'Hope of real progress' as junior doctors resume government talks over controversial contract

The government will return to the negotiating table today in an effort to resolve their long-running dispute over contracts for junior doctors.

The British Medical Association will hold fresh talks after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt agreed to a five-day pause in the imposition of the new contracts.

Dr Johann Malawana, chairman of the BMA's junior doctors committee, said he hoped "real progress can now be made to ending this dispute".

But he said that any contract - whether agreed or not - should be put to a referendum of junior doctors.

The new contracts for junior doctors are due to start in August. Credit: PA

The agreement to resume talks follows a wave of industrial action launched by junior doctors in recent months.

More than 125,000 appointments and operations were cancelled and will need to be rearranged, on top of almost 25,000 procedures cancelled during previous action.

Junior doctors also stopped providing emergency care for the first time in NHS history during their most recent walkout, which went on for two days at the end of April.

Hunt has said he wants a 'written agreement' that the talks will be held in 'good faith'. Credit: PA

The dispute began when the government took steps to introduce its manifesto commitment of a seven-day NHS.

The Health Secretary wants to change what constitutes "unsocial" hours for which junior doctors can claim extra pay, turning 7am to 5pm on Saturday into a normal working day.

Currently, 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and the whole of Saturday and Sunday attract a premium rate of pay for junior doctors.

Despite the Government offsetting this change with a hike in basic pay of 13.5%, it has proved to be a sticking point with the BMA.

The imposed contract, due to come into force in August, will still allow premium rates for Saturday evenings and all of Sunday.