The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, of which the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is part, has called on the UK Government and the BMA to set aside five days to return to negotiations and commit to finding a resolution to the outstanding issues of dispute on the junior doctors’ contract.
In response, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh’s President, Prof Derek Bell, and Chair of its Trainees’ Committee, Dr Katherine Walesby, said:
“The current deadlock on the junior doctors’ contract is in no-one’s interests and is creating damaging uncertainty for junior doctors in the NHS in England with implications across the UK.
“Along with the other Medical Royal Colleges, we strongly support a return to negotiations. We also reiterate our calls for the Prime Minister to take responsibility and ensure the Secretary of State for Health resumes talks with the BMA to end this dispute.
“The trainees that we represent in England and throughout the UK remain under significant pressure and this will only be made worse by imposing a contract in England that does not have their support. We must recognise the strain on the NHS and resolve this issue urgently for the benefit of patients and to retain stability in the workforce.
“Recent figures have shown that there is an urgent need to address recruitment and retention issues at all levels across the NHS, with many doctors feeling significantly undervalued as they continue to deliver safe patient care but have to struggle to fill rota gaps and cover vacancies. A seven-day NHS can only be successful if it is properly resourced; alienating junior doctors is not the way to achieve this.
“High-quality patient care can only be sustained through the highest standards of education, training and assessment and the retention of a world-class medical workforce. However, the imposition of the contract aggravates an already difficult workforce situation and threatens the future of the NHS.”
ENDS
Contact: Lisa Rooke, RCPE - 0131 247 3688 / 07717 895628 / l.rooke@rcpe.ac.uk
Notes to Editors
