| Dear All Over the last few weeks as many of you know, the JDC re-entered negotiations with the government. Following the ballot for industrial action and the mandate you gave us, we were clear that we were tasked with trying to achieve a contract that was safe and fair. The government finally agreed to enter talks via the conciliation service - Acas. Via that mechanism we were given assurance that the government would take on board the serious concerns of junior doctors. As we all know, agreement via that process was only reached very late the evening before the first day of industrial action. Whilst many of you felt concerned, and some even angry, about the decision to postpone IA, I was clear with everyone that our job as JDC is not simply to enter a course of action for the sake of it. We have an absolute duty to avoid industrial action if there is any chance that we can achieve an agreement that doctors in England can accept, and that is safe and fair to the future generation of junior doctors that come after us. Over the course of these subsequent talks between the government, NHSE and the BMA, we have seen significant improvements to the offer that frankly so many of us were appalled by in November. However junior doctors have made it absolutely clear repeatedly that the priorities for the new contract had to be a contract that was safe and was fair. Both safety and fairness to all was paramount. We wanted to be absolutely certain that we represented doctors faithfully and so when I started this role in September, we commissioned ICM to robustly show us the priorities for junior doctors. That survey was ready to go should we reenter negotiations at any point, so that every junior doctor could have input into the process. I know many of you hated the methodology, but it enabled us to be very clear on your priorities and it enabled JDC members to be very reflective of the views of junior doctors in general. The results of that survey fed directly into the consideration we made about what junior doctors want. So I am very grateful to the thousands and thousands of you that filled it in and took the time to do something that was, I know, uncomfortable for all. The negotiating team is overseen by a Negotiating Steering Group that determine if the policy has been achieved against the strategy and priorities of junior doctors. This is a group made up of the JDC exec, the chair of the joint academic trainees committee, the chair of GP trainees, the chairs of the devolved nations JDCs, the negotiating team, a representative of the BDA (representing OMFS trainees), the chair of the public health trainees as well as a representative of the consultants, SAS doctors and medical students. We therefore have a system of oversight that is absolutely representative of junior doctors and with input from across the profession. Last night the JDC negotiation steering group met to evaluate the progress of those talks. Whilst significant ground has been made, and JDC has worked extremely hard within certain constraints set out from the government, there are still a couple of absolute areas of disagreement. These are born out as being two of the top priorities of junior doctors via the ICM survey. It is therefore absolutely clear that should we not be able to reach an acceptable outcome by 4pm on 4th January, the BMA will need to commence serving notice as per its mandate, to the NHS, for industrial action the following week. Therefore we absolutely hope the government seriously takes account of the desire of junior doctors to not undertake industrial action, but our absolute resolve to do what is necessary to protect our patients and ourselves is there and cannot be dismissed so easily. The BMA is a trade union and should we need to protect our current and future members from an unfair contract. I, and the JDC, have absolutely no intention of standing by whilst the government pushes current and future generations of doctors out of the NHS and to leave the UK. It simply is unacceptable to devalue and denigrate doctors and the medical profession to the point where medicine in the UK is no longer a profession that the majority of doctors would recommend. Whilst we have been working quietly on the contract negotiations, I am incredibly grateful to all the doctors that have worked so hard on promoting all the campaigns that have kept the NHS in the news. I really look forward to the charts tomorrow. It demonstrates once again how out of touch this government is with the society it rules over. Ordinary people across the UK have supported the NHS via buying this single to demonstrate their absolute support for their NHS. Should the government once again push us into industrial action, I know we will stand together. A few of the chairs of the RJDCs and members of JDC exec were targeted the day before the first day of industrial action by certain newspapers and in one case their families were harassed. Should the government decide to force junior doctors down this course of action, we have to continue to stand together and support one another. I, and many members of JDC have been so incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of our friends and colleagues. I hope everyone has some time with their families this Christmas. Best wishes Johann |