Following the announcement by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt last week that the Government will impose the new contract on junior doctors, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has warned that its efforts to recruit thousands of additional doctors into the NHS will “undoubtedly” be impaired.

A spokeswoman for the College said the organisation had been “shocked and dismayed” at the decision to press ahead with the changes despite the evident opposition to the contract by junior doctors. She added that the move would damage morale and lead to medical students deciding not to pursue their studies.

The warning from the Royal College, which has pledged to continue its support of junior doctors, will come as a blow to the Government, as ministers have said they want more care to be delivered by GPs rather than in hospitals.

The RCGP is not the only body up in arms against the imposition; the British Medical Association (BMA) has also said it will do all it can to stop the contract and now public service union Unison has described the contract’s imposition as a “war” between NHS staff, employers and the Government.

A spokeswoman for the union said that the move sends a very worrying message to other workers in the public sector, adding that the feeling is that the Government wants to extend seven-day services but does not want to fund it.

The new contract offers junior doctors extra pay after 17.00 on Saturdays and will top up the pay by 30 per cent for those who work at least one in four Saturdays. However, the BMA wants everyone to be paid at 50 per cent above the basic rate if they work at any time on any Saturday.