The Right Honourable David Cameron MP
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA


Dear Prime Minister,

This letter is in relation to the ongoing dispute between the Department of Health and the Junior Doctors, with the impending industrial action commencing 1st December 2015.

We, the undersigned, sincerely request your involvement to resolve this dispute in a reconciliatory and amicable manner. All of us, including the government, have only one goal – deliver the best possible and world-class healthcare to our patients and the society. This can be achieved only if there is solidarity, respect and mutual trust between all parties concerned.

Junior doctors, ranging from a newly qualified foundation doctor to a senior registrar (about 10-15 years post qualification), are the backbone of our NHS. They are a group of extremely hardworking, diligent and intelligent professionals who have the ultimate sense of responsibility to patient-care. Without their momentous contributions, support and goodwill, the senior workforce cannot function effectively.

It pains us to see the elite professionals of our society having to march on the streets and consider picketing for their voices to be heard. Every medical student is eager to qualify after 5-6 gruelling years in medical school to help the sick and needy, and not to stage a protest. The mere thought of causing any inconvenience to a human-being goes against the very ethos of being a doctor and for them to consider industrial action means something has gone terribly wrong.

The junior doctors of today are the world-class clinicians, leaders and policy makers of the future. Their genuine concerns and grievances must be heard. They should not feel devalued, ignored or let-down. When 98% of junior doctors feel aggrieved, there is a cause for concern.

As a mature society and professionals, we should not allow contractual negotiations to harm the enthusiasm and confidence of the workforce, and this impasse has to be broken. We do not intend to discuss what/who is right or wrong, or what should have been done. Let bygones be bygones. When trust is broken, positions get entrenched. It takes time to re-establish the trust. A fresh approach might be needed to identify the dissonance and address the exasperation. This needs to done before any further damage is done to the morale of the junior doctors and, consequently, to the profession.

We politely request your help and support in resolving this.

Yours sincerely,

The undersigned.