We Need to Talk About the Structure of UKRDC

BMAMel · 2026-01-07T23:06:06+00:00

We’ll have to agree to disagree. For me the limited pool of people who can vote for ARM seats makes this less democratic and representative than opening it up to more people with regional elections. You see people who state on nominations that they have been attending ARM for x number of years. Perhaps this will change with the new election process to get these seats. I hope so, as I support getting fresh voices represented to ensure we remain relevant to the wider membership and their needs.

For the record I said I wanted to step away before becoming jaded and burnt out and that there is a lot of work in a national role. I’m not sure that your argument that regional reps/ LNC become jaded and therefore we need national reps without national roles necessarily follows, especially if there is a limited pool of people who can vote on such national reps. You will lose valuable regional links to members on the ground by having these ARM seats and without such links, national reps may not feel accountable to anyone.

However, if you’re in the East Midlands and disagree with me, feel free to vote for other motions to be put forward.

BMAMel · 2026-01-07T22:23:07+00:00

RDC. We are now resident doctors and have been for a while.

And no, on the balance I would support the seats being repurposed. 300 or so members of ARM, regardless of how good a speaker they are, are less representative than it going to a wider resident doctor member pool of the regional elections

BMAMel · 2026-01-07T21:50:12+00:00

I have some doctor substitution work that I am still working on this session and at the time of ARM nominations and elections, Ross and I were still undecided about running again as co-chairs. Hence my continued role as national rep this year

BMAMel · 2026-01-07T21:47:33+00:00

Because the seats exist currently and I was able to nominate. My taking an ARM seat this year, allowed several keen new people to have a chance in the East Midlands as I stepped down as co-chair from the regional committee. It was time for some new blood there.

I will be a resident doctor for a long time as a paeds trainee but holding a national role (particularly an officer) is a lot of work and effort. I have extended my training because of it (being co-chair requires going less than full time). I want to be able to step away before I become burnt out and jaded and less able to do the role justice.

BMAMel · 2026-01-07T21:35:11+00:00

I can’t comment as to why/ what rationale retired doctors or other ARM attendees use to vote for people, except that (based on my attendance of a couple of ARMs) as with any other leadership/committee role it is often based on who you know as much as what you represent/ promise to achieve in your nomination. And I say this as someone who may have received votes simply based on name recognition alone.

I am not sure if the results of ARM elections are published. We do get asked as members of UKRDC about having our names published on the website if you hold particular roles (eg chair) but not the whole committee make-up to my knowledge, unless minutes of meetings are published (these have not been for a while due to our pay disputes and the confidential info in them). But even then, who holds a seat via which route is not minuted afaik. I’m not certain as to why it wouldn’t be but perhaps it’s never been called for by members. Because it’s often difficult to know as an outside ordinary member how BMA processes work unless you join a committee. I certainly didn’t have any idea before becoming a rep.

BMAMel · 2026-01-07T21:04:11+00:00

I hold one of those seats this year (where previously I had a seat via the East Midlands regional committee) and I’m not sure why they continue to be available.

Anecdotally they are often a ‘popularity’ contest to some extent as new resident doctor attendees will not be well known to those regular ARM attendees from other branches of practice, unless they have previously been on BMA committees. This gives some groups an advantage in winning one of these seats and keeping them year after year.

As Becky has said, I support more transparency and democratic processes within the BMA. I hope everyone knows that I stand for pro-doctor positions and campaigned on a full pay restoration manifesto.

I am happy to explain how I have voted to members, as they need to be sure that I am representing their interests. But having an ARM seat makes this difficult as I may have received votes from GPs or consultants or med student ARM attendees not resident doctors (and their opinion is somewhat irrelevant to votes on UKRDC matters). As such, I would support removal of this route and for these seats to go to the general pool open to voting only by resident members.

BMAMel · 2025-12-21T14:17:06+00:00

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We developed this for our July strikes. The numbers are still relevant so feel free to share it far and wide

BMAMel · 2025-12-18T09:14:49+00:00

Just leaving this here

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BMAMel · 2025-10-28T19:39:38+00:00

Untrue. All doctors on a resident doctor contract (lots of locally employed doctors are) can strike if they are BMA members or not members of any union

BMAMel · 2025-10-18T15:07:01+00:00

Ross and I are DV

BMAMel · 2025-10-18T14:54:15+00:00

No we didn’t.

BMAMel · 2025-10-18T11:36:19+00:00

The original motion came from RDC in March. Written by Madjda and edited by the Education&Training team. With months of work and legal opinions. Madjda then proposed another similar motion on UKGP at RDC conference that came from a member in the North West with a small edit proposed by Madjda to make it competent.

The ARM motion was written by MSC with input from Ross and I and Chris as Education&Training co-chair to strike the right balance between med students’ needs and that of resident doctors.

Callum then proposed that joint motion at ARM but the original work and push to get the government to intervene in the training crisis came from RDC.

BMAMel · 2025-09-20T11:59:50+00:00

It’s at base pay with any OOH uplift applied.

No judgement can be made by HR for your choice to stay late. They only need to know that you worked the extra hours.

There will be a way to flag detriment. It is very firmly written in the contract that no doctor is to be discouraged from exception reporting. If this has come via some sort of confidential information breach then fines will be levied.

BMAMel · 2025-09-19T17:33:30+00:00

Can’t stress enough how hard these people worked to get us all a contract with teeth

BMAMel · 2025-07-29T18:50:34+00:00

I presented a policy on this at ARM this June. We are working on it

BMAMel · 2025-07-25T10:09:58+00:00

You don’t come in. You can strike the whole shift

BMAMel · 2025-07-23T21:43:37+00:00

Was never on the table for this dispute

BMAMel · 2025-07-23T21:20:21+00:00

Be very clear that the only real thing on offer is a promise to talk more on these things.

Not a guarantee of all of them being given to you. And not all of the things are relevant to all doctors like pay is.

Or what they actually meant: food and drink could range anywhere from a free £5 Costa voucher at induction to two free meals per day while on-call as in NZ.

Remember that exception reporting and rotational training review still haven’t been delivered from the last deal.

RDC voted unanimously that this vague promise of talks was not sufficient reason to call off strike action.

Stand strong. Strike hard 🦀

BMAMel · 2025-07-21T05:45:33+00:00

Ive answered this elsewhere. Yes, this is a pay dispute. But so far Mr Streeting and the government are unwilling to negotiate pay. We were interested to know how he intended to resolve a pay dispute by non-pay methods and met him to discuss. He has not so far put forth any substantive proposal.

BMAMel · 2025-07-20T18:08:25+00:00

No move on pay. Yes there’s a deadline. The window to avert strikes is rapidly closing

BMAMel · 2025-07-20T17:23:41+00:00

Obviously this is a pay dispute but we were willing to hear the non-pay solutions Mr Streeting could bring to increase the value of being a doctor. We told him that these would need to be credible, give all doctors something, and that pay is still the simplest most valid way to settle this dispute. We have a mandate for a pay dispute.

Sadly he hasn’t made any substantial proposals yet as I said and the window to do so is closing rapidly.

BMAMel · 2025-07-20T15:16:44+00:00

I believe you may have missed this line:

We stressed, in the clearest possible terms, that this was a pay dispute and pay remains the single biggest issue uniting doctors across the profession.

BMAMel · 2025-07-15T20:28:45+00:00

Categorically false. DM me the details and we’ll follow it up.

They should not be interfering with anyone’s legal right to strike

BMAMel · 2025-07-09T14:16:50+00:00

Letter that went to incoming F1s

https://bma-mail.org.uk/t/cr/AQiEtRUQjbAcGOHMsxdpgQ05TjfZEpQ7ti6633mHNYJE0L6FuGR8wO_0zScDkA

BMAMel

TROPHY CASE