August] opened to applications.
The posts represent the first wave of 1,000 new jobs that are set to be introduced by August 2027, with this initial tranche exceeding the 250 that had originally been pledged.
Part of the pay agreement reached between the BMA resident doctors committees and the Government and approved by resident doctors via referendum in June this year, 4,500 new roles will be introduced across England over the next three years as part of a commitment to address training bottlenecks and job shortages.
Despite chronic understaffing across the NHS, a shortage of training posts has resulted in many resident doctors facing underemployment or unemployment, with the BMA warning that current shortages see up to four doctors applying per available position.
Welcoming the new posts, RDC chair Jack Fletcher acknowledged the important progress that had been made while emphasising the need to continue the push to introduce additional posts and relieve pressure on both doctors and their patients.
Dr Fletcher added that while it was regrettable that strike action had been required to bring about improvements to the availability of training places, he credited the Government for moving in the right direction.
He said: ‘We remain in the foothills of a very tall mountain. This year A&E patients have had the indignity of being treated in corridors while thirteen doctors were turned away from every emergency medicine training post in England. It might take years yet before those bottlenecks ease.
‘However, we do recognise that progress has been made faster than anticipated and that the Government is finally pushing in the right direction.
‘We should never have had to go on strike to bring in these new jobs, but now they are on their way we will try to work together to help deliver a stronger NHS workforce for our patients. Part of that will mean going further and faster and creating new jobs up and down the career ladder.’
Following lobbying by the BMA, the Government has confirmed that today’s initial wave of new jobs will include both core and higher specialty training posts.
The association has consistently warned that the introduction of new core training posts must be accompanied by higher training posts to avoid shifting training bottlenecks further down the training pathway.
Dr Fletcher said: ‘These [new] jobs must not simply mean another bottleneck occurs further down the line. The Government will need to work with the BMA to create more senior roles to match these new jobs so doctors careers can progress.
‘To secure the highly trained consultants of the future, we need to make sure the roles are there all along the resident doctor training path.’
The arrival of new training roles comes less than a week after the BMA confirmed the commencement of a pilot programme aimed at improving the unfair burdens posed by training placement rotations.
Find out more about the offer for resident doctors in England.