Junior doctors' contract should be suspended after 7-day NHS revelations, Tom Watson says

The demand comes after damning leaks suggested the 7-day plan posed big risks to the NHS

Jeremy Hunt wants to impose the new contract on junior doctors (PA)

The controversial new junior doctors’ contract must be suspended pending an inquiry into damning claims that plans for a 7-day NHS are ridden with danger, the Deputy Labour Leader has said.

Tom Watson demanded an inquiry after leaked papers outlined a string of potential problems with the 7-day proposals cited by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt as the key reason for imposing the contract.

It comes after internal documents suggested the NHS has too few staff and too little money to deliver the government’s plan.

In a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, Mr Watson said: “The seven-day NHS policy has nonetheless been used to justify imposition of a new contract upon junior doctors.

“That is wholly unacceptable, given the current paucity of evidence underpinning the policy.”

He added: “Imposition should be suspended and doctors allowed to remain on their current contract until such time as you can demonstrate the evidence justifying the policy.”

He also calls for a full inquiry preferably carried out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Confidential Department of Health papers drawn up for Mr Hunt in late July and recently passed to the Guardian and Channel 4 News show that senior civil servants trying to deliver a key Tory election pledge have uncovered 13 major “risks”.

They said the biggest danger is “workforce overload”, a lack of available GPs, hospital consultants and other health professionals

Juniors doctors have held eight days of strikes to protest against a new contract which Mr Hunt claims is needed to deliver the service, but that they claim ignores the need for extra doctors to enable the expansion of care.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “Over the past six years, eight independent studies have set out the evidence for a “weekend effect” - unacceptable variation in care across the week - and this Government is the first to tackle this issue. The benefits of a seven day service for patients are wide ranging - a safer NHS, more choice and better access to services, including extended GP hours, but we make absolutely no apology for prioritising patient safety - as the public would expect any responsible Government to do.”