BMA says 30,000 doctors start new jobs amid chaos

LONDON, Aug 1 (Reuters) A catalogue of new problems, including cancelled operations, are emerging as 30,000 junior doctors start their new jobs, the doctors' union warned today.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said the last-minute scramble to fill doctor posts in England will have a knock-on effect on quality.

It warned that consultants will be unable to plan operating lists because they have no idea which junior doctors will be on their team or what skills they will have.

Junior doctors are being forced to miss clinical commitments because of last-minute interviews while others have not been told what their new hours are.

The BMA also said confusion will exist on wards because doctors will be suddenly moved to different hospitals at short notice without being replaced or trusts will spend large amounts on locums.

It also said doctors had been offered posts for which they were overqualified, including non-medical roles.

Under the old system, junior doctors started posts at different times of the year.

Dr Ian Wilson, deputy chairman of the BMA consultants' committee, said: ''Posts have been left unfilled up to the eleventh hour. Any forward planning has been impossible.

''It's inevitable that more operations and clinics will have to be postponed.'' Reuters SAM VP0455