Newly qualified doctors in their first year of practice in England have voted in favour of strike action in a row over a shortage of jobs.The British Medical Association (BMA) union says thousands of resident doctors are ending up without training places when they move from year two to three.This year there were 10,000 jobs available for 30,000 candidates, although some of those will be doctors from abroad.The issue was already being discussed by the BMA and government in talks that got under way following a pay strike in July.But by formally gaining a mandate for strike action it opens up a new avenue for industrial action.Some 97% of those who voted back strike action on a turnout of 65%.Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said: “Doctors have spoken clearly – they won’t accept that they face a career of insecurity at a time when the demand for doctors is huge.”The numbers are absurd – more than 10,000 doctors applied this year to become psychiatrists with less than 500 able to get a place, yet patients are still experiencing significant waits at a detriment to their health.”GP unemployment is getting worse, he said, with five doctors applying for every GP training post, while patient demand for appointments continues to increase.”It makes no sense that despite the need to bring down waiting lists and increase capacity for patients to be seen, thousands of willing and skilled doctors are unable to find the work to begin treating them.”He described th …
