Milburn told the Junior Doctors' Conference of the British Medical Association that he wanted the NHS to become a modern employer.

And he said the health service had a lot to learn from private employers about adapting to more flexible, family friendly working patterns.

To applause, he said: "Staff interests and patient interests are inextricable. If you treat staff well, they will treat patients better."

Disempowered

He recognised that junior doctors had felt "disengaged" and "disempowered" from the NHS in the past and pledged that the government would encourage trusts to break down barriers between managers and doctors.

The government has set up a national task force on staff involvement, which includes two junior doctors.

Mr Milburn accused NHS trusts of acting in "a cavalier fashion" towards junior doctors. He said many were not even shown around the hospital when they started work and promised that trusts would have proper induction days for new staff.

He pledged that the government would encourage trusts to be more flexible, for example, by employing more part-time doctors. He said that this would ensure highly qualified staff did not leave the profession.

Regional task forces

And he announced that the government would continue to fund the regional task forces on reducing junior doctors' hours until all were working less than 72 hours a week - the guideline set down under the previous government.

Milburn promises action on doctors' hours

The task forces have found that almost one in five junior doctors is still working over 72 hours a week, despite some improvements.

Mr Milburn said reducing doctors' hours would improve patient safety. The government is working with the European Union on how the working time directive will affect doctors.It allows for a maximum 48-hour week.

"A career in medicine should be a commitment, but it should not be a sacrifice," he said, promising extra cash for the NHS over the next 10 years.

Consultants

He added that the government would announce plans to increase the number of consultants in hospitals after the results of the comprehensive spending review were published.

He said the government was "actively considering" advice that it should fund an extra 1,000 places at medical school as part of its efforts to increase the number of consultants.

Doctors are worried that many trusts are cutting down on the number of consultants they employ in order to save money. Obstetrics and gynaecology are particularly affected.

One doctor said some trusts had been advertising for junior grades when they really wanted a consultant. Mr Milburn said the government was sending out advice about job advertisements.