Lord Hunt: "the successful establishment of the Foundation Programme for the early years of postgraduate medical training, which has been widely acknowledged to be a success." That's a lie and blantant of spin, most people think the foundation year breads poorer doctors.

jason kind, london, UK

It seems to me that this man should promoted due to the Peter Principle.. Chancellor, or Head of Prisons sounds right to me.

Desmond Taylor, Houston, USA Texas

MTAS has been an abject failure and clearly shows what happens when control is taken away from professionals and put in the hands of civil servants and politicians. Just look at the chaos at the Home Office for an array of illustrative examples.

It's not altogether surprising then that professionals such as Crockard may resign, but those in public office and their civil servants will cling on shamelessly. I would too if my job had been won, not on merit or qualifications, but on absolute loyalty and flexibility of principles.

TC, London, UK

Professor Alan Crockard should not have been forced to resign over MTAS. MTAS was none of his doing. The ideas behind MMC are not bad. The real problem resides with the DoH, who are completely responsible for MTAS and the disaster it has been. When it was announced it was met with resistence from Deaneries and those fears at the time have been realised.

The DoH/PMETB is increasingly diminishing the influence and power that Colleges have over medical training, this can only be to the detriment of specialty training.

Surely it should be those at the DoH behind MTAS who should be resigning.

Louise, London,

As a doctor who has had to apply through MTAS to get a job in August, I am finding it increasingly difficult not to be disillusioned by the medical profession as a whole. I have wasted two months of my life filling out the wretched application form and then going to interviews that really don't mean anything as the jobs are now being held for Round 2. I think my friend has the right idea, as she washed her hands of the whole affair and has decided to move to Australia. I think I may follow suit, as will many other medics....

Honey, Birmingham, England

Part of the article misses the point. The failure of MMC was not just MTAS, as they quote "a small part of the system" but its entire concept. Forcing us all to apply once this year for specialty training without making provisions or reassurances for further opportunities next year IS the failure of the system (amongst countless others). This system if it carries on, one way or another, will destroy the dreams and families of thousands of young doctors. We have never as a profession been treated with so much disrespect as we have this year. For this and many other reasons, Crockard resigned. Not just because of MTAS!!

TN, London, England

It should be axiomatic for any new computer system that the existing (non computer) system is retained and used in parallel until it has been demonstrated that the new system works in every respect. For a complex system of this type that would be for well over a year after the pilot system goes live. It is a mystery to me how the government can pay billions of pounds to "expert consultants" without ever coming across anybody with the least idea how real life computer systems work. For heaven's sake, make sure that whoever designed this system - whether a consultant or a civil servant - never works for the government in any capacity ever again.

Ros, Upminster,

I am glad that Prof Alan Crockard has done the honourable thing and resigned. But his should only be the first of many resignations. Patricia Hewitt MP, Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, Elizabeth Paice, Chair of CoPMED (head of the deaneries) should also resign. This is not an exhaustive list.
MTAS is a farce and should be abandoned completely and immediately.
MMC is so ill-considered it should be postponed indefinitely, until it can be piloted to completion in all specialties, in al regions, to the complete satisfaction of all the Medical Royal Colleges, their fellows and members.

G Y Shin, London, UK

Modernising medical careers is another process through which the department of health is attempting to exert total control of the medical profession by sidelining the various royal colleges who were previously responsible for postgraduate medical training and passing it on to the PMETB which is part of the DoH. Other examples of the 'control freak' nature of the DoH include NICE, CHAI and the downgrading of the GMC. It is remarkable how senior clinicians in the royal colleges have become subservient to the whims of ministers and civil servants in the DoH and failed to point out the flaws it the whole process. I agree there was a need to restructure medical training particularly at the senior house officer grade but the MTAS process is seriously deficient and chaotic and yet the DoH is only grudginly accepting this fact and not taking responsiblility for their role in the fiasco. I am glad that Prof Crockard has resigned but will his departure make a bad system even worse?

J Brown, Manchester, UK

It should be obvious, even to Patricia Hewitt and Lord Hunt, that changing the rules of the MTAS game at half-time would be unfair to those junior doctors who have already suffered the very odd selection criteria of the first round. If CVs are now to be admitted as part of this selection process (novel idea, that!), then the whole process has to be restarted. As far as patients are concerned, medical competence must come first. Once again this government's attempts at politically correct social engineering have simply caused chaos and endangered hospital care. To invite candidates to apply for work in a region - and Scotland and Wales were each considered as single regions - was ludicrous. If a junior doctor has decided to specialise in, for example, renal medicine, he or she will want to work in a hospital with a big renal department. Hiring Oxford FC stadium and Newmarket racecourse for interviews shows the cattle-market nature of the whole process forced on NHS trusts.

Sheona Hutcheson, Scottish ex-pat,

Any system of assessing people for jobs which relies completely on a computer questionaire is doomed to failure. Apart from the computer crashes and other technical problems the assessors get no opportunity either to question the candidates personally or to get any idea of whether the candidates would fit into their team - and teamwork is essential in hospital practice.

In many years of asssessing doctors for Consultant appointments I noted that considering the personal - and interpersonal - aspects of the candidates and assessing their ability to fit into local teams was the major part of the post interview discussion.

Shirley Holton, Bucks,

After much hassle and uncertainty with the dumbed-down application forms, my daughter was finally told she would get interviews at all four of her chosen regions (whilst being kept in the dark about precisely where she would be working if "successful" in this Stalinist system. She has already had an interview without being able to play to her strengths (detailed cv etc), and has now been told that she is now competing with others who failed to get interviews originally, but will now be given a second chance. But they will allowed to submit traditional CVs, with the possibility she will miss out. I have urged her to campaign for being allowed a second, repeat interview to allow her to compete on equal terms.

What a total disaster. All the while this fiasco has been going on, my daughter has been working 14 hour shifts, revising for final MRCP exams, attending the first round of interviews etc. What a terrible load to place on young shoulders. Heads should definitely roll.

ColinB, France,

Professor Allan Crockard was one cog in the wheel. The number of people who had their hands in the MMC / MTAS pie is much larger. The Post-Graduate Deans, members of PMETB, the various Royal Colleges, even some leading lights of the BMA have all at various times not done the right thing. See the letters from Allan Templeton & Steven Field that are widely available on the net.

As for non-medics, Prof Crockard's letter names Debbie Mellor. Keith Chapman was part of MMC & is now also part of the review group. There are a lot more besides.

As for the politicians, acceptance of responsibility is a concept that does not exist in the rarefied reaches they inhabit.

Saleem, London, UK

Wait until August when the NHS finds it has o doctors and Brown starts into his Winter of Discontent

TomTom, Leeds, England

I am disappointed that Professor Alan Crockard has been made the scapegoat in ths fiasco. It is Lord Hunt who should resign as health minister. After all the atrosicties that has occurred in the NHS and medical training system, one would have thought it is time to find a replacement. Ministers have in the past resigned (or were given the boot) over personal issues and disastrous decisions (or lack thereof). TIME FOR LORD HUNT TO STEP DOWN!

S Chong, Birmingham, England

At a guess our non-UK EU friends are applying for these posts. Another reason why we would be 'better off out'.

David Scott, Chester,

This is not an issue of race. That said the government has made it much harder for international medical graduates to get appointed this year. This is the fundamental manipulation of a profession to provide service in a most cruel and unfair manner by the DoH. Many 'bright young doctors' are now in the extraordinary position of being allowed to apply to one job only in one place which will determine the next 30 years of our service to the NHS (or what is left of it). The suggestion being should we fail to be appointed in this one 'golden bullet' opportunity, then sadly that is that. I for one am glad that Prof Crockard has done the honourable thing and resign. Many more have contributed to this sorry state of affairs which has demoralised thousands of young public servants; I hope they are held accountable also. It saddens me to say it, but I am being forced out of the country that I love and dearly want to work in, by this new 'computer says no' lottery from the DoH.

James, Oxford, UK

British doctors come from all ethnic backgrounds and colours. Common sence says they should have priority to training posts in Britain, if only because of their birth right and especially because there is not enough jobs and training posts even for British doctors alone. So many will become unemployed even if there was no competition from overseas. It is then only fair to consider British doctors first ! However, this is not the case, as a large percentage of those shortlisted are from overseas. One said online, that when he went for his interview, no one checked whether he had a valid visa or work permit! They also form groups to discuss interviews privately with those who already had interviews and, as rumoured, with some assessors who may leak interview questions to them prior to the actual interview, thus, giving them an unfair advantage over British doctors! The same happened with the MTAS application! Result? Mass unemployment of British doctors come August! Disgraceful!

Sam, London, UK

The sysyem was always ridiculous and there should be an objective assessment rather than subjective assessment. The selection system is always faulty and many people with proven professional defficiency are selected by subjective assessment.This keeps control over lthe overseas graduates.Generally people are selected by colour, familiarity with the selectors and recommendations.I heard this time there was a n element of blinding and this must have failed to recognise the UK whites not the EXCEPTIONAL ones. This thing should have ben thought and I am sure there will be some full proof method coming up soon to protect the interest of the UK graduated. Best is to stop PLAB, RCS exams at overseas centres and to stop adhereing to the naked hipocricy of equal opportunity. which will reduce misery for both local and overseas people.

Sandip, Calcutta,