It is quite reassuring to see that public opinion IS developing over this saga, be it against or for the doctors' stance. I can understand this is troubled times for NHS, its doctors, and patients.
There is however one point that is being missed and I take exception to suggestions in this regard. A lot of good doctors have not been fortunate to be shortlisted. However it does not mean that all the ones shortlisted are the 'chaff'. I know many dedicated good doctors, with experience, prizes,publications/ presentations who have been shortlisted. It is insulting to suggest that they,by being shortlisted by an unfair system are 'chaff'.
I do agree though with the fact that the MTAS fundamentally is flawed and not fit for purpose on the whole. This needs reviewing and practical solutions implemented. I could argue for doctors,with facts that could be verified. But these are available freely on any responsible forum or websites in this regard.
May we hope it all settles down.

J, B'ham,

REPLY TO DAVID HORNBY

I am junior doctor who graduated with an honours degree , have worked diligently and enthusiastically over the last 2 years, have been told I was the 'best house office' my Consultant has ever had, have been pursuing a masters degree in medical education so that I can teach students effectively, and am passionate about becoming an Anaesthetist. I am prepared to move around the country but would like to be in the same area as my girlfriend, who is also a junior doctor stuck in the same problem. However I have not been shortlisted for a single interview, probably because my creative writing was not quite what the 'computer' was looking for.

I have never sought 'backhand' entry into training jobs and will never do so, but the public need to understand that doctors' misgivings about this system are totally founded - an un-trialled computer system is not the way to go about deciding doctors' futures. I feel completely helpless and failed by MTAS.

Alex Bonner, Leicester, UK

One is bound to get emotional when a fiance or spouse is affected. There may be perfectly legitimate reasons for one not being shortlisted and it would be wrong to speculate without knowing the specific circumstances of your fiance's case.

After all, under any system, all cannot get shortlisted or appointed, especially when the demand for posts outweighs what is actually available. There aren't many jobs nowadays around where one lives or wishes to live, so why should doctors expect such privileges?;flexibility and adapting to reality is far more sensible than putting fear into public's mind that there would not be enought doctors in August. Yes, unjust militancy might create that, and doctors could hardly expect public support if it turns out to be the case. Insulting or belittling others with different/opposing views will not make you win your case.

David Hornby, Scunthorpe, UK

REPLY TO DAVID HORNBY AND GB:
I wonder how you might feel if you became ill in August and had to attend a hospital where there were not enough appropriately experienced junior doctors on your ward? This has been made a distinct possibility by the MTAS/MMC debacle, and is surely the biggest threat to patient safety. I imagine you would be the first to complain. My fiance has worked very hard since graduating in 2003, passed his MRCS exams first time, and has been described as the best junior surgeon one consultant has ever worked with. He has not been offered even an interview in the region we live in. In which other profession would this happen? I agree that the 'old boys network' should not be allowed to dictate who gets a job but neither should a completely flawed application system. The whole country should be up in arms about this and it is not getting a fraction of the publicity I believe it should. You clearly have no clue about the real implications of MTAS or MMC.

Lucy Conyers, Middlesbrough,

Media has to be proportionate in covering an issue, and I think this issue had already received sufficient attention of the public. It is a problem between doctor and relevant Govt departments/bodies. What do doctors expect the public to do using their own scarce resources? Anyway, it has been reported that MTAS has been scrapped, so why are the doctors now moaning about? Most new systems develop teething problems, so there is nothing unique about this MTAS saga.

Probelms need to be addressed and surely, careers need to be modernised, and that is what MMC is about. So why not wait a bit till things are sorted out without threatening militant action which could jeopardise patient-safety.

I wonder whether a certain group of doctors are miffed as they cannot accept change or they prefer the previous 'old school tie', 'nod & the wink' and 'phone call before inteview' type of selection procedure at interview? At least some might have such improper motives.

David Hornby, Scunthorpe, UK

Please can the Times give this story more coverage. Everyone has a right to know about this and at present most people in Britain have no idea that there is a massive health reform that will certainly leave hospitals understaffed. MMC and MTAS are just ignored by the general public as nobody knows what they are, and, more importantly what they will lead to. It is in the interest of the journalists that live in Britain as much as everybody else. Consultants walking away from a 'shamble' interview system, doctors soon to protest on the streets of London, it's a timebomb thats going to go off at the beginning of August and the only people who can see it at present are doctors!

Dr JS, Dundee, UK

The reaity is thousands, in any event, will not obtain jobs becuase of the limited number of places. How can you blame MMC or MTAS for that? So it is illogical to suggest that unemployment of doctors would be a greater threat to pateint-safety than non-appointment of doctors due to interview delays etc.

As to the 'quality of doctors' who could replace those who wish to migrate, it is rather disingenuous to suggest that non-British medical graduates are any less competent or efficient than home-made doctors. Like many things in the industry, probably it is a cheaper option to import professional labour when it is necessary. It is sad that British doctors think they are indispensible.

David Hornby, Scunthorpe, UK

Mr Hornby states the issue surrounding MMC is that patient safety will be put at risk if interviews don't take place on time and appointments made by August. I would argue that making 8000 doctors unemployed in August will be a far greater threat to patient safety. Mr Hornby also states Militancy won't go down well with the public. If doctors do nothing about this fiasco, there will be 8000 less doctors in the NHS come August, leaving the NHS massively understaffed. It will be the patients who pay the price, possibly with their lives. I would suggest the public get right behind the junior doctors and encourage more militancy, it may save lives in the future. I think the Times should be giving this story a great deal more coverage, it is a national disgrace.

Dr O'Brien, Liverpool,

In response to David Hornby, as a doctor, I agree
that too much militancy is bad. And yes my patients
and their safety come first, always.

Thing is , we junior doctors have put up with so many things in the last few years with minimal complaint - any other profession would have gone on strike by now. MMC is going to be the straw that broke the camel's back.When have you ever seen doctors march or threaten to strike before? We never complain ; just get on with the job - perhaps that's our probem - people like yourself have come to take us for granted.

As for the "100s" ready to take our place - surely you would agree that quality matters over unknown quantity , especially when it comes to your health care.

Finally , as a long time reader of the Times, I'm sorely disappointed at the lack of media coverage (the Times included) of the travesty that is MMC - surely our suffering junior doctors are more important than Prince Charles' campaign about darts?

pepsimax, Manchester, UK

Response to David Hornby,
David, from my perspective I can agree that feelings are running high, and rightly so. But to discard some of the issues presented here as militancy isn't necessarily correct. From viewing the responses here, it appears that many of the Doctors that have been affected by the issues created by MMC are considering their options.

In the past I've had the good fortune of working within the NHS, and, as such I am very familiar with the issues that affect it and the individuals that work within it. At no time have I experienced an element where patients lives are risked due to discontent and many Doctors go the "Extra Mile" to ensure this is not the case.

You may also agree that competition for places is often already high enough without being made overly difficult. I can understand why feelings are so highly charged after many have put so much time and effort in qualifying in the first place.

Jonathan Shelby, London,

I think doctors are overstating their case a bit too much. Unfortunately, some seem to be struggling to respond to constructive criticism in a temperate manner. The issue here is public safety if interviews are postponed and appointments are not made in time. No one is indispensible;if one leaves the UK, there may be 100 others who would want to come to the UK. So threats of leaving the UK are rather premature, and probably will play into the hands of those who are desperate to enter the UK. Too much of militancy could amount to 'shooting yourselves in the foot' and it is unlikely to go down well with the public.

David Hornby, Scunthorpe, UK

Junior doctors make huge sacrifices to pursue a career caring for patients. We work 91hr weeks of nights, with no sleeping facilities during or after shifts -placing our own health and lives at risk on the commute home. We are employed on 6 month contracts -forcing many of us to travel the length of the country to find jobs, placing enourmous strain on families and relationships. The Trusts we work for cut our pay to save money by skimming a few hours off our rota when in the end we work those extra hours (and more) for free just to get the job done. We are expected to perform research and audit in our non-existant spare time. We spend thousands of pounds of our own money attending courses to develop our skills.
We put up with this silently but when 8000 of us are facing the ends of our careers overnight we have every right to complain. Clearly if anything our protesting shows our determination to remain in the profession and to continue a job which we love -caring for our patients.

Mr McKenna, Newcastle, UK

As a junior doctor, I would like to thank the members of the general public who have posted here in support of our complaints regarding MMC. However, I am saddened to see that there a few people who feel we are 'whinging' and uncaring and not acting in a professional manner.

As someone else has already stated, as doctors we have a very strong ethical code and our patients are our number one priority. I find any suggestion to the contrary insulting.

If the government does not want to give me a job and there are members of the British public who are questioning my integrity because I am complaining about this ( to try and secure a better deal for myself as well as all doctors and their patients ) then I will very seriously consider going abroad to work.

JJ, London,

Arguably, any system must be usable and add value to the business or function it supports. From a technology perspective we may also say that the system would need to answer all requirements / concerns of the stakeholders. In this case this would include both Doctors and the NHS as a whole. It is clear from the responses here, and the information in the press that this is not apparent.

The potential impacts and "Knock-on-Effects" are numerous and may have an effect that will plague the profession and the NHS for sometime to come if it is not correctly rectified. And, this is before we consider the impact this has on the family lives of the individuals concerned.

From my perspective, the medical profession was and is a vocation not a sentence or excuse to demoralise, deject and in effect alienate people who provide a great service.

Jonathan Shelby, London,

Like thousands of other doctors, I also applied for specialist training in this new 'streamlined' system, and like them, have not received any interviews in my preferred specialty of Paediatric Surgery.

I entered medicine as a mature student and graduated aged thirty. Despite breaks for maternity leave, and working part-time since my second child, I have now obtained Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons, on top of a first class BSc (Hons) in my first degree, and Honours with distinction in my medical degree.

Like Mr Malone (letters) I accept that surgery is competative, which is why it is vital that the process by which we select our surgeons of tomorrow must be prospectively and transparently validated. Unequivocally, this cannot be said of MMC.

Despite a shortage of female surgeons, and excellent references, it looks like I may not be able to continue surgical training. This is an utter travesty for me and for doctors across the country.

Paula Hunt, Southampton,

Welcome to the World of Meritocracy, UK.

Peter, London, UK

I am dismayed by the reaction of many doctors to this initiative. On the one hand junior doctors are worrying about senior doctors fiddling with the scoring of applications; on the other, senior doctors are worrying about junior doctors lying on their application form. Either way, it doesn't say much for the supposed integrity of the medical profession.

This recruitment process has led to more than 40,000 job interviews being granted. Are we to assume that they will all be attended by the wrong candidates? If the rules are changed now, and 40,00 other interviews are set-up to replace those already planned won't we just have a different sort of whingeing from a different subset of the profession as a consequence? If there are 30,000 20,000 traing positions then we will have 10,000 distraught doctors regardless of the selection method.
Now that I think about it, profession seems to be the wrong term- most doctors complaining abou this are not acting professionally.

Martin Wallace, bath, england

Reply to David Hornby.
Altruism-you don't know the meaning of the word!
The majority of doctors adhere to the strictest ethical code found in any profession.
For far too long the good doctors found in hospitals have dedicated themselves to ensure PATIENT-CENTRED care (through unpaid overtime, neglecting their own health) despite this government's long list of incompetencies, namely, a bureaucracy overkill, incompetent hospital managers, budget focused patient care, EWTD, staff shortages and targets devised by pen pushers!!!! Surely this is the final straw when Pat Hewitt devises a selection system that is so ill conceived it totally disregards that one concept that is the backbone to any good doctor...EXPERIENCE!
Surely then, doctors, not indifferent to the rest of the population, with mortgages and bills to pay and families to support are allowed to take a stand when their welfare is threatened and ambitions savaged so unjustly.
YES I am a Doctor and YES we should take action!

AT, London,

I think it is unfair and absolutely ridiculous to blame medical professionals for trying to get the best training in order to provide the best service possible. All the above comments are shallow with no vision. You seem to be focusing on the short term ramifications but no one sees the long-term consequences of stripping a system of all bright and driven and yes, very caring individuals from the profession. You may resolve problems now but will pay for it in the long run once all the trainees have gone abroad where they can manage to complete their training and you are left with the 'chaff' and an ineffective government running the show.

KB, Birmingham, UK

I am a junior doctor who has been forced to apply through MTAS for a job in August. I have already faced very stiff competition to get my current job (1000 applicants for 5 places) and this contract will now be terminated in August. Those who suggest we are 'whinging' have no concept at all of the issues. The NHS is one of the few monopoly employers still around. We have no choice, as those in every other profession or career have, about who we would like to work for. The new system allows minimal choice of which part of the country we work in, forces familys to be moved, and a wave of discontented doctors. Surely all factors in poor patient care.
I speak as one of the few doctors to be shortlisted for all my jobs. The only thing this system ensures is that excellent dedicated doctors will leave the country at huge cost to the taxpayer leaving disenchanted doctors remaining.
It is a disaster for the Medical Profession and will be an even bigger disaster for patients.

David Woolf, London,

Reply to DH: as a member of the 'caring profession' involved in MMC, I would stress that patient care is at the very heart of this issue. The flawed selection process will be detrimental to the standard of care. Junior doctors also 'care' about working in a specialty that they have trained for, living in at least the same region as their loved ones, and being appointed in a fair system. I am sure that most people would not regard these wishes as unreasonable behaviour.

JL, Birmingham,

This recruitment system is not fit for purpose at least not at present.
It shouldn't be allowed to carry on.

paula brown, barnoldswick, england

Reply to GB London,
I agree, there needs to be a process for ensuring the right candidate gets the job, and this is true of all professions. However, the issue here is that the processes and / or the system are fundementally flawed. This in effect may be seen to undermine the commitment and enthusiasm of the people it was meant to assist in the first place. I for one, can see this debacle dragging morale yet further down and further complicating a dire situation!

I find myself agreeing with the description "MP, Leeds" has provided in response to your post. In this case if there is "Whinging" maybe it's deserved.

Jonathan Shelby, London,

Imagine if it were announced that as of next year all teachers who were not heads or deputys had to apply for new jobs at the end of the term. They would be given a choice of four jobs to apply for and could either opt for four jobs in the same (wide) geographical area but if so would have to choose four different subject areas ie art, PE, history and maths. Should they wish to only teach a particular subject must choose to apply for four jobs one in each of Northern and southern England, Wales and Scotland. Even writing it down seems ludicrous. I appreciate that there are only so many training opportunities in each area but the system as well as being unjust is so severely limiting it takes no account of doctors having personal lives outside of their career aspirations.

A. Jones, Coventry, Warwickshire

A Nobel Prize for medicine would count for about 2% on an application under this system!!!!! Does anything else need to be said!!!!

Derek, Oxford,

The sheer incompetence of the shortlisting system was highlighted when it emerged that SPRs (doctors in training) were asked at the last minute to help select candidates!

Dr Talwar, Nuneaton,

When system of selection is flaud then why interviews ara still on and what Lord Hunt is talking about second round when good local Doctors are not short listed and doctors from Asia who are on HMPS visa are shortlisted from 2to3 plases. I thing government has lost there mind and for one wrong doing they are doing another wrong thing by not stopping interview

Mr.S.Bidwai, Prescot, Merseyside

Dear sir.
Re Dr Patrick J Salt's letter. My son who is mid training SHO in Scotland. Born British, trained British to date,as from August 07 has no job in Britain, along with several of his friends accross the NHS in Britain . Are now appling to go overseas, as it is the only way they can complete their training. The stress that this has put on all junior doctor will I'm sure cause some suicides. The blames for this can be put squarely at the governents door.
If this type of recruitment system was used in private sector, there would be i'm sure, major outcrying and possible legal ( human rights) issues.
If this is the NHS 's way of getting rid of all the bad junior doctor (ie the exess of overseas doctor ), it has completely failed. And cause many of our more talented Doctor to just say to hell with it and go overseas. Leaving us with all the doctor the NHS wanted to get rid of.
So much for the careing services, and goverment????

Mr John T Sangster, leyland, Lancashire

First, doctors must learn the true meaning of altruism. Fighting with the Govt is one thing but the big issue is if this saga continues and appointments are not made in time, wouldn't there be serious problems with patient-care in hospitals?

How on earth could one be so unreasonable being in the so-called 'caring profession' to request a complete halt of interviews and appointments, surely very well knowing the adverse effects it could have on NHS patients. Doesn't this tantamount to industrial action through the back door and how much more should taxpayers have to put with this group of exclusive 'caring' professionals?

It is time that Govt intervenes in this saga before we see patients suffer due to this in-fighting among 'caring' professionals.

David Hornby, Scunthorpe, UK

I think the issue here, GB, London, is that the process has kept the chaff and thrown out the wheat. No-one in healthcare has a problem with selection of the best, this system is discarding them.

NGH, Lancashire,

Disaster after disaster. The medical professionals in conjunction with the NHS and Government are putting our lives at risk.
Help!!!

J Gilmer, Clydebank, Dunbartonshire

The solution is to award the jobs available using the tried and tested method of short-listing from CVs and competitive interview. This will ensure that the right candidates get the right jobs. It will also ensure that the government does not get a huge legal bill. Now that their system of job allocation has been discredited it is inevitable that those who have had their careers ruined will demand, and probably win, millions of pounds in compensation.

There is a chance to avoid catastrophy, even though the interview process has begun already, as no jobs have been awarded yet.

The pain and suffering this process has caused to our best and brightest is unforgivable.

Richard Cove, Plymouth, UK

Reply to GB,
Dear Sir/Madam, as a medic we are not opposed to competition, it has always been there. However, the new and untested process does not allow fair competition. This selection process essentially selects the medics who will be consultants and GP's in 6 or 7 years. The application form is rated 25% on your experience and 75% on your answers to 6 questions which anyone could answer and indeed there are training courses for answering these questions.
Now, if you were unfortunately admitted to hospital needing an operation, who would you prefer to be operated on by; a surgeon who can answer politically correct questions, or one who had done the operation before?
I suspect the answer would be the latter and that i the problem with this system. The person appointed is more likely to be the former!

MP, leeds,

Get ready for more union-like whinging from the medical profession. This process marks the beginning of the end of the job for life for anyone, no matter how incompetent, who gets into medical school at 18. Finally there are increasing numbers of medical graduates allowing a selection process to eliminate the chaff.

Not all places will be filled on the first round - there is plenty of opportunity to recall those not interviewed in the first round, and plenty of opportunity not to offer a post to those called to interview who don't make the grade. This kind of process works in other professions (eg the mass recruitment of graduates to train as accountants each year) so what makes the medical profession so special?

GB, London,

Seeing what is currently happening within the NHS and in respect of the MMC project provides a high degree of concern to me as a professional and I would imagine others.

The feelings and concern within the NHS, it may be argued are already palpable due inpart to the pressures and commitments faced by many new Doctors. As such I find it incredulous for there to be so many issues with a system such as this, and to accept that more was not done to prevent these issues in the first instance.

From my perspective and possibly others it is clear that Doctors need our support and not hinderance as seems to be the case here.

As a technologist and project manager I can only shake my head in disbelief at the MMC system and the apparent hurt it has, and is causing to so many talented people.

More should have been done to ensure a more pragmatic and attainable solution and more needs to be done to ensure it is well rectified!

Jonathan Shelby, London,

As the parent of a junior doctor (in the final stages of her GP training in Cambridge), I now realise how lucky she was to have had such a fast-track, trouble-free route to achieve her ambition. The fate of other, less fortunate, students is heart-breaking. I would chain myself to the railings of Downing St, if the parent of such betrayed young people.

Rosamond Cole, Cambridge, UK

One hopes that the 8,000 doctors who are left without a job will not be british. However, no special treatment of british doctors was made at the shortlisting stage, and many british doctors may already have been discarded. That is a national scandal.
I would also like to highlight the damaging effects of the new way in which MMC training allocation is organised on famiies where both partners are working. For the first time doctors are applying not for jobs in particular hospitals but in different regions. Families are going to be split apart by this.

Dr Patrick J. Salt, Walsall, West Midlands

I have 30 years experience of personnel management in the UK, having recruited thousands of senior professionals. Having seen the MTAS shambles it is clear to me that the individuals who planned and implemented it had no idea what they were doing.

Occupational psychologists have been pushing this type of system for at least 20 years, no substantial employer would buy it in totality ....apart from the NHS (after all they have unlimited funds to waste on computer systems).

The new review should go back and ask what was wrong with the old system. From what I could see, not a lot, apart from administrative duplication.

As regards MTAS there really is no option but to ditch it completely.

Gerry Lynch, Chichester,

Time and again the NHS and government led institutions show a rare ability to soak up money and yet still create one disaster after another. The same elementary mistakes keep being made.

Training up doctors over several years does require in practice that places be available for them at the end. When you have control of the number of trainees and the number of places that should be an easy thing to do.

Instead, yet again the government demonstrate how central planning does not work. This is an important lesson.

Mike H, Bristol,

When we try and introduce new drugs for the treatment of cancer NICE demands randomized clinical trials that show not only efficacy but also cost-effectiveness. But administrative changes like this can be introduced to the health service without evaluation. The careers of thousands of doctors may be blighted as a result.

Dr Terry Hamblin, Bournemouth, UK

We found the system was set up so that it would reject anyone with any points on their driving license for shortlisting! Even I, who doesn't have any points on my license found that to be too much.

The whole thing has been done on the cheap - If you want to select someone accurately for a job for the rest of their life, you need a much more valid process.

Can you imagine M&S or Microsoft selecting their senior management on the basis of 150 word statements?

B.Johnson, London, UK

In the interest of the health of this country we should halt this system immediately. Letting it through is like boarding a plane without engines.I cant even begin to tell you all about the repurcussions; catastrophic is the word.

Sunil, Mancs, UK

The Interview process should be stopped! I understand what the Government is trying to do. To streamline training etc, but it is putting political and economical gain before patients and the doctors who are trained to treat them. Surely this is a backward way of working. You can't choose the right doctors for jobs by a national tombola. I hope it is not too late for our voice to be heard. I praise the consultants in the Midlands for seeing common sense. We must march along with patient groups and all those who care about the health system. www.remedyuk.org

Simon, London,

If the system is so flawed as to put forward ineligible candidates, those partaking on the interview panels surely risk referal to the GMC if they are complicit in a process that can end in unqualified doctors treating patients

Dr M Davies, Poole, UK

I am a surgical registrar in australia, but was originally trained in England. Since leaving London in 2001, I have been closely following the developments and changes to surgical training in the NHS.
I think the way my colleagues in England have been treated is nothing short of outrageous, and this fundamentally flawed system to select future specialists must be ceased immediately.
The DoH would be wise to look closely at the royal australasian college of surgeons selection system while conducting its review.

ruban , sydney, australia

Well done to those consultants in the West Midlands who took the necessary action to put a halt to this abomination of a selection process. Let's hope the members of the interview panels in other regions demonstrate that they too are in possession of a spine and act in a similar fashion.

David, Newcastle, UK

There is huge resentment amongst doctors regarding the poor implementation of the Modernising Medical Careers programme. Currently doctors applying via this process are under great pressure and facing huge uncertainty. The MMC process has been overshaddowed by political imperative with little regard for doctors whose primary concern is that of their patients. This concern amongst doctors is almost universal. RemedyUK (www.RemedyUK.org) have organised a 'White Coat March' of doctors in London on 17th of March. Several thousand doctors are expected to attend in a public show of the depth of concern that the profession has for the future of medical training jeopardised by the shoddy implementation of the MMC policy.

Dr Chris McCullough, London, UK

As a doctor my prime professional concern is the well being of my patients. Who are our patients? YOU are, we are here when YOU become unwell and needs us. There are many who think medicine is a very self serving profession, but these changes introduced by the government for largely political reasons will as a result of less doctors being trained and having the opportunity train to consultant, as well as not selecting the best applicants, will result in care that is worse for YOU in the future.

We are in the NHS to serve you the public to the best of our ability and to the standard that we ourselves would like to experience. When we see this under threat we are obliged to make a stand as the profession is starting to do now.

adam, Bristol,

It is incredible that a system to determine the career for 22000 talented individuals has been brought in without proper consideration or discussion.

This however is just one of the many problems facing junior doctors' training and the frightening thing is that currently it is a lose lose situation for both the profession and the patients. The sooner the government accept the mistakes they are making with MTAS, the new training program, the possibilty of subconsultant posts and the European Working Time Directive and give the decision making to people who understand the system the better.

As a consequence of the considerable concerns of the junior doctors with respect to the proposed changes to training, there is a protest march planned on March 17th starting at the Royal College of Physicians. This is an unprecedented move by the medical profession. It is a shame this is what we have to do to be taken seriously.( see www.remedyuk.org for more details)

sarah, London,

At a time when the morale of the workforce upon which the NHS is so irreputedly reliant is already at an all time low this indefensible implementation plummets our discontent to new levels. This only serves to compound the low levels of confidence that the public have in an already perceived 'flagging' system which is repeatedly day-upon-day 'dragged' through the media for all it failings and none of it's wonderous acheivements, which are largely as a result of the fine efforts of it's talented workforce. This process has irreversibly damaged the relationship that governments have had with the medical profession and already many collaegues and friends feel that enough is indeed enough. If our government wish to ensure that the NHS is a service driven 'business' then they should expect to treat it's workforce with the respect and reward that any other similar industry 'businesses' would have to, to ensure that they attract the best talent. Things will have to change.

TJS, Nottingham, UK

There is huge resentment amongst doctors regarding the poor implementation of the Modernising Medical Careers programme. Currently doctors applying via this process are under great pressure and facing huge uncertainty. The MMC process has been overshaddowed by political imperative with little regard for doctors whose primary concern is that of their patients. This concern amongst doctors is almost universal. RemedyUK (www.RemedyUK.org) have organised a 'White Coat March' of doctors in London on 17th of March. Several thousand doctors are expected to attend in a public show of the depth of concern that the profession has for the future of medical training jeopardised by the shoddy implementation of the MMC policy.

Dr Chris McCullough, London, UK

not only have ineligable candidates been shortlisted but it seems most of the people not even shortlisted for interview in this system are excellent doctors, with vast experience, who are now faced with scrabbling around for a non training post after this interview charade is over, facing a period of unemployment and possible enforced medical career change, or leaving the country altogether. They will take well over £250,000 of medical school training and valuable experience and skills with them and will leave behind a wholly demoralised workforce, who know exactly what the nhs thinks of them.

jane, london,

Commonsense at last ! But it must not be too late to help those deserving candidates that have not been shortlisted.This present catastrophic interview process must be halted, and quickly before too many of our excellent and dedicated doctors go abroad. My daughter, amongst thousands of others, is already checking jobs in Australia. She has to because, in addition to wanting to continue her training in a speciality she is passionate about, her husband is still in medical school, and there are fees and a mortgage to pay. This Government has not only made a terrible mistake , but is causing those same doctors it wishes to cull, to have to carry on working with considerable stress and in the knowledge that they won't, however good they are,and how hard they work, have a job in August. They also know that many of their junior colleagues have been shortlisted for jobs in specialities they don't want, while others are not qualified enough.

Judith Harries, Bath, Somerset

Completely flawed system. The shortlistings have been done on basis of some questions which does not fulfil the criteria and does not help in training the best. The MMC has not piloted the project and the outcome is in front of us. Deserving candidates have not been shortlisted. MMC should be dissolved and old system which has been time tested should be brought back.

Arunmoy, London, UK