---

Modernising Medical Careers

I greatly enjoyed the engaging speech of the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann), who stressed the importance of proper allocation of public resources. However, it cannot constitute the best application of public resources to spend a quarter of a million pounds on the training of every junior doctor, and then to face the prospect of so many leaving the country to be employed elsewhere in the English-speaking world. This afternoon I met four junior doctors, all of whom have had job offers within a very short period—in Brisbane, Singapore and Toronto. Almost all are at the specialist training stage, and they could be described as emblematic of the problems created by MMC. Often those who have made the most progress in their training are most affected. It is a great shame to see £1 million of investment and training going elsewhere, as I did when I met those doctors today. The hon. Member for Bassetlaw would think it a great shame as well if he recognised that this misallocation of resources will make it difficult for his constituents’ needs to be met.