BMA announces new talks on pay and conditions of staff and associate specialists UK

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 02 Jun 2004 - 6:00 PDT


A new contract for doctors in the staff and associate specialist group is a step closer, Mr Mohib Khan, chairman of the BMA's Staff and Associate Specialist committee (SASC) said today (Tuesday 1 June). (BMA = British Medical Association)

Addressing the BMA's annual conference of staff and associate specialists he revealed that the SASC has had an informal meeting with representatives of the NHS Confederation to discuss the process and timetable to take forward the recommendations of Choice and Opportunity - the government consultation on reforms to the staff and associate specialist grades.

Mr Khan said: "The SASC welcomes the commitment of NHS employers to securing improvements in the pay, career progress and professional recognition of doctors and dentists in the Staff and Associate Specialist Grades. It was agreed that due to the complexity of the issues to be addressed more formal discussions will begin in the late summer, but in the meantime further informal discussions to scope the project will be held."

The announcement comes amidst frustration at the slow progress of improvements to pay and conditions for staff and associate specialists. The conference passed motions deploring "the delay by the government in commencing negotiations" and expressed anger at "this year's poor pay award by the DDRB."

There were also calls for greater recognition of the unsocial hours that staff and associate specialists are working as a result of the European Working Time Directive for junior doctors. Representatives recommended that any negotiation of terms and conditions should include radically improved recognition for on call and out of hours work, and called on the government to implement sanctions against trusts that unfairly use the directive to increase their workload.

British Medical Association

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