A DOCTOR working in York has spoken of her fears for the future of the NHS after the government confirmed it will impose a new contract on junior doctors in England.

Dr Melody Redman, a second year junior doctor, said she and her colleagues feel undervalued and disillusioned by the decision and warned doctors will begin to leave the NHS.

She said a colleague has already handed her notice in and others are discussing working overseas.

Dr Redman said: “It’s really disheartening it’s come to this – that the Secretary of State for Health, who is supposed to represent what healthcare should be like, has got to the point of unilaterally imposing a contract on junior doctors who are working extremely hard already.

"It’s going to do terrible things for morale, which is already low.

“A lot of my colleagues have said they are now considering other options.

"A couple are considering going abroad and a couple leaving medicine altogether.”

She said one friend had already handed in her resignation as understaffing meant she was having to make decisions she was not comfortable with.

Dr Redman added: “You do have to ask yourself what is going to happen when a Government decides to impose a not safe, not fair contract on junior doctors.

"The question is, who is next?

“Without extra resources we can’t provide more that we already do.

“I’m genuinely scared for the future of the NHS.”

Under proposed contract changes basic pay for junior doctors is to be increased but other elements of the pay package are to be curbed, including what constitutes unsociable hours.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has already staged two walkouts and further strikes and legal actions are possible, while some junior doctors may refuse to sign new contracts which are due to be implemented from August.

Yesterday hospital bosses distanced themselves from suggestions they agreed to a new junior doctors contract being imposed after their names were linked to a letter Jeremy Hunt used to justify the decision.

The names of 20 NHS health trust bosses in England were attached to a letter from chief negotiator Sir David Dalton advising the government to do “whatever it deems necessary” to break the deadlock with medics.

The Health Secretary cited their support when announcing his decision to force through changes to pay and conditions.

But around half of the chief executives named have said they did not agree to the contract being forced on medics, even though they backed the terms being offered by the government.