RickInOz

…. laughs hardest. Or so the saying goes. Right now I’m having an ironic chuckle.

The United Kingdom seems to be going down the toilet in many ways lately. We’ve heard reports of businesses going under, multinationals pulling out, growing unemployment, cuts to government spending, a slump in the housing market and the inevitable national pessimism.

Now added to that is the recent news that the junior doctor body may be short by as many as 3000 posts nationwide. Some areas are harder hit than others, but it seems that there is a widespread disparity between demand and supply.

But all of this could have been avoided. Firstly, about 4 years ago, the incumbent government changed the rules on medical immigration. No longer were those from Commonwealth countries welcomed as the rules changed to favour the expected mass-migration of doctors from the newly expanded European Union. This, of course, back-fired badly as the influx was no where near as large as expected, and those who did come often failed to match expectations. Standards had traditionally been fairly high as only the wealthy from India could afford to make it to the UK. It wasn’t coincidence that these doctors from wealthy families had also had the best education, and spoke the best English. The latter reinforced by the requirement to pass a language competency test prior to arrival.

But our European colleagues didn’t have these restrictions placed on them, and more than a few had to be sent packing when either their clinical aptitude or command of English failed to meet the required grade. Some hasty back-pedalling was attempted but word had already got around and Indian doctors were no longer coming.

The other aspect is the failed MMC project that was aimed to revolutionise and streamline medical training. Three years on and it has not only been scrapped, but most deaneries have returned to the older, yet more efficient, system. Unfortunately the damage has already been done, and maybe even irreparably so. Many colleagues, like me, struggled to find work during the shambolic implementation process. They, like me, left the UK hoping to find better fortune elsewhere. And many, like me, have found opportunity and success where they settled.

So, another legacy of the late Labour government is the undermining of the medical profession. They not only deterred good doctors coming to plug existing holes but, most worryingly, drove off some of their home-grown workforce. The net result, as shown in the papers, is no surprise whatsoever.

Perhaps I should return to help bolster the flagging middle-grade out of a sense of duty. But why should I? The system rejected me at a time when I needed to further my career the most. Now, I’m at the same stage, only more senior, and stand a real chance of making specialist here with the accompanying full-time, indefinite contract. Would I go back to uncertainty and demotion? Not in a million years.

So, sorry NHS, but you’ll have to manage without me.