Junior doctors are set to issue their verdict on a new pay system this week. More than 30,000 ballot papers have been sent out by the British Medical Association as doctors decide whether to back proposals agreed with the Department of Health. The new scheme would replace the hourly rate for on-call duties with a system of bands, reflecting how intense the work is and when it is carried out. Last September, BMA junior doctor committee representatives threw out the first set of proposals which had been agreed between their leaders and the Department of Health, but a special conference has endorsed the latest system.