Resident Doctors and Dentists (Wales)

With effect from November 2024, Doctors previously known as "Junior Doctor" or "Doctors and Dentists in Training" are referred to as Resident Doctors and Dentists as requested by BMA and agreed by Welsh Government.

In 2025, following a mandate from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, BMA Cymru Wales, Welsh Resident Doctors Committee (WRDC) and NHS Wales Employers negotiated a Framework for the terms for a new contract in Summer 2025.

This Framework was then supported by BMA members and approved by the Cabinet Secretary in December 2025.

The contract for doctors in training previously negotiated and agreed between representatives of each of the 4 UK home countries, the service throughout the NHS including in Wales, and the BMA through a body known as the JNC(J) i.e. the "2002" Contract. This contract will be closed from 1st August 2026 but will remain in place for existing doctors until 2028, subject to the timetable for transition to the "2026" Contract as set out in the Agreed Framework above.

As soon as Contract Documentation is developed and agreed for the new contract, this page will be updated.

Study leave Reforms April 2026 - As part of the negotiation of a revised contract, WRDC, BMA Cymru Wales, Welsh Government and NHS Wales Employers, agreed a number of reforms to the provision of Study Leave for Resident Doctors. Some of these improvements are effective from 1st April 2026 as set out in a Joint Statement from BMA Cymru Wales and NHS Wales Employers.

The Fatigue and Facilities Charter in Wales has been developed in partnership by BMA Cymru Wales, NHS Wales Employers and Welsh Government to provide a comprehensive and ambitious set of standards, recognising the opportunities for NHS Wales employers to work towards in enhancing the working environment for Resident doctors in Wales.

The charter contains provisions beyond the 2002 terms and conditions of service for resident doctors in Wales, ensuring fewer long days and consecutive shifts, as well as setting a standard for rest facilities during shifts and for facilities to sleep in if you’re too tired to drive home.

It also outlines a robust framework for monitoring the implementation of the charter through LNCs (local negotiating committees) and a defined senior employer representative appointed by each health board.

This charter is the first step in a wider shift in attitudes to fatigue in the workplace and will be actively monitoring implementation of the charter nationally in partnership with Welsh Government and NHS Wales Employers.

The toolkit is a comprehensive and supportive mechanism which can be utilised by health boards to enable the implementation of the Fatigue and Facilities Charter; the toolkit provides assistance on the stages of progression in meeting the charter, as well as containing aids to capture and share good practice.