The British Medical Association (BMA) has branded a clerical error from NHS England – which led to dozens of trainee doctors being unable to work – as “unacceptable”.
More than 40 GP trainees in Oxfordshire and the West Midlands were unable to train or treat patients after NHS England failed to include their names on the MPL (medical performers list).
Richard Vautrey, BMA GPs committee deputy chair, said that the trainees have been left in limbo and that the BMA would formally raise the matter with NHS England.
He said: “At a time when general practice is buckling under pressure from rising patient demand, falling resources and staff shortages, we need to ensure every potential new GP is given the best training opportunities possible so they can deliver first-rate care to patients in the future.
“On a personal level, these doctors are being left in limbo by delays to their registration. This will mean their training could be extended and a potential delay in their qualification date, which only compounds the GP workforce crisis,” Vautrey added.
The MPL, managed by NHS England, gives doctors the right to practise in primary care.
An NHS England spokesperson has said that the error is being treated as “a significant event,” and steps have been taken to prevent similar oversights in the future.
