This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
BMA reaches agreement with Hunt over junior doctors contract
The British Medical Association (BMA) and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt have reached an agreement over the junior doctors contract, which have caused a large conflict between the two parties over recent months.
The agreement was reached after 10 days of talks overseen by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) to resolve the ongoing conflict.
Disagreements over pay and what constitutes regular working hours have been a constant point of contention and led to eight days of strike action across the NHS.
The two agreed to re-enter talks after Hunt retracted the threat to impose the new contracts and a report from Acas states that an agreement has now been reached.
The agreement is a major step forward in resolving the dispute, but will have to be endorsed in a ballot of the 45,000 junior doctors who belong to the BMA before it is accepted, which could prove to be a major obstacle.
If agreed, some elements of the new contract will implemented in August this year and all junior doctors will move on to the agreed new terms between October 2016 and August 2017.
Sir Brendan Barber, Acas Chairman, said: "The negotiators from both sides have worked with great intensity and in a good spirit to achieve this breakthrough. I have particularly appreciated the positive leadership shown by Sir David Dalton and Dr Johann Malawana throughout these talks. I am grateful too that the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt engaged directly with the negotiations to help move the discussions forward.
"This long running dispute has clearly been an extraordinarily difficult period for the NHS. So I am glad that as well as cooperating closely in preparing the communications for the upcoming referendum, all the parties are also strongly committed to tackling together the bigger, wider challenges facing the NHS.
"Acas has been pleased to have been able to play a part in constructing a positive way forward."
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