President letter to Secretary of State on junior contracts

06 Apr 2016

President, Professor David Galloway, has written to the Secretary of State expressing his disappointment at the lack of progress in the junior doctors contract dispute. He again urged both sides to return to constructive negotiation saying that the current stand-off runs the risk of engendering a real recruitment and retention crisis.

In his letter he said junior doctors are the future of the NHS and clinical excellence and that they should be nurtured and supported. "It is clear that some will be disadvantaged by the new contract. However, to discount this as a ‘proportionate means towards a legitimate aims’ is rightly perceived as hollow."

He warned that by "winning" this dispute, the government risk losing a generation of junior doctors and called on the Secretary of State to demonstrate leadership for the benefit of the NHS and the patients it serves.

Read the full content of the letter here.

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