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The Medical Students Committee (MSC) and Junior Doctors Committee (JDC) are campaigning against the loss of free hospital accommodation for first year junior doctors. We have provided you with information on the action we have planned and how you can take part.

Get involved with the protests Our aims The aim of the protests is to: • raise awareness about the issue and about the concerns of students and junior doctors • encourage the NHS Employers to negotiate with the BMA about the loss of accommodation What do we want? • Free accommodation to be reinstated for those who want and need it, or financial recompense for junior doctors for the loss of free accommodation. • Urgent and meaningful negotiations with NHS Employers to begin. If you feel strongly about this issue please take part in the protests. Contact your MSC representative co-ordinator or your Regional JDC representative if you are a junior doctor for more information. If there is no protest running in your area, but you would like to participate, please contact your MSC representative. Please do not organise your own event without letting us know as we will be unable to provide advice and support to you. Find an event in your area Write to your local politician: A letter writing campaign to MPs went live on Thursday 1 May. Take part using our online wizard

Sleep in tent protest - Friday 18 July The next stage of our campaign is a one-day ‘Sleep in Tent’ protest which will be taking place on Friday 18 July. The protest will be launched at the BMA’s Annual Representative Meeting (ARM) on Tuesday 8 July, with a one-man sleep in tent that night. Then there will be a larger sleep in tent protest which will involve: • an overnight stay (on Friday 18 July) for anyone who volunteers to sleep in the tents; • a meeting during the day to show support for the campaign and to support those sleeping overnight. If you are coming to the event, you need to be there by 11am. You probably won't need to stay overnight and we will provide transport or reasonable travel expenses for participants. What you can do: Either volunteer to: • sleep in a tent overnight. We are looking for up to 60 people to sleep in 30 tents, or • come to London to support the protest for the day. We will give you advice on transport to London. If you want to get involved, please contact with your local MSC representative by Friday 11 July. Find your rep's details

Background and history
In July 2007, the requirement for pre-registration doctors to be resident at the hospital was removed from the Medical Act 1983. This means that there is no longer a statutory requirement for pre-registration doctors (first year foundation house officers (FHO1s) to be resident, which in turn means that hospital accommodation no longer needs to be provided without charge to FHO1s.

In August 2007 NHS Employers wrote to trusts to encourage them to continue to provide free accommodation to FHO1s for 2007/08. However, from August 2008 most trusts will not provide accommodation for these doctors without charge.

Read more background

What have we done so far?
As well as co-ordinating the protests, we have written to the NHS Employers asking them to negotiate with us about this but we have unfortunately had no positive response to date. We are pressing the NHSE and we will also be writing to Ministers about this issue. At a meeting on May 27 NHS Employers refused to open meaningful talks on the issue.

Local protests:
The protests were led by medical students in these areas:

Medical school	Protest date and time	Location
Peninsula	Thursday 22 May 12:00 to 14:00	Plymouth (Derriford hospital), Truro (Treliske hospital) and Exeter (Royal Devon and Exeter)
Liverpool	Friday 23 May 12:00 to 13:00	Royal Liverpool Hospital
Newcastle	Friday 23 May 13.30 to 14:00	Royal Victoria Infirmary
Cardiff	Tuesday 27 May 11:00 to13:00	University Hospital of Wales
Glasgow	Wednesday 28 May 12:00 to 13:00	Western Infirmary
Sheffield	Thursday 29 May 11.30 to 14.30	Royal Hallamshire Hospital
Bristol	Thursday 29 May 17:00 to 18:00	Bristol Royal Infirmary
Keele	Friday 30 May 13.30 to 14:30	Old entrance of North Staffordshire hospital
St George’s	Monday 16 June 12:00 to 14:30	St George's Hospital on the main entrance at Effort Street
UCL	Monday 16 June 12.30 to 14:00	Outside the big stone on the steps of UCL Hospital, 250 Euston Rd, London, NW1 2PQ
GKT	Monday 16 June 12.30 to 14.30	The quad in front of New Hunts House, Guy's Campus, London Bridge SE1 1UL
Imperial	Monday 16 June 12:00 to 14:00	St Mary’s Hospital, Praed St, London W2 1NY
Barts and the London	Thursday 19 June 10:00 to 12:00	Outside the Royal London on the corner of Whitechapel Road and New Road.