What now for Jeremy Hunt?

The junior doctors strike will be remembered not only as the first time in NHS history that a complete walk out took place, but also for its viciousness. Both the British Medical Association and the Government can share their blame in this. Jeremy Hunt’s threat to ‘impose’ contracts on junior doctors was unhelpful in its forcefulness, even if his frustration was understandable. Whilst the rhetoric used by the BMA has also scarcely painted the association in a good light. Junior doctors may have had their concerns about patient safety but this was also a dispute about pay and to suggest otherwise was disingenuous. It seems, at last however, that an agreement has been reached. The BMA’s Dr Johann Malawana said the terms offered a ‘good deal’ for junior doctors. Whilst Jeremy Hunt insisted the agreement ‘represents a definitive step forward for patients, for doctors, and for the NHS as a whole.