The NHS crisis and medical students

forevermancity

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 Jan 2005
Messages
5,984
we keep hearing that the NHS is under strain, there isn't enough resources nor enough medical professionals that want to work for the NHS due to the pressure/strain that they are put under

99% of university courses are self funded, so for someone to become say a teacher, their £3k x 4 years covers all
of the costs of putting them through but for every medical student that graduates it costs £240k.

Why cant the government put a condition on medical students going to uni that after graduation they have to work for the NHS in their key area for 2/3 years instead of swanning off and working in the private sector.

A bit of give and take, they take an education that costs a lot of money for the country to fund and they give back to their national health service. Within 4 years the NHS will have thousands more doctors/specialists so they wont be under strain and have to pay ridiculous overtime bonus's to already exhausted doctors

A little like nation service years ago with the army, but they get a £35k starting wage rising after year 2 (this is already in place)

Would it work?
 
whilst a reasonable argument there are a few issues with the proposal. Quite a few medical graduates are from abroad and the govt doesn't want foreign students hanging around in the UK post graduation taking our jobs etc etc. Secondly there are cuts in NHS funding - even by keeping spending the same this year as last year then inflation means a real terms cut and to deal with that posts are deliberately unfilled - so whilst there is a need for new doctors some hospitals deliberately leave them unfilled to ease pressure on the pay budget. They also prefer to employ locums to fill in gaps - more expensive long term but seen as a short term fix - I am sure there are few graduates who want to qualify then go straight into a supply or stand by role. You also have to make sure that they specialise in what you need and tat takes planning - something govt departments are poor at - we know we are facing a shortage of GP's as the older one's retire but we are probably training bloody heart specialists at the moment !! Finally would that be ethical or legal? Can you MAKE someone do a certain job? Whats the betting that the best graduates would complain they could get more/better elsewhere and claim that it constitutes a constraint of trade? And what about other professions - law graduates and the like? Dangerous to go down the road of effectively guaranteeing one lot of graduates a job but not others..........
 
whilst a reasonable argument there are a few issues with the proposal. Quite a few medical graduates are from abroad and the govt doesn't want foreign students hanging around in the UK post graduation taking our jobs etc etc. Secondly there are cuts in NHS funding - even by keeping spending the same this year as last year then inflation means a real terms cut and to deal with that posts are deliberately unfilled - so whilst there is a need for new doctors some hospitals deliberately leave them unfilled to ease pressure on the pay budget. They also prefer to employ locums to fill in gaps - more expensive long term but seen as a short term fix - I am sure there are few graduates who want to qualify then go straight into a supply or stand by role. You also have to make sure that they specialise in what you need and tat takes planning - something govt departments are poor at - we know we are facing a shortage of GP's as the older one's retire but we are probably training bloody heart specialists at the moment !! Finally would that be ethical or legal? Can you MAKE someone do a certain job? Whats the betting that the best graduates would complain they could get more/better elsewhere and claim that it constitutes a constraint of trade? And what about other professions - law graduates and the like? Dangerous to go down the road of effectively guaranteeing one lot of graduates a job but not others..........
Great points mate, didn't know much about the nhs funding points etc. re the point about forcing people to work for the health service I think it's a drastic measure that is needed, in 5 years time it will be at breaking point. Not really forcing someone to work either, they know what they are signing up for when they join the course knowing full well that they are paying 12k for a 200k plus course and a guarantee of a job with a 35k min wage, hardly slave labour
 
Great points mate, didn't know much about the nhs funding points etc. re the point about forcing people to work for the health service I think it's a drastic measure that is needed, in 5 years time it will be at breaking point. Not really forcing someone to work either, they know what they are signing up for when they join the course knowing full well that they are paying 12k for a 200k plus course and a guarantee of a job with a 35k min wage, hardly slave labour

No of course its not slave labour but I think the element of compulsion would be the stumbling block - you'd probably see a drop in the number of med students and an increase in those training to be Vets, Physicists and so on.
 
£35K?
Today's Times reports newly qualified docs are getting £90 an hour to cover the hours GPS won't do.
That's a nice £175K pro Rata!

Meanwhile my hip arthritis has deteriorated to the point I am having to sleep on the floor, drugged to the eye balls on tramadol and naproxen, still not being able to nod off until 2/3 am and yet I cannot get a doctor's appointment with my GP to discuss referral to a consultant.
The twats in the office will only let me have a phone consultation.
Fooking ridiculous.
 
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£35K?
Today's Times reports newly qualified docs are getting £90 an hour to cover the hours GPS won't do.
That's a nice £175K pro Rata!

Meanwhile my hip arthritis has deteriorated to the point I am having to sleep on the floor, drugged to the eye balls on tramadol and naproxen, still not being able to nod off until 2/3 am and yet I cannot get a doctor's appointment with my GP to discuss referral to a consultant.
The twats in the office will only let me have a phone consultation.
Fooking ridiculous.
Call the surgery and ask to speak to your GP's secretary,you don't have to say why

Ask her to ask the doctor to tell reception that you urgently need to see him,always works for me,failing that write to your GP and explain you can't get an appt and can he sort one out for you

You shouldn't need to do that but it's a couple of practical things you can do

Stay calm but be assertive
 
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