Junior doctor’s contract talks extended

The government and the British Medical Association (BMA) have extended their talks to reach a deal over the imposition of the junior doctor’s contracts.

The two groups have agreed to continue negotiating until Wednesday 15 May, under host conciliation service Acas. The talks are likely to be the last chance for the two sides to agree upon a deal.

The news follows the government’s announcement in February that it would be imposing the contract from this summer after previous talks failed.The main focus of the talks currently taking place is angled at Saturday pay, however the BMA has also used the opportunity to raise other issues such as funding the government’s seven-day NHS policy.

While neither the BMA nor the government have agreed to make a statement on the progress of the talks, Acas chair Sir Brendan Barber said the talks had been conducted in a ‘constructive and positive atmosphere’ and some real progress had been made.

Barber added: “This is a strictly time limited extension and represents a final opportunity to find an agreement as the basis for the resolution of this difficult dispute."

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This story was first published in digitalhealth.net

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