Government wrong to impose contract on junior doctors, says CSP

Prof Karen Middleton, chief executive of the CSP, said:

'Imposing the contract is a poor way to conduct industrial relations and risks creating a climate of distrust from the very beginning of any future negotiations between the government and health unions.

'Ironically, it also undermines the drive to create the seven-day NHS that Mr Hunt desires because for those services to be safe and effective for patients, they must be adequately resourced and designed in collaboration with staff.

'The damaging rift he has caused through sledgehammer tactics make achieving that goal increasingly unlikely and that is unacceptable for the patients who would benefit from access to weekend services where there is a genuine clinical case for providing them.'

ENDS

Note to editors

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1. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is the UK’s professional, educational and trade union body. We have more than 54,000 members, including chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy students and support workers.