In response to the latest offer from the UK Government in relation to junior contracts in England, Prof Derek Bell, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said:

“I have read with interest the latest offer from the Secretary of State for Health on junior doctors’ contracts. 

“While the College is unable to comment specifically upon the terms and conditions of the proposed contract, we know that the concerns of our trainees in England remain and are far broader than the recent offer suggests.   

“Alongside our trainees desire to ensure that patient safety and quality of care are protected through the new contract, they are also concerned that the contract is fair in relation to parental leave and out of programme experience for research and education. Reducing protected time for teaching, professional development, innovation and research threatens both the quality of our healthcare system and the standard of care provided.

“Any changes to weekend working must be fully evaluated to ensure that the provision of care at weekends isn’t made worse by poorly thought through policy.

“Recruitment and retention issues must be addressed across all specialties to ensure that the proposed flexible pay premia for those training in hard-to-fill training programmes does not solve one problem at the expense of another.

“Seven day services cannot be delivered by doctors alone, and a full and fair assessment is required of the necessary multidisciplinary teams to deliver safe and effective care out of hours and at weekends.

“We await a response from the Secretary of State addressing the specific concerns that we have raised with him in previous correspondence.”

ENDS

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

Notes to Editors

  1. The Department of Health’s proposals are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/junior-doctors-contract-offer-main-points/junior-doctors-contract-offer-main-points