No progress in negotiations between Hunt and Malawana

Talks between the two officials broke up on Wednesday 30 September, failing to make progress on a solution that would avoid a strike carried out by 53,000 of the NHS’s trainee medics. The negotiations were labelled by the Department of Health (DoH)  as ‘an introductory meeting’, which was decided after representatives of junior doctors held a ballot for a potential protest against the imposed seven-day contract.

The contract recommends that weekday evenings and Saturdays up until 10pm should be reclassified as normal working hours. Currently standard paid rates are based on normal working hours, which presently are applicable Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm.

Hunt assures that the contract is requisite to reduce the estimated 11,000 annual, excess deaths among patients admitted to hospital at the weekend, who subsequently die within 30 days.

The DoH has urged the British Medical Association (BMA) to resume negotiations, which broke down last year. However, the doctor’s union is declining to re-start talks until Hunt retracts his threat to impose the new contract.

As the meeting between Hunt and Malawana has failed to result in a satisfactory solution, the BMA has maintained that it will proceed with its planned strike ballot, until demands are met.

Privately, leaders of numerous royal colleges are worried that the strike will deter recruitment into the medical profession and prompt young doctors to work abroad instead. Over 3,000 doctors have already started investigating the possibility of moving their profession abroad since Hunt’s proposal. In addition, leaders fear that the crisis may also inhibit young doctors specialising in areas of medicine that are already understaffed, such as A&E and acute care, where antisocial hours are routine.

The leader of the JDC said: “We have consistently been clear that junior doctors are not prepared to agree to contract changes that would risk patients’ safety and doctors’ wellbeing.

“The anger and frustration of doctors who attended the rally in London, on Monday night, were a clear demonstration of their determination.

“Until the government is willing to give the BMA the concrete assurances we require we will continue with the action junior doctors are demanding.”
 
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