JUNIOR DOCTORS

That this House recognises that junior doctors are dedicated professionals who are the backbone of the NHS, providing the best quality care for their patients; believes it is essential to ensure a contract that is safe for patients, junior doctors and the NHS; supports the view of the BMA's Junior Doctors Committee that the best outcome for junior doctors is a contract agreed through genuine and meaningful negotiations and therefore calls on the Secretary of State for Health to drop all preconditions; further believes it is essential that proper hours safeguards are introduced to protect patients and their doctors, together with proper recognition of unsocial hours as a premium time, and an agreement that work on Saturdays and late evenings cannot be considered the same as daytime on a weekday; believes there should be no disadvantage for those working unsocial hours compared to the current system, nor for those working less than full time and taking parental leave; is concerned that the NHS Trust's responsibility to monitor the number of hours worked has been withdrawn and urges its reintroduction; further recognises that junior doctors already work seven days a week for emergency work, and that the barriers to extend that to non-urgent elective work are the lack of complementary services, for example social care packages and pharmacists, not doctors' working patterns; and urges the Secretary of State to accurately reflect this reality in his statements, to work to restore morale within the NHS, and to bring an evidence-based approach to renewed negotiations.