The Guardian Weekly

Junior doctors split over peace deal

Outcome of contract talks branded a ‘sellout’ by some BMA members

- Sarah Johnson

Junior doctors’ leaders and Jeremy Hunt have unveiled a deal they hope will end a long-running dispute that has sparked eight days of strike action across the NHS.

The health secretary and the British Medical Associatio­n (BMA) welcomed the compromise, reached after 10 days in talks overseen by the Advisory, Conciliati­on and Arbitratio­n Service.

They agreed an amended version of the new contract for England’s 55,000 junior doctors, the original version of which provoked the bitterest clash between the government and medical profession since the coalition’s controvers­ial NHS shakeup of 2010-11.

The BMA said it had realised “significan­t improvemen­ts” and that a lot of the concerns of junior doctors had been addressed. Hunt said the deal meant the government had stuck to all its “red lines” and would help usher in a seven-day NHS. However, there was a growing backlash from junior doctors over the terms.

Under the deal, Saturdays and Sundays will attract premium pay if doctors work seven or more weekends in a year. Doctors will receive a percentage of their annual salary for working these weekends – ranging from 3% for working one weekend in seven to up to 10% if they work one weekend in two. Any nightshift that starts at or after 8pm and lasts more than eight hours, and which finishes at or before 10am the following day, will also result in an enhanced pay rate of 37% for all the hours worked. Across the board, there will be an average basic pay increase of between 10% and 11%, down from the 13% put forward originally by the government. Hunt said the proposals would be cost neutral.

But the BMA was facing a growing backlash from junior doctors furious at what some called “a sellout” and “a joke”. Dr Manish Verma said: “It doesn’t seem like an improved deal. It’s the BMA’s turn for propaganda to try to sell this as a good deal. Looking at the Acas document there seems to have been lots of areas where we have conceded. It’s unclear where we have gained anything.” Others, though, predicted that trainee medics would back the deal reluctantl­y due to fatigue after eight days of strikes.

Dr Johann Malawana, the chair of the BMA’s junior doctors committee, said: “Junior doctors have always wanted to agree a safe and fair contract, one that recognises and values the contributi­on junior doctors make to the NHS, addresses the recruitmen­t and retention crisis in parts of the NHS and provides the basis for delivering a world-class health service.

“I believe that what has been agreed delivers on these principles, is a good deal for junior doctors and will ensure that they can continue to deliver high-quality care for patients. This represents the best and final way of resolving the dispute and this is what I will be saying to junior doctors in the weeks leading up to the referendum on the new contract.”

However, the anger was so intense that Malawana posted a message on the junior doctors’ Facebook page asking them to give the deal a chance. “I truly understand that people are scared and worried. I know there is fear and a hell of a lot of anger. I know that the government’s reaction to the contract has not been helpful. Government needs political victories. However, wait for the contract details.”

Hunt praised Malawana’s “courage” in agreeing a package that contains “innovative” ways of tackling junior doctors’ work in the NHS and said that it represente­d “a good win” for the BMA after it realised the value of talking rather than striking. Hunt said: “The talks have been constructi­ve and positive and highlighte­d many areas outside the contract where further work is necessary to value the vital role of junior doctors and improve the training and support they are given. This deal represents a definitive step forward for patients, for doctors and for the NHS as a whole.”

The deal will now have to overcome a significan­t potential obstacle – endorsemen­t or rejection in a ballot of the 45,000 junior doctors who belong to the BMA – before it can become the basis of a permanent settlement.

Both Hunt and the BMA gave ground in an effort to resolve the outstandin­g issues. “It’s been give and take on both sides,” said a source close to the negotiatio­ns.

 ?? PA ?? Taking a stand … junior doctors have held eight days of strike action
PA Taking a stand … junior doctors have held eight days of strike action

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