Ms Susan Clyne:

Just to reiterate, many of the contracts for doctors in the health service, particularly NCHD contracts, were designed around young men at a certain point in their lives who had the ability to make choices. They do not recognise the demographic for either non-consultant hospital doctors or indeed for consultants. We have to be much more flexible in understanding, like any private company or any of the big companies that want to attract talent. They understand their needs and adapt to suit them if they want people to work for them.