Ministers to Impose Doctor Contract

By Nick Triggle, BBC Health Correspondent

Overview

Ministers are paving the way to impose a contract on junior doctors in England after the profession rejected the deal agreed between union negotiators and the government. In a ballot
of British Medical Association (BMA) members, 58% voted against the terms, with 42% in favour.

Impending Contract Imposition

Government sources told the BBC they were “minded” to impose the deal. Officials are now assessing the legal position, with an Equality Impact Assessment already carried out that is thought to be a formality. A final announcement is expected in the coming days.

Leadership Change and Future Action

Following the result, BMA junior doctor leader Johann Malawana resigned. In his letter to members, Dr Malawana warned the NHS was lurching “headlong into a wider crisis” of the government’s making. He added:

“I only hope that the next government realises that this vote is a demonstration of just how appalling frontline staff have been treated and undermined.”

The BMA still has a mandate for strike action, but it will be up to the new junior doctor leader to decide the next steps.

Key Concerns from Junior Doctors

GP trainee Dr Francesca Silman, part of the campaign group Justice for Health, explained why she voted against the deal:

“Moving forward, the government must now acknowledge that it is not possible to provide a seven-day NHS without extra staff and funding. It is not possible to create a contract that doctors feel is safe by stretching the current workforce.”

Further Reading

• What’s in the New Contract
• What the Dispute Is All About
• Why the No Vote Means Nothing and Everything?

Timeline of the Dispute

• December 2012 – Government invites the BMA for talks over a new contract
• October 2014 – BMA withdraws from talks
• July 2015 – Independent pay review body publishes recommendations
• August 2015 – BMA refuses to re-enter talks
• November 2015 – Government offers contract; BMA announces strikes
• Dec 2015/Jan 2016 – Talks restart at Acas; 1 December strike called off
• January 2016 – First of four strikes held
• February 2016 – Ministers announce intent to impose contract
• April 2016 – First-ever all-out strike by doctors
• May 2016 – Acas-mediated deal agreed
• July 2016 – BMA members vote to reject the contract

Political and Professional Reactions

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was seeking to make a “rapid decision” so that staff and patients know where they stand on the government’s manifesto commitment to a seven-day service.

Labour shadow health secretary Diane Abbott commented, “Today is yet another sorry episode in the saga of the government’s mishandled negotiations with junior doctors.”

Katherine Murphy of the Patients Association added, “There have been no winners in this ongoing dispute; instead, it’s patients who have been the losers.”

Related Articles

• Junior Doctors’ Strike Chronology
• Doctor Contract Negotiations Breakdown
• NHS Seven-Day Service Funding Issues