Talks to resolve differences over a new contract for junior doctors have entered their final day, with an arbitration service saying “real progress” has been made.
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The deal between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Government will now be put to a ballot of medics after eight days of intense negotiations.
A junior doctor has welcomed a new deal to end the ongoing dispute but has said Jeremy Hunt’s handling of the issue has “decimated any trust I have in him”.
“This deal represents a definitive step forward for patients, for doctors, and for the NHS as a whole”.
This has now been agreed by all parties as resolving the current dispute subject to securing the support of BMA junior doctor members in a referendum.
The BMA and NHS Employers engaged in negotiations on new junior doctors’ contracts in October 2013.
Cameron’s government is seeking to reform junior doctors’ contracts, a move ministers say is needed to ensure the quality of care for patients is as high at weekends as during the week.
The dispute was mainly caused by Mr Hunt’s insistence on increasing the number of hours junior doctors work to include Saturdays and weekday evenings as part of their normal week.
“The talks have been constructive in the past week and positive and highlighted many areas outside the contract where further work is necessary to value the vital role of junior doctors and improve the training and support they are given”.
Night shifts will also attract a 37 per cent increased pay rate? less than existing night shift rates of 50 per cent. This long-running dispute has been at an extraordinarily hard time for the NHS.
“I have particularly appreciated the positive leadership shown by Sir David Dalton and Dr Johann Malawana throughout these talks”.
The junior doctors will now vote on the changes and no more industrial action will be called in the meantime.
More than 125,000 appointments and operations were postponed, on top of nearly 25,000 procedures cancelled during previous action.
This will range from 3% for working one weekend in seven to up to 10% of their salary if they work one weekend in two.
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Jeremy Hunt had come under fire after he said he would impose the new contract on the junior doctors regardless if they agreed to the new conditions of not. “I will reserve my opinions for when I see the exact details of the new contract though”.
