“Sadly, despite this progress and willingness from the Government to be flexible on the crucial issue of Saturday pay Sir David Dalton [the Government’s chief negotiator] wrote to me yesterday warning that a negotiated solution is “not realistically possible”.
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Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says his widely-unpopular contracts will be imposed on junior doctors from August 1, despite a second day of national strike action against the changes to medics’ pay and conditions.
The new contract will pay junior doctors 50 per cent extra for working on Saturdays after 5pm along with top ups for those who work regular Saturdays.
But it is unclear whether the chief executives saw the letter’s text before it was sent to Mr Hunt, and many have now distanced themselves from imposed contracts.
Robison said: “Junior doctors are an extremely valued part of Scotland’s NHS and that is why we will continue to service the existing contract for junior doctors until such time that we feel it is right to move towards negotiations”.
A number say they support the Government’s contract offer but do not back doctors having to accept it.
In a statement to the Commons he said no health secretary could ignore the fact that standards in NHS hospitals are “too low” at weekends and more patients die than during the week.
Video has emerged of the Health Secretary blanking NHS worker, Dr Dagan Lonsdale, as he followed him down a corridor in Westminster. Instead of working with the BMA to reach an agreement that is in the best interests of patients, junior doctors and the NHS as a whole the Government has walked away, rejecting a fair and affordable offer put forward by the BMA.
The Government is to force a new contract on junior doctors after negotiations over working hours and pay failed.
This can go up to £30,000 with payments for anti-social hours.
A BMA spokesperson said: “Junior doctors across the North East will be demoralised by the government’s decision to impose an unfair contract that will undoubtedly further deepen the problems with attracting more doctors into key hospital specialities and retaining them”.
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BMA council chairman Mark Porter said the move would be seen as “threatening and dictatorial” and warned nurses and other clinical staff to prepare for similar treatment, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said imposing contracts was ” provocative and damaging”.
