Junior doctors

Fact checks covering the recruitment, pay and development of NHS junior doctors

21 July 2023

Most junior doctors’ basic pay was higher than £14 per hour in 2022/23

New claims about junior doctor pay in England, including from a Labour MP, are potentially misleading.

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Most junior doctors’ basic pay was higher than £14 per hour in 2022/23
17 July 2023

It does not cost the public £500,000 to train a doctor

It may cost nearly half a million to train a surgeon, but not any doctor, as the former health minister also said. It also does not look likely that almost …

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It does not cost the public £500,000 to train a doctor
17 May 2023

Would a 35% pay uplift for junior doctors cost £1 billion or £2 billion?

A Labour MP quoted BMA figures claiming junior doctor “pay restoration” would cost £1 billion, but the health secretary said it would cost £2 billion.

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Would a 35% pay uplift for junior doctors cost £1 billion or £2 billion?
3 May 2023

Comparison of junior doctors’ pay with baked beans prices lacks context

Most junior doctors are paid more than the equivalent of ten tins per hour, even if you only consider basic pay.

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Comparison of junior doctors’ pay with baked beans prices lacks context
26 April 2023

How do junior doctors’ pay demands compare with MPs’ recent salary rises?

Some claims made during the recent strike used a mix of cash-terms and real-terms figures.

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How do junior doctors’ pay demands compare with MPs’ recent salary rises?
19 April 2023

Official death data doesn’t tell us whether junior doctors’ strikes cost lives

A Telegraph article claimed that strikes were a factor behind a spike in deaths in England. But a similar spike occurred in Wales, where there were no strikes.

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Official death data doesn’t tell us whether junior doctors’ strikes cost lives
15 March 2023

The average junior doctor gets paid more than £14 an hour

A BMA advertisement says that a junior doctor makes just £14.09 per hour. This might be true in some cases, but on average junior doctors earn much more.

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The average junior doctor gets paid more than £14 an hour
5 February 2018

Are junior doctors paid enough to get a UK visa?

In December 2017, a non-EEA junior doctor needed to be earning £55,000 in order to get a visa for the UK.

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Are junior doctors paid enough to get a UK visa?
10 October 2017

What is a junior doctor?

Junior doctors make up almost half of all doctors in hospitals in England, and can have up to ten years of practical medical experience.

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What is a junior doctor?
21 October 2016

The cost of training a doctor

The government estimates that it costs £230,000 overall to get the average student through medical school. “The taxpayer” doesn’t pay for all of this because some comes in student loans.

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The cost of training a doctor

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