The new junior doctors’ contract: an occupational health and safety perspective

<span class="paragraphSection">The attempts by the UK government to first negotiate and then impose a new contract on junior doctors working in the NHS in England (but not the rest of the UK) have lead to an unprecedented industrial dispute. One of the key features of the new contract, that is the focus of much debate within the media and elsewhere, is the move towards providing hospital services 7 days a week. The government has argued that this is needed to address poorer patient care outcomes for patients who are admitted to hospitals at the weekend. The British Medical Association (BMA), representing the junior doctors, argue that, among other things, the new contract is not fair and that it represents a threat to patient safety as well as doctors’ own well-being. The arguments about fairness are complex, but one of the key issues is that under the new contract, junior doctors believe that they will be required to work more ‘unsocial hours’ without any compensatory increase in their overall levels of pay. From an occupational health and safety perspective, the BMA’s main arguments against the introduction of a 7-day NHS have concerned the impact of weekend working on (i) overall workloads and the consequences for fatigue/safety; and (ii) doctors’ work–life balance and the disproportionate impact the changes will have on part time workers and those with caring responsibilities, i.e. primarily women.</span>

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