#GPnews: Hunt forced to cancel drinks event as junior doctors snapped up tickets

16:20 Comment of the day is from our story on practices boycotting the record transferring scheme. One GP wrote: ’We have two practices within our centre and the courier only picked up one package – We have a big turnover so this does not bode well going forward for us.

’Also seems we are now expected to add donors to our patient records, hope we get this right. And forward on redirection of hospital letters and correspondence. Where am I expected to find the additional admin resouce?’

If you have experienced similar problems, get in touch at newsdesk@pulsetoday.co.uk

16:00 It has also emerged that Jeremy Hunt was forced to cancel a ‘wine and nibbles’ event this evening with Tory party activists, after reports junior doctors might attend and ask him questions about their new contract, the Independent reports. 

Mr Hunt had to cancel the party fundraiser after news that the event’s open invitation began to do the rounds on social media. 

Junior doctors and their supporters, who claim that Mr Hunt had avoided speaking to them directly before he decided to impose the contract, apparently said it would be worthwhile buying tickets to the evening and quizzing him on the details of his junior doctor policy. 

15:30 The latest leader to distance themselves from Jeremy Hunt’s decision to impose a contract on junior doctors is… Lord Voldemort. He-who-must-not-be-named (but, er, just was) has said that Hunt’s actions were ’too evil’. That was according to Huffington Post, we hasten to add.

14:20 Older people can expect to live longer than they ever have before. A Public Health England report has show men can now expect to live for a further 19 years at age 65, 12 years at 75, 6 years at 85 and 3 years at 95. Women can expect to live for a further 21 years at age 65, 13 years at 75, 7 years at 85, and 3 years at 95.

Professor John Newton, chief knowledge officer at PHE said: ’Overall the report presents a positive picture nationally and life expectancy is the highest it’s been since we started measuring.

’People in England are living longer than ever and that makes achieving a good quality of life in later years even more important. Our current evidence shows that people are living longer but many are doing so in poor health.

’This report is an opportunity to remind people that, even during mid-life, it is not too late to improve your health. Most of us could make changes today, like stopping smoking, being more active or eating better, that would allow us to look forward to healthier later years.’

10:55 Jeremy Hunt speaks! Ok, it’s about car parking spaces at his local train station, but it is useful to know. You might have thought he had other things on his mind.

Great news for users of Farnham station – 183 new car parking spaces confirmed by @SW_Trains

— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) February 12, 2016

10:20 An – admittedly highly unscientific – twitter poll shows the level of anger among junior doctors. Asked where they see themselves in August following the contract imposition, only 14% of 1,115 respondents said working in the NHS in England. 

Dear #juniordoctors, If new #juniorcontract is imposed, you would:

— Dr Aventus (@00Aventus) February 11, 2016

A third (33%)  said working in Wales or Scotland – where there will be no imposition – 27% said working abroad, and 26% said an alternative career.

This should, of course, be taken with a massive pinch of salt, as it is open to anyone, but it does reflect how demoralised junior doctors are currently feeling,

9:20 The health news headlines continue to be dominated by the contract imposition. Today, both the Mirror and the Guardian carry reports that half of the NHS trust chief executives who health secretary Jeremy Hunt claimed support the imposition denied this.

A letter from chief negotiator Sir David Dalton called on the Government to do ’whatever it deems necessary’to create certainty, and was signed by 20 chief executives.

But ten of them have since denied this.

The fallout from Mr Hunt’s decision yesterday is set to continue.