Image copyright AFP The government has said it is willing to pause the introduction of the junior doctors' contract in England for five days from Monday to allow for talks.
But it said the doctors' union must focus discussions on outstanding contractual issues such as unsocial hours and Saturday pay.
Junior doctors have repeatedly been on strike over plans to impose new working conditions.
Talks over the controversial new contract broke down in February.
The idea for a pause was put forward by 22 medical colleges and faculties today.
They called for the government to postpone the new contract and for the British Medical Association to stall any new threats of strikes - both for five days.
Impasse
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had accused the BMA of refusing to negotiate over Saturday pay and said he would press on with introducing the contract.
While the BMA said there were wider unresolved issues over working hours and it was unfair to impose a contract rather than continuing discussions.
Between January and early April there were four strikes by junior doctors in England affecting routine but not urgent care.
Last week there were two one-day strikes affecting all forms of care, including emergencies - the first such action in the history of the NHS.
Only this morning a Department of Health spokesperson was said "it is now too late to change the process of bringing in contracts".
But speaking in the House of Lords, the health minister Lord Prior of Brampton said Mr Hunt was willing to "pause" the introduction of the new contract.
However he insisted that weekend pay must be on the agenda.
Reacting before the U-turn, Dr Johann Malawana, the BMA junior doctor committee chairman, said: "The BMA would be prepared to agree to this [the Royal College's] proposal and temporarily suspend industrial action so that talks can resume with a mutually agreed facilitator, if the government is also prepared to suspend the threat of imposition."