DESPITE months of negotiations and industrial action, the first group of junior doctors – trainees in obstetrics and gynaecology – will now move onto the new junior doctor contract.

This is a watershed moment in the NHS, as doctors are forced to work under a contract they have rejected. And it couldn’t come at a worse time, as a recent BMA study found that almost half of doctors are looking to move overseas as their morale is at an all-time low.

As the government ploughs ahead, ignoring the outstanding areas of concern with the contract, many trusts feel that they have little choice but to rush the implementation of the new terms and conditions.

But trusts do have a choice. The new contract will require major changes to be in place before the new contract can come into effect, which is why the BMA is calling on trusts to delay implementing the new contract and take the necessary time to get it right.

This contract needs to be right, not rushed. It will affect a generation of doctors and have a huge impact on the quality of training and, with it, patient care.

Dr Mark Porter, BMA Council chairman

Time to Revitalise

DO you pop into your favourite coffee shop on your way to work? Dine at your preferred restaurant with ease? Go shopping for a new outfit stress free?

Most of us don’t give these pleasures a second thought, but I’d like to ask your readers, what if having a disability meant you could no longer go about your day with such ease? Having personal experience of disability myself, I know this is a reality for many disabled people, and I’d like to tell your readers why change is vital.

As a non-disabled person, you would never expect to be denied access to your favourite coffee shop, or be unable to use public toilet facilities because there isn’t one available.

I work for Revitalise – an incredible charity that provides respite holidays for disabled people and carers. As an organisation, we often highlight issues of importance to disabled people and our latest study revealed some disappointing results.

Six out of ten non-disabled people admitted to using disabled toilets, and more than one in ten of us use disabled parking spaces either sometimes or habitually.

With the amazing Rio Paralympics still fresh in our minds, we believe that if non-disabled people were to simply make small changes to their attitudes and habits, they will be helping to create a more inclusive society for disabled people and really keeping the Paralympic legacy alive.

To find out more, please visit revitalise.org.uk, email info@revitalise.org.uk, or phone 0303 303 0147.

Stephanie Stone, Revitalise

Wells land rejected

THE news that the Commonwealth Bank in Queensland has refused to accept a property with wells on it as security for a residential loan is of interest to Ryedale, threatened as it is with fracking.

The Queensland wells are coal seam gas, but this decision raises fresh concerns that people living in the state’s gas fields may be unable to sell their homes.

Our government forces itself to be sanguine about this effect of the fracking threat.

The mortgage and insurance companies are unlikely to turn a blind eye.

David Cragg-James, Stonegrave

Thanks for support

THE Macmillan Coffee Morning held at my home raised the wonderful sum of £360.

I would like to thank all the people who kindly donated money and raffle prizes to making this such a huge success.

Kathleen Cuthbertson, Malton