Responding to the announcement on the junior doctors’ contract negotiations, Prof Derek Bell, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said:

"We welcome the news that the negotiations on the junior contract have reached an agreed position and we await the full details of the new contract later this month and the results of the referendum.

"This is a positive step forward in what has been an incredibly difficult and uncertain time for junior doctors and their colleagues in England.

"We have maintained throughout that the only positive outcome for trainees, patients and the future sustainability of the NHS is a negotiated settlement. We must begin to rebuild the morale of doctors in training who play such a pivotal role in our NHS.”

Dr Katherine Walesby, Chair of the RCPE's Trainees & Members' Committee, said:

"The College will be seeking the views of trainees - and those with experience of training across the UK - to understand what would improve their training and morale, which we know has been badly affected in recent months. We will be hosting a conversation on social media tomorrow at 8pm to start this process and inform our future activity to support trainees."

ENDS

Contact: Lisa Rooke, RCPE - 0131 247 3688 / 07717 895628 / l.rooke@rcpe.ac.uk

Notes to Editors

1. Further information on the RCPE’s social media conversation #TellRCPE is available here.