The WRDC (Welsh resident doctors committee) considers all matters affecting resident doctors in Wales and acts on their behalf. We do this by informing, liaising with and lobbying Welsh Government, HEIW (Health Education and Improvement Wales), NWSSP (NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership), NHS Wales Employers and local health boards. We also work closely with Welsh council and other resident doctor committees in the BMA.

Our priorities

Pay restoration for resident doctors in Wales

Following historic strike action in 2024, WRDC continues to fight for full pay restoration to ensure resident doctors are valued. 

After the outgoing Welsh Government’s acceptance of a 3.5% uplift as recommended by the DDRB for the 2026/27 pay year, the committee voted unanimously to re-enter dispute with pay as a key issue. Real-terms pay is still 16% lower than in 2008, and this award does not represent meaningful progress towards full pay restoration. 

We are willing to work constructively with the new Welsh Government. However, should progress be slow or we receive an offer that does not make progress towards restoring our pay, we intend to escalate action, including balloting for strikes.

WRDC are now encouraging members to get involved with the campaign and ensure the vital work of resident doctors is valued. Please ensure they keep their details up to date in readiness for a potential ballot. For further information, please visit our pay campaign page Pay restoration and jobs for resident doctors in Wales

New resident doctor contract in Wales

In December 2025, resident doctors in Wales voted YES to a landmark resident doctor contract in Wales, overturning terms and conditions which have been in place for more than 20 years. This contract reform included 4% of additional investment into the resident doctor workforce, alongside major changes to improve training experience and wellbeing. 

Work on implementation of the contract continues at pace, with committee representatives feeding into working groups to ensure the new terms and conditions are delivered. Transition to the new contract will be staged from August 2026, with groups of resident doctors moving across to the new terms and conditions over a 3-year period until 2028. 

WRDC previously lobbied for the implementation of safety provisions via the Fatigue and Facilities charter, which have now been incorporated into the new contract. 

A significant early win in April 2026 was a pro-rated uplift to study budgets for doctors in specialty training, ahead of the introduction of a higher annual study budget cap for those in core and specialty training in August 2026 of £1,000. WRDC has also secured agreement for indefinite rollover of unused funds, allowing doctors to tailor their approach to undertaking study according to their needs across the training programme. Doctors can also now be reimbursed at the point of expense submission, rather than waiting for a course to take place before reimbursement. This ensures you are not out of pocket whilst you wait for a course to take place. 

Longer-term changes to the study budget will include developing a centralised system where mandatory courses are booked, paid for and scheduled on behalf of resident doctors. 
Keep up to date with information and FAQs on the new contract here: Contract reform for resident doctors in Wales

Medical underemployment 

Competition ratios for specialty training places reached crisis point in 2025, with over 30,000 doctors competing for fewer than 10,000 specialty training posts. WRDC conducted surveys of resident doctors in Wales, the results of which paint a stark picture of doctors struggling to access training places and the negative effect this is having on their lives. Many doctors have told us of their concerns around being able to secure a specialty training place and job insecurity, and the impact of this both financially and emotionally.

At the start of 2026, WRDC wrote to the Welsh Government emphasising the importance of delivering additional specialty training places for 2026-27. This ask was set out in HEIW’s initial Education and Training Plan, which calculates annual commissioning figures for medical and healthcare professionals training in Wales. However, Welsh Government decided to freeze funding, and as a result HEIW confirmed the proposed additional training places would not be commissioned. 

Following this, WRDC voted to enter dispute to send a clear message to Welsh Government that you, our members, will be willing to act if they fail to address the crisis. Our ask of the new Welsh Government is simple: they must Train, Pay and Retain doctors in Wales. 

Alongside this, the UK government has introduced the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act in early 2026, which has significant implications for those applying for specialty training posts. WRDC have been involved in listening exercises to determine the regulations for the Act into the 2026/27 recruitment year, and aim to balance the needs of UK medical graduates alongside the needs of international medical graduates to ensure all doctors can have secure, stable employment and progress their careers.

Preventing doctor substitution 

WRDC shares the concern of BMA Welsh Council at the slow progress of implementation of the Leng review, commissioned following patient safety concerns with the expansion of the physician assistant and physician assistant of anaesthesia roles. 

WRDC will continue to highlight where reports of substitution of resident doctors on medical rotas happens, and asks you inform the BMA where you witness or believe substitution is occurring. 

Our people

Co-chairs: Dr Thomas Grother & Dr Will Atkins

Deputy chairs:
Dr Deiniol Jones (terms and conditions)
Dr Emily Sams (education and training)

WRDC executive subcommittee:
Dr Claire Norman
Dr Tom Liddell-Lowe
Dr Jack Tagg

WRDC terms and conditions subcommittee members (including chair, deputies and members of the executive subcommittee):
Dr Rachel Kerr
Dr Harry Mayall
Vacant

Our meetings

We meet four times a year to discuss the latest issues affecting resident doctors in Wales. These meetings are open to members of the WRDC only.

Meetings dates:

• 14 October 2025
• 8 January 2026
• 11 March 2026
• 2 June 2026 

All meetings take place from 10.30am to 3.30pm either virtually or at:

BMA Cymru Wales
5th Floor
2 Caspian Point
Caspian Way
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff
CF10 4DQ

How to join WRDC

There are many advantages to becoming involved in our committees. You can actively influence BMA policy-making and negotiations, represent your colleagues' voices and develop your leadership skills. 

Each committee has a few routes to becoming an elected member. In the case of WRDC, this is: 

The election section below is kept up to date with details about any running elections, so make sure you keep checking it throughout the year.  

Elections

WRDC direct elections

Elections to the WRDC are now closed.

Get in touch

If you are interested in finding out more about the work of the WRDC, email [email protected].

Join the BMA Wales resident doctors Facebook page, to stay up to date with the work of the WRDC.