Junior contract imposition: 'all options' considered

Junior doctors leaders will meet this weekend to discuss next steps after the Government’s ‘bullying’ approach to impose a new contract on trainees in England. The BMA junior doctors committee will meet in London for talks about how to respond to the decision last week by health secretary Jeremy Hunt to impose a new contract from this August. Of the 20 trust chief executives cited in a letter from chief negotiator Sir David Dalton to the health secretary, 14 have already distanced themselves from the contract imposition. JDC chair Johann Malawana has been attending regional JDC meetings across England this week and inviting trainees to come along to hear their thoughts on the situation. More than 100 junior doctors attended Dr Malawana's presentation at the Severn RJDC meeting (pictured). Dr Malawana said: ‘Our message to the Government is clear: junior doctors cannot and will not accept a contract that is bad for the future of patient care, the profession and the NHS as a whole, and we will consider all options open to us.’   'Total failure' The ministerial announcement came after more than 160 picket lines were set up around England as thousands of junior doctors took a second 24-hour period of industrial action over the ‘unfair contract’. But Dr Malawana said the imposition was a ‘sign of total failure on the Government’s part’, while shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander rounded on the health secretary in...
Source: BMA News - Category: UK Health Source Type: news