Timeline of the junior doctors contract dispute

Abstract

The outcome of the junior doctor contract negotiations could have a major impact on current medical students’ pay and working conditions. Below is a timeline of the major flashpoints, and an overview of the changes being proposed. October 2013 —Talks begin between NHS Employers and the BMA NHS Employers, acting on behalf of the government, and the BMA, the trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom, start discussing the terms of the new contract, with a view to implementing it by April 2015. October 2014 —BMA walks away from the negotiation table After a year of negotiations the BMA pulls out of talks citing concerns about patient safety, doctors’ welfare, and a lack of evidence underpinning the changes. Kitty Mohan, co-chair of the junior doctors’ committee at the time said the contract proposals lack a “fundamental grasp” of the way in which NHS staff work and that doctors are “upset and frustrated” with how their work was not being “valued, noticed and recognised.” November 2014 —DDRB steps in After the breakdown of talks, the government commissioned the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) to review the contract proposals. July 2015 —DDRB report published The DDRB report says that the current contract is no longer fit for purpose and is hindering the achievement of the NHS’s goals to improve patient care and outcomes, and is unaffordable in the current financial climate. The report includes several recommendations that upset junior doctors (box 1). NHS Employers in England agreed that the DDRB report should be the basis for finalising new contractual arrangements. NHS Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales all rejected the new contract and have decided not to enforce it. …