New junior doctors contract could be ‘final straw’, says Cambridge medic

The hospital boss joined at least nine other signatories in publicly distancing themselves from Sir David’s letter which told Mr Hunt’s department to “do whatever it deems necessary” to ensure the new contract was in place and informed the health minister that 20 chief executives supported his position.

The new contract is part of moves by the government to deliver what it says will be a consistent service seven days a week.

The junior doctor who ambushed Jeremy Hunt live on TV today revealed he had been praised by his mother-in-law for making the Health Secretary “look like a rogue trader”.

Sharing the same front-row bench as Osborne in Parliament, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt made the announcement shortly after the second in a series of 24-hour strikes, which had not been seen in Britain for 40 years.

Former worldwide development secretary Mr Mitchell, a long-standing friend of Mr Hunt, praised his daughter as a “fantastic doctor”.

He advised Mr Hunt to impose the contract after receiving no indication from the BMA that they would back the proposals.

“Instead of working with the BMA to reach an agreement that is in the best interests of patients, junior doctors and the NHS as a whole, the government has walked away”.

Mr Harrison said the “take it or leave it” offer proposed by NHS negotiator Sir David Dalton was “reasonable”. If I made a mistake because I was exhausted, any one of these patients could’ve died.

He added: “The decision to impose the contract was the Secretary of State’s to make”.

“Whatever the merits of this matter the junior hospital doctors are a dedicated, hard-working and inspiring group of people, although inevitably the Government is responsible for managing this resource”.

“This is clearly a political fight for the government rather than an attempt to come to a reasonable solution for all junior doctors”.

A planned strike on January 26 was called off when the BMA entered last-minute talks with the Government.

Under the new contract, 7am to 5pm on Saturdays will be regarded as a normal working day.

The BMA has already staged two walkouts and further strikes and legal actions are possibilities, while some junior doctors may refuse to sign new contracts which are due to be implemented from August.

Eleven of the twenty doctors who Jeremy Hunt claimed had signed a letter in support of his junior doctor’s contract decisions…have denied it. Junior doctors who worked more than one in four weekends would get 30% extra on basic pay for the Saturday.

There was a hospital night team – a clinical team on site including a site manager and senior nurses, she said.