Doctors on fixed-term contracts, known as locally employed doctors (LEDs), are being given permanent contracts as part of the gains achieved under the June 2026 deal between the BMA resident doctors committee (RDC) and the Government.
The deal, which ended the long dispute over pay and jobs for resident doctors in England, included a commitment to transition both new and existing LEDs to substantive contracts unless there was a good reason not to.1 Guidance set out today to doctors and to NHS trusts explains how the transition will work and how any trust not complying will be in breach of the Government deal.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of RDC, said:
“For too long we have had a gig economy in medicine. In return for their sterling efforts in the NHS locally employed doctors have been offered insecure work that offers no certainty about their future and all too often no meaningful career progress. Planning a life around the terms of a fixed term contract is tough in any job, but as recompense for the many stresses of working as a skilled medical professional in today’s NHS it is unforgivable.
“NHS employers are now under an obligation to start winding down that gig economy. Employers will by default be offering permanent contracts to new LEDs, and transitioning current LEDs to a permanent contract. This new normal will be a major change for the tens of thousands of LEDs in the NHS, who have always deserved the same protections as other NHS workers but through no fault of their own have been excluded from them due to poor workforce planning.
“The change is going to be a major one for NHS trusts, and we will be watching closely to ensure that it is carried out in a timely and effective manner. The end result though will be doctors who feel more valued, better protected, and with a more secure future in the NHS, something which can only be a good ultimate result for the patients in their care.”
Notes to editors
1. Reasons for exceptions are set out in the guidance
The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.