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Junior doctors' contracts
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Last modified date:1 March 2007
The new junior doctors' contract came into effect in December 2000, putting new systems of pay into practice. With its aims of compliance with the New Deal for Junior Doctors 1991, and the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) by August 2004, the new contract reflects the evolving status of working practices in the NHS.
Doctors in training - including GP registrars
New moves in flexible medical training
A new approach to flexible medical training, to be introduced in June 2005, recognises the need to integrate this increasingly important mode of training into mainstream medicine. It combines better support for flexible trainees with a new, equitable pay structure that will make employing these doctors more attractive to employers, and ultimately improve access to flexible training.
Pay
- Download A general guide to the new pay system (October 2000) (PDF, 130K)
- Download Junior doctors' contract new banding system (September 2000) (PDF, 30K)
- Download Pay banding criteria (October 2000) (PDF, 14K)
- Download Protocol for the rebanding of training grades (February 2002) (PDF, 19K)
- Download Implications for trainees in public health medicine (February 2001) (PDF, 29K)
- AL(MD) 1/2000: Pay and Conditions of Service of Hospital Medical and Dental Staff and Doctors in Public Health Medicine and the Community Health Service
- Download Junior doctors' pay protection (March 2001) (PDF, 9K)
- HSC 2000/036: Living and working conditions for hospital doctors in training
Hours
Trusts must demonstrate from 1 August 2003 that all junior doctors' posts are compliant with the hours' limits of the New Deal (as set out in Part C) or they will be in breach of contract. From August 2004 trusts must also ensure that work and rest hours for junior doctors comply with the EWTD. This brings them into line with other staff groups.
Junior doctors' hours are normally monitored twice a year. From this process Strategic Health Authorities (StHA) produce reports showing the level of compliance in local trusts. The reports are also an opportunity to share good practice.
The new contract identifies a number of working patterns in order to define the relationship between hours worked and work intensity to pay. These definitions include on-call rotas, partial shifts, 24 hour partial shifts, full shifts, and hybrid working arrangements, where a combination of these patterns is used.
The guidance below sets out the types of work defined by the new contract, and emphasises the importance of monitoring hours in the light of new regulations.
- Download Guidance on working patterns for junior doctors (November 2002) (PDF, 203K)
- Download Junior doctors' hours monitoring guidance (October 2000) (PDF, 28K)
- Download request for hours monitoring data to 31 March 2004 (PDF, 35K)
- Download Excel spreadsheet for return of monitoring data (XLS, 395K)
More information
The New Deal for Junior Doctors 1991 and the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) are the two pieces of legislation that precipitate the new junior doctors' contract. Information on these and other related subjects can be found by selecting the links below.
- Download New Deal: Living and working conditions of doctors in training (PDF, 25K)
- Download New Deal: Conference of Medical Royal Colleges and their Faculties in the UK: Training implications of 'Heads of Agreement' (PDF, 48K)
- Download New Deal: Guidance on regional task forces (PDF, 18K)
- Download New Deal: Ministerial Group on junior doctors' hours: 'Heads of Agreement' general statement of intent (PDF, 251K)
- Download New Deal: Making better use of technical, administrative, clerical and other support staff and systems (PDF, 21K)
- Download New Deal: Making the best use of the skills of nurses and midwives (PDF, 9K)
- Download New Deal: Working arrangements for doctors and dentists in training (PDF, 160K)
- European Working Time Directive
- HSC 2000/036: Living and working conditions for hospital doctors in training
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