NHS staff to initiate judicial review of junior doctor contract

NHS staff and patients are considering launching a judicial review to examine the impact of the new junior doctors’ contract on ‘patients safety and the stability of the NHS’.

The review is planned to be broader than the British Medical Association’s (BMA) review on the government’s failure to carry out an equality impact assessment before imposing the new contract and will consider all government decisions that led to the imposition.

Dr Ben White, one of the leaders of the #JustHealth campaign, said: “The imposition of the junior doctors’ contract affects all NHS service users. Staff know that the lack of workforce planning, lack of cost modelling, plus rota and staffing issues, create a perfect storm where patient safety will inevitably be compromised.

“We must challenge this contract in the High Court. A judicial review would consider all relevant factors and hold the government accountable for decisions it has made. Ultimately, this is about public safety.”

Part of the review will require the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to provide evidence to justify his decisions in relation to the contract in order to prove ‘they are reasonable, viable and legal’.

In order to start the proceedings, the group are attempting to crowd fund £25,000, with the aim of establishing a working case fund of around £250,000 and are looking for donations through Crowd Justice.