A GOVERNMENT minister has justified controversial changes to doctor contracts by saying he wants to avoid a repeat of the mortality rate crisis at Basildon Hospital.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt announced today he would impose a new contract for NHS doctors, with normal working hours set as 7am until 9pm weekdays and 7am until 5pm on Saturdays.

Mr Hunt made the announcement as negotiations with the British Medical Association refused a “take-it-or-leave-it” offer following a 24-hour strike by junior doctors this week.

The Government took action after its chief negotiator, Sir David Dalton, wrote to the BMA on Tuesday, stating the latest contract offer was “fair and reasonable”.

Sir David said the offer was the “best and final position on the substantive issues which are outstanding”.

He advised Mr Hunt to impose the contract after receiving no indication from the BMA that they would back the proposals.

Mr Hunt has pushed for contracts to be changed to include Saturdays as “normal” working hours due to concerns about higher mortality rates at weekends.

In Parliament today, Mr Hunt said: “No Government or health secretary could responsibly ignore the evidence that hospital mortality rates are higher at the weekend or the overwhelming consensus that the standard of weekend services is too low.

“The lessons of Mid Staffs, Morecambe Bay and Basildon in the last decade are that patients suffer when Governments drag their feet on high hospital mortality rates, and this Government are determined that our NHS should offer the safest, highest-quality care in the world.”

Basildon Hospital was placed in special measures in 2013, when it emerged mortality rates at the site were the highest in the country.

It has since been given a clean bill of health by regulator Monitor and is now rated good overall by regulator the Care Quality Commission.

The BMA has labelled the Government’s stance “shambolic” and said it would be "considering all options".

The hospital’s chief executive, Clare Panniker, was one of 20 NHS bosses who gave their backing to Sir David’s letter to the BMA.