Trainees struggle to pay bills

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Many trainee doctors are struggling with their finances – with some being unable to pay credit card bills, according to a survey published today.

Half of doctors in a large British Medical Association survey said they struggled to pay for heating and lighting while 45% said they had struggled to pay rent or mortgage.

Some 4,500 doctors took part in the survey, which the BMA said highlighted the case for “pay restoration” for doctors.

Trainees are to vote in a BMA strike ballot next month over pay.

Some 27% of doctors said they had not paid their credit card bills in full for several months while 29% said they were running up increasing overdrafts through using it to pay bills.

71% of doctors said they were taking on extra shifts to help pay bills.

Dr Becky Bates, a trainee in the East Midlands, is earning £14.09 an hour, said: “This is my first year working in the NHS as a qualified doctor and I could never have anticipated spending it so skint. I love my job and am proud to be a doctor but the state of my finances is a constant stressor.