32000 junior doctors are chasing the 18500 jobs which are going to available from 1 August, says the BMA in a statement issued this morning. And some are inevitably going to be disappointed, it says.

The BMA says an analysis of the figures on the MTAS website shows that the actual number of UK specialist training posts available is 18,518 – not between 22,000 and 23,000 as the government has indicated.

Dr Jo Hilborne, chairman of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee, said junior doctors had been misled:

“Not only has the government failed to design a fair recruitment process, they’ve also misled everyone on the number of jobs available. Even if the application system improves, thousands of doctors are going to find themselves without a training post in August. We really don’t want highly qualified medical staff to be forced to leave the NHS, but if they can’t complete their training in this country, it could be their only option.