JUNIOR doctors have suspended their strikes to begin formal remuneration negotiations with the Department of Health.
It will be the first time since December that real talks will take place.
The breakthrough is a ray of hope for desperate patients and hospitals that have endured nearly 18 months of protests.
The relationship between the British Medical Association and Conservative ministers collapsed when both sides refused to give in to the other’s demands.
Wes Streeting, the new Health Secretary, insists he can succeed where his predecessors failed and reach a deal.
A crucial step forward
He said today: “After a constructive second meeting, I am pleased to announce that my department will enter into formal negotiations with the BMA junior doctors committee on Tuesday.
“This is a crucial step.
“This government has been honest with the public about the dire economic circumstances we have inherited, and I have repeated that message in meetings with junior doctors.
“But I am encouraged by our first meetings that there is a deal to be done.
“The strikes have come at a significant cost to patients, staff and the NHS.
“Serious work is underway to finally put an end to them.”
We expect negotiations to be concluded by August 16
Dr Robert Laurenson
This came after the BMA met with Streeting on just his second day on the job.
More than 20,000 doctors in training have walked out of one of the most controversial strikes to date, just days before the general election.
They have been on strike 11 times since March last year, completing 44 working days.
More than 1.2 million appointments have been postponed or canceled and more than £1.5 billion has been spent dealing with the fallout.
BMA strike leaders Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said: “We are pleased to announce that formal negotiations will begin on Tuesday 23 July.
“We have set an expectation that these will be completed by our executive meeting on August 16.”
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