HCSA general secretary Eddie Saville sets out the association's position on the Doctors in Training contract.
Amid the current upswell of anger among junior doctors, including many HCSA members, the association has taken steps to outline its stance on the current state of play regarding proposed contractual changes.
As with our position on the consultant aspect of the DDRB proposals currently being pursued by the government and employers, this stance is guided by the principle that any successful outcome must balance safety, fairness and work-life balance. It must also meet the recruitment and retention test needed to ensure that the health service remains properly staffed.
What's more any attempt to impose contractual changes on doctors in training is completely unacceptable, flying in the face of the basic tenets of trade unionism - that negotiation not imposition is the way to bring about a positive outcome that delivers for trainee doctors, patients and the health service as a whole.
The association's headline approach to the challenges facing doctors in training is outlined in a short document available in PDF format.
We shall continue to make representations to employers and the government on the issues surrounding both the junior doctors' and consultants' contract.
The stakes were highlighted in the recent stress research that garnered national headlines, underlining the high-pressure nature of the work of hospital doctors on the front-line.
Thanks to a fantastic response from HCSA members, the association was able to highlight the potential human impact of the high-stakes game currently being played for the future of our health service. Members can read the full story as reported in the Guardian.
A booklet featuring the detailed findings of this survey is also available to members here.
A week earlier the HCSA was also featured in the Health Service Journal (subscription may be re, where we set out our concerns and position in defence of hospital consultants given the current proposed changes to their contracts.
We intend to continue to highlight the difficult situation faced by hospital doctors and the dangers posed by any attempt to impose changes without taking into account the full consequences of the impact on our members' welfare, patient safety, and the ability of our health services to continue to operate as a world-class service,
The HCSA remains determined to do our utmost to ensure that the outcome of the current negotiations does not impact negatively on the prospects for our profession, now and in the future.