Ofcom has been hit by thousands of complaints following a debate about the junior doctors' pay dispute on Jeremy Vine's Channel 5 current affairs show.
The media watchdog said it is currently considering whether to launch an investigation following the programme on March 13, which prompted more than 2,200 complaints. The episode saw Vine invite broadcaster Lin Mei and associate editor of the Daily Mirror Kevin Maguire to discuss junior doctors in the NHS taking strike action over pay.
When asked whether junior doctors deserve a 35% pay increase, Mei said: “We need doctors and I don’t think the job of being a doctor is as attractive anymore so I do agree they need a pay rise, but 35% is a stretch. Essentially like (Vine) said, being a doctor is like being in other fields, a graduate, an apprentice. Now the average for a graduate is £25,000, so they’re still getting more than the average graduate.”
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Vine, 57, argued that because of years of university training, junior doctors begin their career “loaded with debt”. However, Mei said “we need to incentivise them more” paying for the training fees or expenses, but a 35% pay rise isn’t “achievable or doable” and will open the “floodgates”.
Meanwhile, Maguire acknowledged junior doctors had to work “really hard” at university, but described a “huge retention problem” once they start their careers which he said is a “waste of them, it’s a waste of public resources and time and it impacts on our health”.
The broadcast saw dozens of critics flock to social media to point out ‘errors’ made during the debate, and 2,250 complaints made to media regulator Ofcom. On Wednesday (March 22), a spokesperson for Ofcom said: “We are assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.”
A junior doctor are qualified doctors in clinical training, according to the definition from the British Medical Association. They have completed a medical degree and foundation training, and have anywhere up to eight years' experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.
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