Legal Experts Call For Health Service To Listen To Concerns Of Junior Doctors

The NHS has been urged by medical law experts at Irwin Mitchell to ensure all of its junior staff are given well-rounded and comprehensive training, after concerns were raised over falling standards in the area.

Dr Ben Molyneux, the new chair of the British Medical Association’s junior doctors committee, has warned that changes in the health service and the financial pressures the body now faces have impacted on the quality of training.

He said that evidence has emerged in relation to some young professionals being denied a full training programme on a range of specialities due to staff shortages in certain areas at some hospitals.

Such problems mean that many junior doctors have suggested they would be more likely to work abroad than those who went through the process two years ago.

Irwin Mitchell’s Medical Law and Patients’ Rights team, who represent patients who have been injured or suffered as a result of a substandard care in NHS services, said it is vital the issue is addressed.

Ian Christian, an expert in medical negligence at the firm’s London office, said: “Patient Safety has to be paramount. Patients put their faith in medical professionals and trust that they have been given training which allows them to make informed decisions at the right time.

“It is hugely important that these concerns over standards are carefully considered and reviewed to ensure that they always meet an adequate level.

“We see recurring cases where problems have emerged as a result of substandard training and the problems of the past simply cannot be allowed to be repeated.”