ABSTRACT
In September 1966, the Central Consultants and Specialists Committee of the British Medical Association (BMA) took over from the Joint Consultants Committee the right to negotiate for its constituents on pay and conditions of service with the Department of Health. Negotiations made very little progress until 1974, when the new Secretary of State, Mrs Barbara Castle, set up a joint working party under the chairmanship of the Minister of State, Dr. David Owen. The General Medical Services Committee decided that the BMA should once more collect undated resignations from general practitioners to be used if the Government reneged on its commitments. The Association wrote to every doctor explaining why it needed their undated resignations. In 1976 a Health Service Bill was introduced to Parliament to implement the phasing out of private beds from National Health Service hospitals and the introduction of common waiting lists.
