Dear All,

We would be very grateful if you would sign this to show support for your Junior Colleagues. The letter will be hand delivered to Downing Street shortly! We would like as many signatures from as many specialities as possible before Thursday 21st April.

Thank you

Open letter to Right Honourable David Cameron, Prime Minister and Right Honourable Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health

Dear Mr Hunt and Prime Minister Cameron,

We, the undersigned, all Consultants, GPs and SAS Doctors within the NHS, are aware of the proposed action by Junior Doctors to remove emergency cover on the 26th and 27th April. We are disappointed that negotiations have broken down and that your insistence on delivering a “ 7 day NHS”  without funding or workforce planning has resulted in the imposition/introduction of the widely criticised Junior Doctor Contract .  As senior clinicians who deliver healthcare on the  frontline on a daily basis, we understand their frustrations and their actions.

Stretching an already limited resource across 7 days does not improve patient care, rather diminishes it, and will also result in the demoralisation of an entire generation of Junior Doctors. We are keen to work with you to improve patient care, but this will come with clinical engagement, not disempowerment.

Training will also suffer, with disruption of the working week leading to degradation of the mentoring trainer:trainee relationships and the erosion of continuity of patient care.  The contract has now been evidenced to disadvantage a proportion of the workforce and represents a retrograde step for a work-life balance, which has improved over many years, and will therefore undoubtedly lead to a worsening retention crisis within the NHS.

The emergency walk out demonstrates the desperation of our trainees, who feel they are being left with no other choice.

We are dismayed that you appear intransigent with respect to further meaningful discussion to avert this action. We, the senior specialists, will keep the NHS safe for our patients and your constituents, despite much publicity to the contrary. Not only are we duty-bound to do so, but we will gladly provide this emergency cover to ensure that the Juniors can take this action with the complete confidence that their patients are safe.

We urge you, before action escalates further, to engage with Junior Doctor Representatives in meaningful discussion, without the threat of imposition/introduction. We feel certain that with the shared goals of improving patient care, transparency regarding funding and realistic workforce planning, a negotiated agreement can be reached.

Miss Stella Vig, Consultant Vascular and General Surgeon
JCST Chair for Core Surgery

Mr Farid Ahmed, Associate Specialist Surgery and Deputy Chair for SASCUK

Professor Standfield
Professor of Vascular Surgery and Surgical Education