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Asked by:
Brian Adam, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged:
8 September 1999
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Current status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 27 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to resolve the Junior Hospital Doctors' grievances over long hours, working conditions and out of hours pay.
On 22 September I announced a package of measures designed to accelerate progress in reducing junior doctors' hours and improving existing working conditions in line with the New Deal targets and standards. The key elements of the package include:
a new quality incentive scheme to reward NHS Trusts which achieve full compliance with the New Deal and encourage others to do so quickly;the removal of Trusts' discretion to charge for sub-standard junior doctors' accommodation;compliance with the New Deal targets and standards to become an integral part of the personal objectives of Trust Executive Board members;a new system of kite marking or New Deal accreditation to signify a Trust's compliance with the New Deal targets and standards;a willingness to work with the medical Royal Colleges to examine howconsultants might be encouraged and enabled to improve the support they provide for junior doctors in training;work with Trusts to pilot imaginative and cost effective ways of reducing junior doctors hours still further towards the 48 hour Working Time Directive.These measures will complement the work of a New Deal Implementation Support Group (ISG) which the Scottish Executive has established, in partnership with the Scottish Junior Doctors' committee of the BMA, to work with Trusts and help them reduce junior doctors' hours and improve living conditions still further.