'Real Progress' In Junior Doctors' Dispute Talks

Talks aimed at resolving the junior doctors' dispute have been extended to allow time for "a successful conclusion".

ACAS chairman Sir Brendan Barber, who has been overseeing intensive negotiations between the Government and British Medical Association, said "real progress has been made".

The two sides returned to the negotiating table on Monday after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt agreed to a five-day pause in the imposition of the new junior doctors' contract.

While agreement has already been reached on the majority of the contract, a main sticking point has been over whether Saturdays should attract extra "unsocial" payments.

It has led to a series of strikes by junior doctors in recent months, causing thousands of operations to be cancelled.

In the latest walkout, junior doctors stopped providing emergency care for the first time in NHS history.

Sir Brendan said: "Both parties have committed themselves over the whole of this week to highly intensive negotiations in an effort to resolve this long-running dispute.

"The talks have been conducted in a constructive and positive atmosphere. In my judgement some real progress has been made to address outstanding issues.

"I reached the view, however, in the last 24 hours that a limited amount of additional time would be needed to give the process a chance of reaching a successful conclusion."

He added: "This is a strictly time-limited extension and represents a final opportunity to find an agreement as the basis for the resolution of this difficult dispute.

"To give this the best possible chance of succeeding I have urged both parties to respect the confidentiality of the negotiations and to make no public comments on the talks and the issues under review and no hostile or negative comments about the other parties involved. I am grateful again that both parties have given that commitment."