BMA criticises juniors' new starting dates

The BMA's Junior Doctors Committee (JDC) has reacted strongly to proposals from the NHS Management Executive that in future preregistration house officers will start their employment on the first Tuesday in August and senior house officers on the first Wednesday in August. This will enable doctors to attend a compulsory induction course and allow for handover arrangements. The committee will ask for the circular (EL(94)1) to be withdrawn.

Although the JDC supports a uniform starting date and induction courses, it has complained that its comments on the draft circular were not taken into account. The committee'spolicy is for a Monday starting date so that doctors can travel from one job to the next over the weekend.

The committee believes that the new proposals are unnecessarily complex and will not be flexible enough to deal with problems, such as the availability of clinical tutors on afixed day of the week. It points out that the new starting date means that doctors would have to continue in their old post for an extra two days and would lose two days of theirnew pay rate. This could have a knock on effect later in the doctor's career. Furthermore,if house officers have to stay in post for an additional two days the senior house officer post will remain unfilled.

The management executive proposes …